Study on Genetic Diversity and Character Associations in Traditional and Indigenous Rice (Oryza sativa L.) Genotypes Under Rainfed

The nature and magnitude of genetic divergence were estimated in thirty rice landraces using Mahalanobis D2 statistics considering twenty quantitative characters. ANOVA exhibits the presence of the considerable amount of variability among the genotypes. A high genotypic coefficient of variation (GCV) was observed for number of secondary branches. High phenotypic coefficient of variation (PCV) in biological yield per plant. High heritability coupled with high genetic advance as percentage was shown by number of grains per panicle. A considerable amount of diversity was revealed by Mahalanobis D2 analysis. The 30 landraces were grouped into 9 clusters. In the present study the highest inter-cluster distance observed between cluster V and cluster VII (3913.55) followed by cluster I and cluster VII (3144.26) suggesting that the genotypes in these clusters may be used as parent for future hybridization programmes. The maximum intra cluster distance of shown by cluster IV (544.43) followed by cluster III (512.44) which showed maximum divergence. Traits like; days to heading, number of secondary branches and grain length were major contributors to genetic divergence. Parents showing more divergence can be crossed, which could produce high heterotic hybrids.