Study on genetic diversity in mungbean

The present investigation was conducted on 50 genotypes of mungbean (Vigna radiata (L.) Wilczek) obtained from the Agricultural Research Station, Badnapur. The study aimed to assess the genetic diversity among these genotypes. The genotypes were evaluated in a Randomized Block Design (RBD) with two replications during the Kharif season of 2020-21 at the same research station. Observations were recorded for ten quantitative characters: days to 50% flowering, days to maturity, plant height, number of primary branches per plant, number of secondary branches per plant, number of pods per plant, number of seeds per pod, 100-seed weight, seed yield per plant, and harvest index. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed that the treatment differences were statistically significant for most of the characters studied, indicating the presence of substantial genetic variability. The magnitude of the genotypic and phenotypic coefficients of variation further confirmed the existence of considerable diversity among the genotypes.Based on Mahalanobis D² statistics, the 50 genotypes were grouped into 17 distinct clusters using Tocher’s method. Cluster I was the largest, comprising 18 genotypes, followed by Cluster IV with 11 genotypes and Cluster II with 7 genotypes. The remaining clusters—III, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, X, XI, XII, XIII, XIV, XV, XVI, and XVII—each contained a single genotype, indicating a high degree of diversity among them. The maximum intra-cluster distance was recorded for Cluster IV, followed by Cluster II and Cluster I, suggesting that the genotypes within these clusters possess considerable genetic variation. The maximum inter-cluster distance was observed between Cluster XVII and Cluster XVI, indicating that the genotypes grouped in these clusters were genetically the most divergent. Such diverse genotypes can be utilized in hybridization programs to exploit heterosis and develop superior recombinants.