Genetic Diversity Assessment in Mungbean [Vigna radiata (L.) Wilczek] Genotypes Using D2 Statistics and PCA

Introduction: Mungbean (Vigna radiata L. 2n=2x=22, Fabaceae) is the third major pulse crop covering nearly 8 percent of the total pulse area of the country after chickpea and pigeonpea. Aim: To study the genetic diversity among mungbean (Vigna radiata (L.) Wilczek) genotypes using D2 statistics and PCA. Study Design: Randomized Block Design. Place and Duration of Study: College of Agriculture, PJTAU, Rajendranagar, Hyderabad, Telangana during summer season in 2025. Methodology: The study material comprised of 37 mungbean genotypes including three checks which were sown in two rows of 3 meter each in three replications and a spacing of 30 cm x 10 cm. Observations were recorded on nine agro-morphological characters. Statistical analysis was conducted using INDOSTAT software for genetic diversity and principal component analysis. Results: Analysis of variance showed that there was significant variation among all characters examined. Thirty-seven mungbean genotypes were grouped into seven distinct clusters. Cluster I was largest with 31 genotypes and remaining were monogenotypic clusters. Maximum inter cluster distance was observed between cluster V and VII. Genotypes in Cluster V and cluster VI recorded highest mean values for most of the yield contributing traits. The first four principal components explained 80.02% of the total variation. Hundred seed weight contributed to maximum genetic divergence followed by number of pods per plant. Conclusion: The genotypes from cluster V and cluster VI can be used as parents for yield improvement.