Studies on genetic divergence for yield and quality traits in chilli (Capsicum annuum L.)

A study was conducted to assess the genetic divergence of twenty-five chilli genotypes for fifteen parameters by adopting Mahalanobis D2 statistics using Tocher’s method. The genotypes were grouped into six clusters irrespective of their geographical divergence, indicating wide diversity among them. Cluster II was the largest with nine genotypes followed by Cluster I with eight genotypes, cluster III with four genotypes, cluster IV with two genotypes, and Clusters V and VI had only one genotype each. The maximum inter-cluster distance was observed between clusters V and VI followed by clusters IV and V and clusters III and IV. This indicates that hybridization between the genotypes belonging to clusters V and VI will be more rewarding for getting superior progenies in terms of yield and quality.