Discerning of genetic variability and diversity of finger millet (Eleusine coracana L.) germplasm for yield and its components

The present investigation was conducted to assess genetic variability, correlations among characters, direct and indirect effects and genetic divergence among 20 finger millet genotypes, with the aim of identifying promising lines for yield improvement. The genotypes were evaluated for 12 quantitative traits and their mean performance was recorded. The Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) revealed significant differences among genotypes for all studied traits, indicating sufficient genetic variability in the experimental material. High estimates of Genotypic Coefficient of Variation (GCV) and Phenotypic Coefficient of Variation (PCV) were observed for traits like grain yield per plant (GYPP), number of fingers per ear (NFPE) and ear weight (EW), suggesting potential for genetic improvement. Moderate GCV and PCV were found for traits such as finger length (FL), number of productive tillers and plant height (PH). High heritability (Hbs), coupled with high GA, was observed for GYPP, FL, NFPE, EW and the number of productive tillers per plant (NPTPP), indicating the predominance of additive gene action for these characters. Grain yield per plant showed a significant positive association with EW, NFPE and NPTPP at both phenotypic and genotypic levels. Path coefficient analysis revealed that EW exhibited the highest direct positive effect on GYPP, trailed by NPTPP, FL and NFPE. Mahalanobis D2 analysis divided the genotypes under study into three clusters, with clusters II and III exhibiting the maximum inter-cluster distance. Principal component analysis (PCA) identified the first five components %, which together explained 76.52 % of the total variation, with GYPP, EW, NFPE and FL as major contributors, further validating their importance in selection strategies.