Multivariate studies on diverse rice (Oryza sativa L.) genotypes for agro-morphological characters under Terai region of West Bengal Umamaheswar N1, Kundu A2, Roy S K1,*, Mandal R3, Sen S4, Hijam L1, Chakraborty M1, Das B5, Barman R6, Vishnupriya S1, Thapa B7, Maying B8, Rout S9 1Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Uttar Banga Krishi Viswavidyalaya, Cooch Behar, West Bengal – 736165, India 2AICRN on Potential Crops, Uttar Banga Krishi Viswavidyalaya, Pundibari, Cooch Behar, West Bengal – 736165, India 3Regional Research Station, Terai Zone, Uttar Banga Krishi Viswavidyalaya, Cooch Behar, West Bengal – 736165, India 4AINP on Jute and Allied Fibres, Uttar Banga Krishi Vishwavidyalaya, Cooch Behar, West Bengal – 736165, India 5Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Uttar Banga Krishi Vishwavidyalaya, College of Agriculture(Extended Campus), Majhian, Dakshin Dinajpur, West Bengal – 733133, India 6Regional Research Station (OAZ), Uttar Banga Krishi Vishwavidyalaya, Majhian, Dakshin Dinajpur, West Bengal – 733133, India 7Regional Research Station (Hill Zone), Uttar Banga Krishi Viswavidyalaya, Kalimpong, West Bengal – 734301, India 8College of Agriculture, Central Agricultural University, Pasighat, Arunachal Pradesh – 791102, India 9Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Centurion University of Technology and Management, Paralakhemundi, Odisha – 761211, India *Corresponding author’s e-mail: suvendukumarroy@gmail.com
Online published on 31 March, 2025. Abstract A study was conducted to analyze trait variations among rice genotypes in the Terai region of West Bengal and to select high-performing genotypes based on specific characteristics. The study was conducted during the Kharif (Aman) seasons of 2019 and 2020, focussing on 42 rice genotypes at Uttar Banga Krishi Viswavidyalaya, Cooch Behar, West Bengal. The Mahalanobis D2 analysis revealed four distinct clusters, with significant variation observed for grain length, plant height, and grain yield per plant. Additionally, the maximum Mahalanobis D2 distance was observed for Dudeswar, Baramshall, and Khara. The Principal Component Analysis identified spikelet fertility, grain yield per plant, filled grains per plant, and test weight as principal discriminatory characteristics, with Dudeswar exhibiting the highest index score of 2.49. It was followed by Geetanjali with a score of 1.92, according to the Smith selection index. The significant characters identified through the D2 analysis and PCA, such as grain length, plant height, spikelet fertility and others played a crucial role in revealing the diversity among the genotypes. The maximum D2 distances for specific genotypes, coupled with high index scores, suggested a strong association with discriminatory characteristics identified through the Smith selection index, emphasizing their importance in genotypic classification and selection. Top Keywords D2 statistic, Genetic diversity, PCA, Rice, Smith index, Terai region. Top |