Assessment of genetic divergence in Finger millet [Eleusine coracana (L.) Gaertn.] for yield and yield contributing traits

Forty genotypes of finger millet (Eleusine coracana) were grouped into seven distinct classes based on their genetic diversity using D² statistic and Principal component analysis. The maximum inter-cluster distance was between cluster V and VII, followed by cluster IV and VII and cluster V and VI, suggesting there by that there is wide genetic diversity between these clusters. PCA revealed that, the first three principal components with eigen values more than one contributed 76.411 per cent towards the total variability. The significant factors loaded in PC₁ viz., number of productive tillers per plant, ear weight per plant, days to maturity, days to 50% flowering, number of fingers per ear, plant height, 1000-seed weight, seed yield per plant and finger length contributed maximum towards divergence. The analysis showed that the genotypes GE-3434, GE-1382 and GE-4976 which are having better per se for yield contributing characters recorded maximum inter-cluster distance hence, can be utilized in hybridization programmes to produce desirable recombinants. Both the analysis revealed that geographical diversity and genetic diversity are not related.