*Part of the thesis submitted by senior author for Ph.D. degree of Jabalpur University.
The genetic diversity in a population consisting of 96 genetic stocks of kodo millet (Paspalum scrobiculatum Linn) was assessed using. Mahalanobis's D2 and canonical analyses. The investigation brought out the presence of substantial genetic diversity for important components of fitness among and within the geographical regions. The studies indicated that genetic diversity and geographical diversity were not necessarily related. It was observed that vegetative characters, days to 50 per cent flowering, days to maturity, plant height and straw yield were important factors in differentiation among the germplasm from different geographical regions.
The results of the multivariate analysis revealed considerable differences in the composition of clusters under two environments. The present study also brought out the need of an optimum environment for the fullest expression of the genotype for obtaining a realistic picture of genetic as estimated by D’ statistic.
