Genetic Divergence in Triticum Durum

Genetic divergence study on 58 varieties of Triticum turgidum L. var durum with diverse sources and pedigrees, carried out in two seasons, has revealed their association into eleven and thirteen clusters The composition of clusters differed in the two seasons due to environmental interactions. Approximate configurations of the clusters based on the D2-values were prepared for both the seasons. Cluster means of different characters suggest wide range of variation for plant height, extrusion length, awn length and yield per plant. The grouping revealed instability in clusters to be due to relatively lesser divergence, whereas the widely divergent clusters remained distinct in both the seasons. Similarly these clusters revealed absence of relationship between geographical distribution and genetic divergence.