Genetic divergence in late sown wheat (Triticum aestivum L. em Theil)

Forty nine genotypes of wheat (Triticum aestivum L. em Theil) suited for late sown irrigated conditions were studied for their genetic divergence for a set of seven characters using Mahalanobis D² statistic. The genotypes could be grouped into seven clusters. The genetic diversity among genotypes did not show any relation to geographical diversity. Based on genetic divergence and superior cluster means, it is predicted that crosses between genotypes from clusters II, IV, VI and VII may result in superior types.