1WBPGR Regional Station, Umiam, Barapani-793 103, Meghalaya.
2Department of Fruit Breeding and Genetic Resources, Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni, Solan-173 230, Himachal Pradesh.
Genetic diversity was assessed in twenty-five apple genotypes on the basis of twenty characters. These genotypes were grouped into four clusters on the basis of relative magnitude of D2 values using Tocher's method. Cluster I was the largest with twenty genotypes followed by cluster II consisting of three genotypes. The inter-cluster D value was maximum between cluster III and IV (55.46) followed by cluster I and IV (46.59). The maximum intracluster distance was in cluster II (19.10). Crossing between the genotypes belonging to cluster III and IV as well as cluster I and IV is expected to give maximum heterosis.
Apple, Diversity, Mahalanobis
