Genetic divergence studies in rice genotypes

Genetic divergence was assessed among 40 rice genotypes using Mahalanobis's D² analysis. The 40 rice genotypes were grouped into five clusters. Cluster I was found to be the largest comprising of 25 genotypes followed by cluster III having 8 genotypes and cluster V included 5 genotypes. Cluster II and IV had single genotype each. The pattern of distribution of genotypes from different eco-geographical regions into various clusters was at random indicating that geographical diversity and genetic diversity were not related. The characters viz. leaf area at 90 DAS, Number of grains panicle⁻¹ and days to 50% flowering contributed maximum towards genetic divergence among the genotypes.