Genetic divergence and cluster analysis in Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum)

A study was conducted on forty genotypes of tomato collected from NBPGR-New Delhi to assess the value and magnitude of genetic divergence using Mahalanobis D² statistics. Wide genetic diversity was observed among the genotypes which were grouped into 4 clusters based on 14 important characters. The cluster III was the largest containing 17 genotypes followed by cluster I with 11 genotypes. The diversity among the clusters was measured by inter-cluster distance. The clustering pattern indicated that the geographic distribution need not necessarily be related to genetic diversity. The maximum inter-cluster distance was observed between cluster III and IV. Therefore, selection of divergent parents based on these cluster distance would be useful in selecting genotypes for hybridization and formulating a comprehensive strategy to develop superior hybrids or better segregants in tomato. The information so generated can be effectively utilized for improving the specific traits in future breeding programmes of tomato.