GENETIC DIVERGENCE ANALYSIS IN INDIGENOUSLY DEVELOPED INDIAN SOYBEAN (Glycine max L. Merrill) GERMPLASM

Knowledge of the naturally occurring diversity helps to identify diverse groups of soybean genotypes that can be useful for the breeding program. Therefore, this study aims to identify traits that influence the soybean genotypes in cluster formation using D 2 analysis. Hundred genotypes of soybean were studied for 15 characters in randomized block design with three replications and grouped into fifteen clusters. The cluster I was the largest with 55 genotypes followed by cluster III containing 17 genotypes and cluster IV containing 16 genotypes. The remaining clusters were solitary with single genotype each. The inter-cluster distance was the highest between clusters XIII and XIV (D=38.28) followed by clusters X and XII (D=33.64), XIII and XIV (D=32.71), III and XIV (D=32.06) and XII and XIV (D=31.65). Genotypes falling in these clusters may serve as potential parents for a hybridization programme. Pods per plant contributed the highest in manifestation of total genetic diversity. The presence of clear phenotypic and genotypic differences in the characters under consideration between or among clusters gives us an opportunity to bring about improvement through hybridization of genotypes between these clusters and subsequent selection in the segregating generations. The genotype JS (SH) 131 of cluster XIV, J 606 of cluster X, JS 46-75 of cluster V and Himso 1548 of cluster XV were identified as genetically diverse parents, which can be utilized for future crop improvement programme.