Morpho-Molecular Characterization and Genetic Diversity Analysis

Abstract

An experiment was carried out to assess genetic diversity at Morphological level and at DNA level for yield and its contributing characters in 40 bread wheat genotypes at Technology Park, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel University of Agriculture and Technology, Meerut, (U.P.) in Randomized Block Design with 3 replications during Rabi 2019. Analysis of variance revealed substantial amount of variability among the genotypes for all the characters under study. The estimates of PCV in all the traits studied were greater than those of the GCV. Considering heritability, most of the characters showed high values. High heritability coupled with high genetic advance (as % mean) were recorded for gluten content, grain yield per plant, biological yield per plant, harvest index and number of productive tillers per plants, showing that heritability might be to additive gene effects and direct selection for these traits may be successful. Genotypic correlation coefficients were higher than the corresponding phenotypic correlation coefficients in most of the traits under study. Path coefficient analysis showed that among the different yield contributing characters days of 50% flowering, number of productive tillers per plants, total number of spikelets per spikes, 1000 seeds weight, biological yield per plant and harvest index had positive and direct effect on grain yield per plant. The distribution pattern of genotypes in different clusters was random. The highest numbers of genotypes were founded in cluster III (Eleven). The maximum intra cluster distance was observed for cluster V. Maximum inter cluster distance was observed between cluster IV and VI and minimum inter cluster distance was observed between cluster I and III. Genotypes from the same geographical region fell into different clusters and vice- versa. This suggested that selection of parents for hybridization should be on genetic diversity rather than on the geographical areas. The SSR marker detected a total of 33 alleles with an average of 1.65 alleles per locus and the allelic polymorphism information content (PIC) value ranged from 0 for xwmc304, xwmc57, xwmc17 and xwmc170 to 1.00 for xwmc304, xwmc57, xwmc17 and xwmc170. The resolving power (RP) have an average value of 0.409 with a minimum value 0.0 (xwmc304, xwmc57, xwmc17 and xwmc170) and a maximum value 1.0 (xwmc296 and xwmc349). Significant genetic variation was found among all the genotypes with Jaccard's similarity coefficient ranging from 0.48 to 1.00.The dendrogram based on SSR marker analysis grouped the genotypes into two major clusters and two sub clusters. These markers are valid and will make a contribution to the studies in hexaploid (Triticum aestivum L.) wheat