STUDIES ON GENETIC DIVERSITY IN INDIAN COWPEA (VIGNA UNGUICULATA (L.) WALP) GERMPLASM

Abstract

Genetic divergence using D2 analysis was carried out in 50 diverse genotypes of cowpea. All the 50 genotypes were grouped into twelve clusters. Cluster I was largest comprising of twenty seven genotypes followed by Cluster II with twelve genotypes, cluster IV with three genotypes, and cluster III,V, VI, VII and VIII, IX, X, XI, XII were represented each by single genotype. Intra-cluster D2 values ranged from 0 to 38.06. The inter-cluster D2 values ranged from 44.08 to 276.55. The maximum inter cluster distance was observed between VII and XII clusters followed by clusters IV and XII and cluster X and VII. The maximum contribution towards genetic divergence is by days to 50% flowering (25.22%) followed by plant height (12.24%) and biological yield per plant.