Multivariate analysis of genetic divergence in sugarcane using mahalanobis D² method

Abstract:

The present study evaluated genetic divergence among 30 sugarcane genotypes under environment using Mahalanobis D² statistics. Significant variability among genotypes was observed, indicating substantial genetic diversity.Based on D² values, the genotypes were grouped into three distinct clusters following Tocher’s method, revealing the presence of wide genetic divergence independent of eco-geographical origin. The clustering pattern suggested the possibility of selecting genetically diverse parents for hybridization to obtain superior recombinants. Among the sixteen characters studied, brix percentage contributed the maximum towards total genetic divergence, followed by other quality and yield traits, indicating its importance in differentiating genotypes. The results emphasized that inter-cluster crosses involving genotypes from highly divergent clusters would be effective for improving yield and quality traits. Overall, the study highlighted the usefulness of D² analysis in identifying diverse genotypes for efficient sugarcane breeding programs under environment conditions.