Genetic Diversity Analysis in Green Gram (Vigna radiata (L.) Wilczek)

Abstract:

Green gram (Vigna radiata (L.) Wilczek) is an important self-pollinated pulse crop of tropical and subtropical regions, valued for its short duration, nitrogen-fixing ability and high nutritional quality. Development of high-yielding, climate-resilient cultivars depends on the availability and effective utilisation of genetic diversity in the germplasm. The present study evaluated seven green gram genotypes (BM-4, Vaibhav, Utkarsha, AKM-8802, AKM-9904, IPM-02-03 and Samrat) in a Randomized Block Design with three replications during Kharif 2025 at the Research Farm, G H Raisoni University, Saikheda, Madhya Pradesh. Data were recorded for twelve yield and yield-contributing traits and analysed using analysis of variance, genetic variability parameters, correlation and path coefficient analysis, Mahalanobis D² statistics and principal component analysis (PCA). Highly significant genotypic differences were observed for all characters. Seed yield per plant showed strong positive correlation with pods per plant (0.91), clusters per plant (0.82) and branches per plant (0.69), and path analysis confirmed that pods per plant, clusters per plant, 100-seed weight and branches per plant exerted the highest positive direct effects on seed yield. Mahalanobis D² analysis grouped the genotypes into five clusters, with maximum divergence between Samrat and AKM-9904. Principal component analysis showed that the first three components explained 86.18% of total variation, with PC1 representing a yield component. AKM-8802, AKM-9904 and Utkarsha recorded the highest mean seed yield, while IPM-02-03, BM-4 and Utkarsha exhibited the greatest yield stability across environments. The genetically divergent and agronomically superior genotypes identified in this study, particularly BM-4 × AKM-8802, BM-4 × Samrat, Vaibhav × IPM-02-03 and Utkarsha × AKM-9904, are recommended as parental combinations for future hybridization aimed at developing high-yielding, widely adapted green gram cultivars.