Genetic Divergence Study in Finger Millet [Eleusine coracana (L.) Gaertn.] Genotypes for Yield and Yield-Related Traits at Mechara, Eastern Ethiopia

Abstract

Information about genetic divergence is one of the requirements for a successful breeding program when selecting genotypes with desirable traits. The objectives of this study were to assess the degree of genetic divergence among finger millet genotypes and identify traits that were essential for genotype selection. The experiment was carried out using 64 genotypes in an 8 x 8 simple lattice design based on 17 quantitative traits during 2021 cropping season. The 64 finger millet genotypes were divided into nine clusters using Euclidean distance analysis. The largest inter-cluster distance (8.9) was observed between clusters III and IX, and the smallest inter-cluster distance (3.28) was observed between clusters II and V. The first six principal components explained 76.3% of the total variation. The grain yield, ear width, and ear length have a significant impact on the first component. Component two is greatly influenced by the days to heading, days to maturity, plant height, number of ears, and harvest index. Thus, the study shows that there is genetic divergence among the genotypes, and it is predicted that crosses between genotypes at the highest inter-cluster distance will produce offspring with superior genetic segregation and recombination at traits of important.

Kewords:Cluster analysis, genetic distances, principal component analysis

DOI: 10.7176/ALST/100-01

Publication date: January 31^st 2024