Determination of genetic divergence in pointed gourd by principal component and non-hierarchical euclidean cluster analysis

The present investigation was carried out at Vegetable Research Centre, Pantnagar to estimate the ge-netic divergence using Mahalanobis D2 statistics for twelve characters on 35 genotypes of pointed gourd. Cluster analysis and principal component analysis (PCA) were used to identify the most discerning trait responsible for greater variability in the lines and on the basis of mean performance, genotypes were classified into different groups. Five principal components (PC) have been extracted using the mean performance of the genotypes and 83.23 per cent variation is yielded by the first five principal components, among them high mean positive value or higher weight age was obtained was obtained for days to first female flower anthesis and days to first fruit harvest among all the vectors, indicates that these traits are important component of genetic divergence in pointed gourd. Non- hierarchical Euclidean cluster analysis grouped the genotypes into seven clusters and the highest number of genotypes were found in cluster number IV i.e. eleven whereas maximum inter-cluster distance was found between the cluster III and VI i.e. 74.250, it indicates that a wide range of genetic divergence is present between the genotypes present among these two clusters. And as per contribution toward total divergence, traits like fruit yield per hectare and number of fruit per plant contributed 92.64% toward total divergence. The high diversity found in the genotypes showed its great potential for improving qualitative as well as quantitative traits in pointed gourd

Studies on variability, heritability and genetic advance for yield and yield contributing characters in french bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) germplasm under tarai region of Uttarakhand

Seventy four French bean germplasms were evaluated for twenty two quantitative traits to study the genetic variability, heritability and genetic advance during Jan-Feb in G.B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar. Significant differences were observed among all genotypes. Higher genotypic and phenotypic coefficient of variability were observed for plant height, seed yield per plant, pod yield per plant, pod yield per hectare, number of pods per cluster, number of pods per plant and 100 seed weight (42.45% and 43.30%, 39.72% and 42.34%, 27.59% and 32.12%, 27.59% and 32.12%, 25.01% and 28.14%, 24.56% and 26.76% and 22.65% and 22.96% respectively). High heritability coupled with high genetic advance over mean were observed for plant height, seed yield per plant, pod yield per plant, pod yield per hectare, number of pods per plant, 100 seed weight, number of pods per cluster, leaf length, single pod weight, pod diameter, pod length, number of pod clusters per plant, leaf width, seed length, number of seeds per pod and seed width (96.34% and 85.73%, 88.03% and 76.77%, 73.80% and 48.83%, 73.80% and 48.83%, 84.20% and 46.42%, 97.34% and 46.04%, 45.78% and 78.96%, 38.88% and 89.58%, 38.21% and 92.70%, 92.69% and 35.45%, 90.13% and 34.48%, 32.47% and 79.39%, 28.03% and 79.60%, 26.92% and 99.04%, 56.27% and 24.85%, and 97.82% and 24.01% respectively) indicate predominance additive gene action. Thus, there is ample scope for improving these characters through direct selection