GENETIC DIVERGENCE IN ETHIOPIAN CORIANDER ACCESSIONS AND ITS IMPLICATION IN BREEDING OF DESIRED PLANT TYPES

The genetic divergence among 49 Ethiopian coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.) accessions was assessed using employing Mahalanobi’s distance (D2) analysis based on 15 characters. The accessions were grouped in to eight clusters. Cluster II and III were the largest each with 12 accessions, followed by clusters I and V each consisting of seven accessions. The highest inter-cluster distance (480.5) was observed between clusters I and VIII, followed by clusters V and VIII (462.2), and then clusters II and VIII (336.1). Hence, crossing between accessions included in these clusters may give high heterotic response, and thereby better sergeants. Maximum contribution toward total genetic divergence was possessed by thousand seed weight (15.67%), followed by basal leaf number (13.48%), plant height (10.29%), seeds umbellet-1 (9.81%) and umbel number plant-1 (7.84%). Based on means of all characters, accessions in clusters III, VII and VIII could be regarded as useful sources of genes for yield and its components, and the accessions from these clusters, therefore, could be used in improvement programmes to develop desirable types in coriander.