Studies On Genetic Distance Between The Diverse Germplasm In Pearl Millet For Fodder Characters (Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br.)

Sixty nine pearlmillet germplasm entries of diverse origin were evaluated for seven quantitative characters and three qualitative characters for their per se performance, variability and genetic divergence. Wider variability was observed for fodder yield and its associating characters along with crude protein content. The GCV estimates were observed to be high for number of leaves per plant, number of tillers per plant, leaf area and green fodder yield. Heritability estimates were high for all the characters. Genetic advance as percentage of mean was high for number of leaves per plant followed by plant height, number of tillers per plant, leaf area, green fodder yield, dry fodder yield, crude protein content, crude fibre content and calcium content. By D2 analysis, the genotypes were grouped into fifteen clusters. The character plant height contributed maximum to the genetic divergence. Cluster eleven with ten entries forms the largest cluster. Based on the average intercluster distance (D) the clusters V and XV were found to be highly divergent from the other clusters. Selecting parents from these clusters and crossing them in a breeding programme might lead to creation of a wide spectrum of variation in the segregating population.