DIVERGENCE STUDIES IN INDIAN CLUSTER BEAN (CYAMOPSIS TETRAGONOLOBA L. TAUB.) FOR DEVELOPING VARIETY FOR VEGETABLE PURPOSE

Abstract

In a quest for developing improved vegetable type guar, the available germplasm at ICAR- Indian Institute of Horticultural Research, Bangalore collected from different parts of the country were evaluated. Narrow genetic base of the crop due to its self-pollinated nature is a hindrance in getting variability in natural pollination. But, hybridization based on genetic distance is a potential tool to get transgressive segregants. Therefore, this study was formulated to estimate the divergence present in the population and based on their genetic distance the genotypes were classified into 4 different clusters. Inter cluster distance was found maximum between cluster II and IV followed by between cluster I and III and cluster I and II. As the objective is to develop vegetable guar, hybridization between genotypes of cluster I (vegetable guar) and distant genotypes with the desirable trait from different cluster will be advantageous. Direct selection for traits like yield per plant and plant height in cluster I was done to identify the potential parents due to their maximum contribution toward divergence. Based on their genetic distance with desirable genotypes of other clusters which have the supplementary traits missing in cluster I, 11 crosses has been identified which has the potential to bring worthwhile improvement in vegetable guar.