Assessment of genetic diversity among 51 inbred sunflower lines

Abstract

Genetic divergence of 51 inbreds and 3 checks of sunflower was assessed using the Mahalanobis D2statistics. Fifty-one sunflower inbreds plus three checks, GAUSUF-15, TNASUF-7 and TNAU-1, of diverse geographical origin, were grouped into eight clusters which were not related to their geographic origin. Stem girth and seed yield per plant contributed the most to the total genetic divergence. Maximum inter-cluster distance was observed between the inbreds grouped in clusters I and V containing five and twelve inbreds, respectively, while the intra-cluster distance ranged from 0 to 2306.05. Based on mean performance, genetic divergence and clustering pattern, few inbreds namely CMS-234B, 7-1-B, CMS-597B, CMS-852B, ARM-250B, ARM-245B, HAM-69, ARM-284B, ARM-247B and HAM-174 were considered as potentially important for further breeding programs. © 2002, by Walter de Gruyter Berlin/Boston. All rights reserved.