Genetic divergence in soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merrill]

Abstract

Mahalanobis D2 analysis was employed to study the genetic diversity of 160 genotypes. A wide genetic diversity was observed among 160 genotypes tested. Data were subjected to multivariate analysis and the genotypes were grouped into eight clusters. The most divergent clusters were V and VIII followed by VI and VIII. The clustering pattern revealed that no definite relationship existed between genetic and geographic diversity. The study indicated that genotypes from the same eco-geographic region did scatter in different clusters. Similarly, genotypes from different eco-geographic regions were identified in one cluster.