Assessment of Genetic Divergence in Potato (Solanum Tuberosum L.) Genotypes for Yield and Yield Attributing Traits

Genetic diversity using Mahalanobis D-square (D2) techniques was studied for yield and yield contributing traits for 19 potato genotypes at West Bengal. These genotypes were grouped into seven clusters. Cluster VII had maximum divergence with four genotypes followed by cluster IV having maximum five genotypes. Rest five clusters are digenotypic having two genotypes each. The inter cluster distance were greater than the intra cluster distance revealing that considerable amount of genetic diversity existed among the accession. The maximum and minimum divergence was revealed between cluster VI with IV and cluster I with III respectively. Cluster VI exhibited high mean values for characters like total tuber yield, marketable tuber yield, dry matter%, harvest index, polar and equatorial diameter of tuber. These characters combining with plant height are the major traits causing genetic divergence among the accessions. The genotypes belonging to different clusters are having maximum divergence and can be successfully utilized in hybridization programmes to get desirable transgressive segregants. It is assumed that maximum amount of heterosis will be manifested in cross combinations involving the parents belonging to most divergent clusters.