Studies on genetic divergence in Bael (Aegle marmelos Correa)

Genetic diversity in a set of 17 genotypes of bael was measured using Mahalanobis' D2 technique, indicated the existence of substantial genetic diversity. The genotypes were grouped into three different clusters. The clustering pattern of genotypes was random and did not follow the geographical origin. The characters i.e., ascorbic acid content, fruit weight, fruit length, number of seeds per fruit, weight of seeds per fruit, fibre content and petiole length contributed maximum towards the genetic divergence. These may be used in selecting diverse parents in hybridization.