Genetic Diversity among Brinjal Genotypes Grown in North-West India

Genetic diversity in brinjal (Solanum melongena L.) aim to explore the genetic differences among various genotypes. The primary goal is to identify valuable genetic material that can be utilized in breeding programs to develop superior brinjal varieties with improved yield. Keeping it in view, a field experiment was conducted at Research Farm, Department of Vegetable Science, CCSHAU, Hisar using thirty genotypes for twenty-two morphological characters to select diverse parents through multivariate analysis. Genetic divergence studies revealed that cluster I, accommodated a maximum number of genotypes (18) followed by cluster III (4), cluster II (3) and cluster VI (2). Inter- cluster D2 values varied between 18.25 and 54.38. The highest inter-cluster value was observed between clusters V and VII (54.38), indicating that the genotypes included in these clusters had the greatest degree of divergence. The lowest inter-cluster D2 value was noted between cluster I and IV (18.25), implying a high degree of genetic similarity between the constituent genotypes included in these clusters. Hence, hybridization between the genotypes of clusters V and VII may give high heterotic responses and production of better segregants for selection and improvement of brinjal crop.