Genetic divergence analysis in Muskmelon (Cucumis melo L.) genotypes using morphological and biochemical traits

Abstract: An investigation was carried out at Vegetables Research Farm of the Department of Horticulture, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, during Zaid season (Feb-May) of 2019 to evaluate 26 genotypes of muskmelon (Cucumis melo L.) for genetic diversity based on 32 morphological and 4 biochemical traits. Since any breeding program’s success depends broadly on the available genetic diversity and the rational selection of parents, the wider genetic diversity of the genotypes offers plentiful room for further improvement in available cultivars. Therefore, Mahalanobis’s D² statistic was adopted for quantitative assessment of genetic divergence and based on the relative magnitude of D² values, twelve clusters were formed. Of the twelve clusters, cluster I was largest with the nine genotypes, followed by cluster ? with seven genotypes. Among the traits studied, maximum genetic divergence was contributed by the character seed weight index (15.38%). The maximum inter-cluster distance was recorded between cluster VII and XI (106.09) while, the intra-cluster distance was highest in cluster III (46.03) which marked the presence of wide genetic diversity among the genotypes GP-150, Pusa Madhuras, MHY-3, GP-20, MM-1, Durgapur Selection, and GP-73. The inter-cluster distance was more than the intra-cluster distance indicating the presence of wide genetic diversity, among the genotypes under study.