Genetic divergence was assessed among 20 rice hybrids with 15 characters from different eco-geographical regions of India using Mahalanobis’ D2 analysis. The experimental materials were evaluated during kharif- 2017 at Agricultural College Farm, Bapatla, Andhra Pradesh, India. The 20 rice hybrids were grouped into 5 clusters. Out of five clusters, maximum number 9 of genotypes are in cluster I. Cluster II is second largest with 6 genotypes followed by cluster IV with 3 genotypes. Clusters III and V possess one genotype each. The pattern of distribution of genotypes from different eco-geographical regions into various clusters was at random indicating that geographical diversity and genetic diversity were not related. Based on the perse performance and cluster mean values of characters, it can be concluded that, the hybrid S-8001 which is present in the cluster II is found to be superior over other hybrids and checks in the present study by having high mean values for the economically important characters viz., number of total grains per panicle, number of productive tillers per plant and grain yield per plant. | Genetic divergence studies in rice (Oryza sativa L.) hyrids for yield, yield component traits and quality parameters
