Author (S): M. Amiruzzaman*, M. N.
Amin, M. Z. A. Talukder, A. Ahmed and
M. R. Ali
*Correspondence author; Email:amiruzzaman95@yahoo.com
Abstract
Twenty five yellow
grain maize inbred lines were evaluated at the Bangladesh Agricultural Research
Institute, Joydebpur during rabi 2009-2010 following alpha lattice
design to study the genetic divergence using Mahalanobis’s D2 and
Rao’s canonical variate analysis for eleven parameters. The twenty five inbreds
formed five distinct clusters. The intra-cluster distance was more or less low,
indicating that the genotypes within the same clusters were closely related.
The highest inter-cluster distance was observed between cluster I and V and the
lowest between cluster II and III. The cluster III and V each contained the
highest number of genotypes. Cluster V showed the highest mean values for
kernel yield and all the yield contributing traits except days to pollen shedding,
silking and 1000-kernel weight. Cluster I had the lowest mean values for plant
and ear height and maturity traits. Days to silking, ear length, number of
kernels row-1, 1000-kernel weight and kernel yield showed maximum
contribution towards total divergence among different characters. Based on
medium to high inter-cluster distance, per se performances and desirable
traits, fourteen yellow inbred lines viz. BIL 77, BIL 97, CML 287, CML 470, CML
480, CML 486, CZ 2370-22-2, CZ 2370-24-3, CZ 2370-28-2, CZ 2370-31-3, IPB
911-2, IPB 911-22, IPB 911-36 and IPB 911-50 were selected for future
hybridization program. Crossing between these genotypes have the chance to
obtain higher heterosis with high performing crosses.
