GENETIC DIVERSITY STUDIES IN SWEET CORN (Zea mays L. SACCHARATA.)

Abstract

Assessment of genetic diversity is a pre-requisite to broaden the genetic background of cultivated base of sweet
corn, an endosperm mutant of field corn that alters starch biosynthesis pathway in endosperm. In the current
investigation, genetic divergence among 26 sweet corn inbred lines was assessed on the basis of eight agro-
morphological traits, five quality parameters. Cluster analysis grouped the sweet corn genotypes into 12 clusters
based on the degree of divergence between the genotypes.. Maximum number of five genotypes was grouped
under cluster II, while clusters XI and XII forms solitary cluster with one genotype in each cluster and rest of the
clusters had two genotypes each. Maximum inter cluster distance was observed between cluster III and cluster
IX (162.866) followed by cluster VII and IX (157.555) and cluster IX and XII (153.969). The maximum intra
cluster distance (95.812) was observed in cluster II followed by cluster X (81.552), cluster IX (77.475). Among
the thirteen traits studied, maximum contribution was made by green cob yield per plant (41.23%) followed by
sucrose (22.46%), starch (16.92%) and total carbohydrates (16.62%). The traits viz., green cob yield, sucrose,
starch and total carbohydrates contributed 97.23 per cent towards total divergence. Therefore, these characters
may be given importance during hybridization programme.