Paper Title
Genetic Variability for Quantitative Traits in Lentil (Lens Culinaris Medicus Culinaris)
Abstract
An experiment was carried out during the Rabi season of 2013-14 at the research field of RAK College of
Agriculture, Sehore (M.P.) to assess the correlation, and genetic diversity in 187 morphologically diverse accessions of
Lentil (lens culinaris Medicus culinaris). In this experiment evaluation of plants 187 germplasm collected from ICARDA
Gene bank through NBPGR from the various country was asses inter-relationship, direct –indirect effect among yield and its
components for genetic improvement for lentil. Analysis of variance revealed highly significant mean squares due to
germplasm accessions for all traits except seed yield pod-1. Mean squares due to check varieties were significant for all traits
except seed yield pod-1, while those due to 'accessions vs check varieties' were significant for all traits except days to
maturity, seed yield pod-1, 100 seed weight and seed yield plant-1. These results suggested significant differences among the
accessions and they differ from the checks. Significant variability among the accessions for quantitative traits was expected
as they are landraces which have evolved over millennia through a combination of natural and human selection on the
variation originated by mutations and distributed by recombination (Allard, 1999). These landraces poses different
combination of traits and hence have better adaptability to different production environment and/or a combination of
production environments. Through increased use of landraces, efficiency of breeding lentil cultivars that are suitable for
diverse production constraints especially that of terminal drought, a most frequently occurring abiotic stress in regions where
lentil is extensively grown could maximize.
Keywords - Correlation, Cluster analysis, Lentil, Genetic variability.