Vol. 9, Special Issue 10, Part O (2025)

The genetic divergence among 80 maize (Zea mays L.) genotypes was assessed at experimental field of Agricultural Research Station (ARS), Karimnagar, Telangana, during kharif 2024 using Mahalanobis D² statistics based on fourteen traits. The genotypes were categorized into eleven distinct clusters. Largest was the Cluster I, comprising 61 genotypes, indicates high degree of genetic similarity followed by clusters II each with 7 genotypes and clusters V and VIII, each with 5 genotypes, Cluster X with 2 genotypes and remaining clusters contained a single genotype. Inter-cluster distances were notably higher than intra-cluster distances, indicating substantial genetic variability among genotypes from different clusters. The maximum inter-cluster distance (693.37) was recorded between clusters X and XI, followed by distances between clusters IX and XI (568.26), IV and X (551.47), VI and XI (503.64), II and X (493.13), VIII and X (474.44), V and XI (461.06), VII and IX (441.45) and VIII and XI (430.76). These high values reflect significant genetic divergence among the respective clusters. The highest intra-cluster distance (191.94) was recorded in cluster V, while clusters III, IV, VI, VII, and IX had zero intra-cluster distance, as each consisted of only one genotype. Among all clusters, cluster IX had the highest mean grain yield per plant, followed by clusters X and I. Hence, crosses made between clusters X and XI which improve hybrid production. Based on the magnitude of inter-cluster distances, genotypes from clusters V, IX, X and XI can be considered promising parents for hybridization programs aimed at developing superior hybrids. The characters like ear girth, ear height, number of kernels per row, number of kernel rows per ear are positively correlated with grain yield. The characters ear girth, test weight, number of kernels per row, ear length show highest positive direct effect on grain yield at genotypic level and test weight ear length, number of kernels per row, number of kernel rows per ear sow highest positive direct effect on grain yield at phenotypic level.