Vol. 9, Special Issue 9, Part U (2025)

The present investigation was carried out to study the extent of genetic divergence among seven black gram (Vigna mungo L.) genotypes, namely AKU-15, PDKV Black Gold AKV, Phule Vasu, PU0609-43, BDU-1, Urdbean Tapu-4, and Phule Rajan. The experiment was conducted in a randomized block design with three replications during Kharif 2024 at the experimental farm of [Your Institute]. Data were recorded on ten quantitative traits. Genetic divergence was estimated using Mahalanobis’ D² statistics. The genotypes were grouped into three clusters, indicating the presence of considerable genetic variability. Cluster II contained the maximum genotypes (3), followed by Cluster I (2) and Cluster III (2). Maximum inter-cluster distance was observed between Cluster I and Cluster III, suggesting that hybridization between genotypes belonging to these clusters may yield promising segregants. Traits contributing maximum divergence were pods per plant, seed yield per plant, and 100-seed weight. These findings suggest that Urdbean Tapu-4 and Phule Vasu may be used as potential parents in hybridization programs to develop high-yielding varieties.