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

The present investigation was conducted on twenty-six wheat genotypes during the rabi season of 2024 at BTC College of Agriculture and Research Station, Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh, to assess genetic divergence in bread wheat genotypes. Genetic divergence analysis is the foundation for effective plant breeding, it is a valuable tool for identifying parents with complementary traits, which can be combined in hybridization programs to develop superior varieties. The objective of this study was to quantify the extent of genetic divergence to facilitate the selection of promising wheat genotypes for future breeding. The twenty six wheat genotypes were grouped into six distinct clusters. Cluster V was the largest with eight genotypes, followed by Cluster I (six genotypes), Cluster IV (five genotypes), Cluster VI (three genotypes), while Clusters II and III contained two genotypes each. The highest intra-cluster distance was observed in Cluster IV, followed by Cluster III, whereas the greatest inter-cluster distance was recorded between Clusters IV and VI. These results suggest that selecting parents from clusters with higher inter-cluster distances would increase the probability of generating superior segregants, thereby enhancing the chances of developing improved cultivars. Trait contribution analysis revealed that 1000-grain weight (g), grain yield per plot (kg), and biological yield per plot (kg) were the major contributors to overall genetic divergence. This highlights the importance of these traits in driving variability and suggests their potential as key selection criteria in wheat improvement programs.