ABSTRACT
Five promising early sugarcane clones (2006 T3, 2006 T8, 2006 T19, 2006 T23 and 2006 T36) from yield trials along with two checks (Co C 671 and Co 94008) were evaluated for identification of sugarcane clones suitable for delayed harvest and crushing” at Agricultural Research Station, Perumallapalle, Chittoor, Acharya N.G. Ranga Agricultural University, Andhra Pradesh, during 2011-2012. The data on different growth parameters viz., Germination per cent, Plant height, SCMR values and Leaf area index were recorded at different crop growth periods. The highest germination count was recorded with 2006 T36 followed by Co C 671 and Co 94008, whereas the lowest count was recorded with 2006 T23. Among the clones 2006 T3 and 2006 T36 recorded the highest plant height at different crop growth periods (90, 120, 240 DAP and at harvest) along with two standards (Co C 671 and Co 94008), while the clone 2006 T23 recorded the lowest plant height. The highest SCMR values and LAI was recorded with Co C 671, Co 94008 followed by 2006 T36 and 2006 T3 at different crop growth periods (60, 90, 120 and 150 days), whereas, the clone 2006 T23 recorded the lowest SCMR and LAI values. The data recorded on different yield attributes viz., cane diameter (cm), cane length (cm), number of millable canes and cane yield at harvest showed that 2006 T36 and 2006 T3 recorded the higher cane yields along with checks, while the clone 2006 T23 recorded the lowest cane yield.
ABSTRACT
Genetic divergence using D2 statistic of forty genotypes of various agro-climatic region for ten quantitative characters revealed existence of considerable genetic diversity in the material. The genotypes were grouped into eleven clusters. Cluster VIII contained the highest number of nine genotypes followed by cluster V with seven genotypes. The pattern of distribution of genotypes from different geographical location into eleven clusters were random, demonstrating that geographical isolation may not be the only factor causing genetic diversity. The highest intra-cluster distance was observed for cluster VI (112.02) and the lowest was observed for cluster II (6.24). While the highest inter-cluster distance was observed between cluster III and X (493.41). Harvest index contributed maximum to diversity. Cluster IX with WGG-66 recorded the highest mean for yield contributing characters viz., plant height, branches/plant, pods/plant and clusters/plant. Therefore it was suggested that more emphasis should be given this genotype as parents for crossing with genotypes of other clusters which may produce novel recombinants with desirable traits.