Assessment of Genetic Diversity in Sesame Genotypes Based on Morphological Characters

Fifty sesame genotypes were evaluated to assess the extent of genetic diversity based on morphological characters. Analysis of variance revealed significant differences among the genotypes. Plant height (62.20 %) contributed most to the genetic divergence followed by number of capsules per plant (20.40 %). No relationship between geographic origin and genetic diversity was observed as genotypes from different sources were grouped in same clusters in spite of difference in their origin. Based on the intercluster distances, diverse parents from different clusters were identified for further use as parents in future breeding programmes.