Evaluation of Genetic Diversity and Interrelationships of Agro-Morphological Characters in Soybean (Glycine max) Genotypes

Forty soybean genotypes were evaluated for agro-morphological traits and genetic parameters. Correlation and path coefficients were estimated for all these traits. Analysis of variance and mean performance for yield and its components revealed significant differences among all the genotypes for all the characters. Correlation was also found significant with yield and its component traits. A path analysis indicated that hundred seed weight had highest effect on yield. A Cluster diagram based on agro-morphological traits proposed two major clusters A and B. In the present experiment the data revealed that four principal components having greater than one eigenvalues contributed 76.2 % of the total variation among forty genotypes of soybean. The traits, which contributed more positively to PC1 were total pods per plant (0.430), days to maturity (0.418) and filled pod per plant (0.411). Fertility percentage (0.577), hundred seed weight (0.361) and yield per ha (0.350) contributed more positively to PC2. Number of branches per plant (0.635) and five pod length (0.644) contributed more to PC3 and PC4 respectively. MACS 1394, MAUS 612 and PS 1518 were found to be promising for mid altitudes of Meghalaya. © 2014, The National Academy of Sciences, India.