PLANT CELL BIOTECHNOLOGY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY

Durum wheat, a highly valued cereal characterised by its hard, vitreous grain and superior protein content, is the second most widely cultivated wheat type globally and requires continuous genetic improvement to enhance yield stability. Identifying highly divergent parents is essential for strategic hybridisation aimed at maximising heterosis and yield potential. This study evaluated genetic diversity among 130 durum wheat (Triticum durum L.) genotypes for 13 yield-attributing traits during the Rabi season of 2022-2023 at Prayagraj, India. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed highly significant differences (p < 0.01) for most traits, confirming substantial genetic variability. Correlation analysis showed important positive associations between grain yield per spike and the number of tillers per plant, number of spikelets per spike, and flag leaf width. Spike length was also significantly correlated with 1000-grain weight, while plant height was significantly correlated with biological yield. Cluster analysis grouped the 130 genotypes into eight distinct clusters. Cluster 3 contained 43 genotypes and Cluster 1 contained 39 genotypes; Clusters 2 and 6 contained 16 genotypes each, whereas Clusters 4, 5, and 8 each contained one genotype. The high inter-clusterdivergence indicates potential for selecting diverse parental lines from contrasting clusters (e.g. Cluster 4, 5, or 8 x Cluster 2 or 3). Principal component analysis (PCA) indicated that the overall variation was associated mainly with spike architecture, biomass, and grain weight. These genetically divergent genotypes may be used in future hybridisation programmes to exploit heterosis and support genetic improvement for grain yield in durum wheat.