Selection plays the most important role in any successful crop improvement programme. The goal of this study was to determine the diversity of ninety pearl millet hybrids that were examined in RCB design at the ARS in Bikaner during the 2017 kharif season. The results found that hybrids were divided into nine groups, with cluster I having 43 hybrids, cluster III having 24 hybrids, and cluster II having 17 hybrids, while the remainder were unique. Cluster III had the greatest intra-cluster distance, whereas clusters II and IX had the greatest inter-cluster distance. RMS 7A × BIB 177, RMS 7A × BIB 12, RMS 7A × BIB 49, and RMS 7A × BIB 175 are high yielding hybrids that fall into three separate clusters: cluster I, cluster II, and cluster III. As a result, these various hybrids might be recommended for enhancing pearl millet yield and productivity in the dry zone.

Bajra, Diversity, Hybridization, Selection.

Maximum inter cluster value was found between cluster II and cluster IX followed by cluster II and cluster VIII. Maximum intra cluster value was found between cluster III followed by II and cluster I. Hybrids belonging to these different clusters may be recommended for diverse situation for sustainable production of pearl millet. Five high yielding hybrids namely RMS 7A × BIB 177, RMS 7A × BIB 68, RMS 7A X BIB 49, RMS 7A X BIB 175 and RMS 7A × BIB 12 were belonging to three clusters viz., cluster I, cluster II and cluster III. Out of these five hybrids, two hybrids, RMS 7A × BIB 68 and RMS 7A × BIB 49 belongs to cluster I, one hybrid RMS 7A × BIB 175 belongs to cluster II and two hybrids RMS 7A × BIB 177 and RMS 7A × BIB 12 belong to cluster III. These above mentioned diverse hybrids, therefore, can be recommended for increasing pearl millet production and productivity in arid zone. Identified hybrids in pearl millet using diversity studies can be evaluated in multi-environmental testing and developed as varieties

Ravindra Kumar, P.C. Gupta, Sanjay Kumar Sanadya and Anil Kumar (2022). Genetic Diversity Analysis in Pearl Millet (Pennisetum glaucum) Hybrids under Arid Region. Biological Forum – An International Journal, 14(2): 446-449.