Determining selection criteria in finger millet (Eleusine coracana) genotypes using multivariate analysis

Finger millet [Eleusine coracana (L.) Gaertn.] grows in upland minted conditions customarily at disadvantageous regions of the country. Evaluation of genetic diversity and the choice of parents is the crucial step to augmenting the desired improvement of crops towards grain and fodder yield. In the present study, 31 finger millet genotypes were studied for genetic diversity employing cluster and principal component analysis (PCA) at G. B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology (GBPUA&T), Pantnagar during 2018 and 2019. Mahalanobis D-2 statistics revealed seven clusters where cluster I represented 24 genotypes, cluster II with two genotypes, and the remaining clusters with a single genotype each. The maximum inter-cluster distance was observed between clusters III and VII (49.783) followed by III and IV (46.737) indicating more diversity between clusters. Five PCs accounted for 77.50% of total genetic variability using PCA. Furthermore, two diverse and complementary parents (PKPS4 and F20) were identified that possessed complement traits, viz. bold seed, high mean for single head weight, grain yield, harvest index, number of finger/spike (PKPS4), and number of tillers/plant (F20). Therefore, PKPS4 and F20 genotypes could be considered as donor parents for different traits to increase grain yield in finger millet.