Assessment of genetic variability for micronutrient content and agromorphological traits in rice (Oryza sativa L.)

Assessment of rice genetic diversity is critical step for trait specific varietal development program. In the present study, a collection of 281 Indian germplasm accessions were evaluated for genetic diversity study using 30 agro-morphological characters and grain iron and zinc contents in brown and polished rice. To identify the pattern of relatedness and associations. cluster analysis and principal component analysis coupled with correlation were used. Cluster analysis grouped 281 accessions into six main groups. Cluster 4 is the largest and had accessions with higher yield, zinc and iron content. Six components of principal component analysis indicated 76.4% of the total variation. The Principal Component (PC)1 showed 19.05%, while, PC2, PC3, PC4, PC5 and PC6 exhibited 14.23%, 13.61%, 11.58%, 7.59%, and 6.71% variability, respectively. Among the germplasm, three accessions IC145407, IC145357 and IC248034 have shown significant iron and zinc content in polished rice along with desirable grain yield. The information presented here will be useful in the development of rice varieties with high yield and micronutrient content.