Estimation of phenotypic diversity among locally available potato germplasm

In the present study 12 different genotypes of Solanum tuberosum were acquired from Potato Program, NARC, Islamabad and compared for their agromorphological traits. The study was conducted to check the phenotypic and genotypic diversity among locally available potato germplasm. The experiment was conducted in a randomized complete block design with three replication and data were recorded. Cultivar Harmes produced best result regarding number of branches/plant (8.0a), number of leaves/plant (503.77a), number of tubers/plant (19.76a) and tuber mass/plant (0.833a), leaf area (41.667a) and yield (41.66a t/ha) followed by Melanto for number of tuber/plant (14.8ab), tuber mass (0.733ab), and number of branches/plant (2.9000b). A UPGMA cluster, grouped the 12 Solanum tuberosum genotypes into two major clusters on the basis of agro morphological data. Euclidian distance for morphological traits ranged from 1.17 to 7.79. Minimum distance between Safari and Desiree (1.17) and Flamba and Santay (1.43) were observed showing great similarity with each other. Highest dissimilarity was found between Harmesand Triplo (7.79). Euclidian distances obtained from a dendrogram could help breeders to choose the diverse parents for a breeding program aimed at varietal improvement. In the present study, Santay, Kuroda, Desiree and Harmes were found to be promising genotypes on the basis of specific gravity and dry matter tests showed that these genotypes may satisfy the industrial requirements. Thus, this study revealed the presence of sufficient phenotypic diversity among varieties in the country that can be exploited for germplasm enhancement.