GENETIC DIVERGENCE FOR GROWTH AND WOOD PARAMETERS IN DIFFERENT CLONES OF CASUARINA EQUISETIFOLIA

Forty-six Casuarina equisetifolia clones were evaluated for growth and wood parameters to study their genetic divergence. The clones were grouped into seven clusters using Mahalanobis D² analysis. Vessel frequency contributed maximum (51.50%) towards divergence followed by specific gravity (16.23%). Maximum inter-cluster distance was observed between clusters 3 and 5 (14.58) followed by clusters 5 and 7 (12.098). Intra-cluster distance was maximum in cluster 5 (9.225) followed by clusters 6 (8.991), 7 (8.068) and 1 (7.700). Highest value of heritability, genetic advance and genetic gain were obtained for specific gravity, fibre length and volume respectively. Both phenotypic coefficients of variation (PCV) and environmental coefficients of variation (ECV) were highest for vessel frequency, while genotypic coefficients of variation (GCV) was highest for volume. ECV was observed to be higher than GCV for all the traits showing the influence of environmental factors on these traits. The results on genetic divergence had potential for immediate application in the establishment of clonal seed orchards. Information on genetic divergence provides an opportunity for hybridisation among the genotypes and obtaining quality seeds with high vigour.