Genetic diversity analysis in some advanced lines of Brassica napus

The genetic diversity of 22 rapeseed (Brassica napus) advanced genotypes was studied using principal component analysis, non-hierarchical clustering, and canonical vector analysis. The genotypes were grouped into four clusters. Cluster II contained the maximum number of genotypes (9) and cluster III contained the lowest (2). The highest inter-cluster distance was found between cluster I and cluster III and the lowest between cluster I and cluster II. The highest intra-cluster distance was noticed for cluster fit and the lowest for cluster II. Cluster I had the highest mean values for siliqua length and thousand seed weight. Cluster III had the lowest cluster mean values for the number of days to 50% flowering and the number of days to maturity with moderate seed yield. Crosses between genotypes belonging to cluster II with those of cluster I and cluster IV might therefore produce high heterosis in yield as well as earliness,