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Plant Science Today (PST)

Research Articles

Vol. 13 No. 3 (2026)

Assessing genetic diversity in the 3K mini-core collection of rice (Oryza sativa L.) using standardised Euclidean distance and Ward's hierarchical clustering

DOI
https://doi.org/10.14719/pst.15766
Submitted
30 May 2026
Published
19-08-2026 — Updated on 29-09-2026
Versions

Abstract

This study evaluated 286 rice genotypes (280 accessions from the 3K mini-core panel and 6 checks varieties) in kharif 2024 at SHUATS, Prayagraj, across 14 quantitative traits, mainly associated with growth, yield and maturity. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed that there was significant variation among genotypes and the genotypic coefficient of variation (GCV) and phenotypic coefficient of variation (PCV) values for all traits were moderate to high. Heritability was (37.39–99.95), only harvest index exhibiting moderate heritability with high genetic advance as a percentage mean being (21.48–96.32 %) across all traits. Ward's hierarchical clustering grouped the genotypes into five distinct clusters: Cluster IV (30.8 %, n = 88) and Cluster V (30.1 %, n = 86); Cluster I (29 %, n = 83); and Cluster II (3.5 %, n = 10), the smallest cluster. The lowest intra-cluster distance was observed for Cluster V (3.582), showing that the genotypic groups in this cluster were more alike to each other. On the other hand, the highest intra-cluster distance (5.069) was observed in cluster I, indicating the greatest genetic variability within the cluster. The highest inter-cluster divergence was between clusters I and III (6.003), indicating that they are good genotypes for hybridisation. Cluster II showed an elite performer for the key yield character. Cluster IV showed the highest grain yield per plant (22.52 g), spikelets per panicle (153.92) and harvest index (32.70 %). The major variation explained by principal component analysis (PCA) was attributable to maturity and yield characteristics, supporting the selection of early-maturing and high-yielding genotypes. The maturity of cluster III (128.50 days) with the lowest plant height (87.74 cm) was the earliest of all the clusters. Therefore, this cluster could provide valuable genetic resources for early maturing and semi-dwarf rice varieties.

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