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Forty black gram [Vigna mungo (L.) Hepper] genotypes were evaluated using principal component analysis to estimate the extent of genetic diversity for ten different yield and its component traits. The first three principal components viz., PC I, PC II and PC III with eigen values more than one contributed around 80% of the variability for the genotypes studied. PC I contributed 46.834% towards variability and the traits responsible for its contribution are viz., number of clusters per plant, grain yield per plant, number of branches per plant and number of seeds per pod. The second axis (PC II) contributed 18.951% variability and variation at this axis is due to the accumulated genetic variation of traits viz., days to 50% flowering, days to maturity, grain yield per plant and number of clusters per plant. While PC III and PC IV accumulated 13.807% and 5.765% respectively. Therefore on a cumulative note, first four axes contributed about 85.357% of total variance among 10 characters for all the forty genotypes under study. In the current investigation, four lines (TU 94-2, PU 31, IPU 94-1 and LBG 623) are identified from the depicted 2D & 3D figures as diverse genotypes, which may yield transgressive segregants or heterotic F1s based on nature of gene action of the trait in question.

Restricted selection was used for estimating the genetic advance of yield and nutritional components viz., days to 50% flowering, plant height, panicle length, productive tillers per plant, days to maturity, test weight, protein, carbohydrate, calcium, iron, zinc, copper, manganese, phosphorus and grain yield per plant. The genetic advance of all the fifteen characters under study was estimated by assigning equal economic weights to all characters as well as by using inverse of means as their economic weights. In both cases, the trait plant height recorded maximum estimate of genetic advance in 11 out of 15 cases. The main outcome of the present study is the occurrence of similar trend in the both cases i.e., by assigning equal economic weights and using inverse of means of respective characters as economic weights. This indicates that both ways of assigning weights were equal effective and will result in similar conclusions.

The study was conducted to explore the effect of selected preservation treatments on the quality of Statice flower in floral freeze dryer. Preservation of flowers in freeze drying process retains its pigment (colour) and structural parts (cells) and thus remains as fresh bloom for years. Prior to freeze drying process, flowers were treated with set of chemical compounds for retaining the inherent qualities in preserved flowers. The qualitative characteristics of flowers were evaluated by expert panel. Flowers treated with a chemical compound that had a blend of exchange medium colour preservatives, colour fixatives, buffers, modifiers, pH regulator, and shatter resistant compound (Ethyl vinyl acetate) resulted in flower that was closer to natural.

Sixty greengram germplasm lines were subjected to multivariate analysis through Mahalanobis’ D2 statistics (Tocher’s method) and 60 genotypes were grouped into nine clusters. Cluster III was the largest with 19 genotypes, followed by cluster I having 17 genotypes, cluster II and VII with eight genotypes, cluster V having 5 genotypes and clusters IV, VI, VIII and IX were solitary clusters. The maximum inter-cluster distance was between cluster VIII and IV, followed by cluster VIII and V. It shows that there is wide genetic diversity between the clusters. On the basis of divergence between clusters, superior F1s or their transgressive segregants can be obtained by crossing between the genotypes belonging to cluster VIII and cluster IV and also between genotypes belonging to cluster VIII and cluster V which are having maximum inter cluster distance between them. Further such genotypes from above clusters which are having better per se are to be considered for hybridization programme.