Journal of Advances in Biology & Biotechnology

The present investigation was conducted to assess genetic variability and genetic divergence among 40 sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) genotypes for yield and yield-related traits. The experiment was carried out at Agricultural College Farm, Naira, Srikakulam, Andhra Pradesh, during summer 2025–26 using a randomized block design with two replications. Observations were recorded on ten quantitative traits, namely days to 50 per cent flowering, days to maturity, plant height, number of branches per plant, number of capsules per plant, capsule length, number of seeds per capsule, 1000-seed weight, seed yield per plant and oil content. Analysis of variance indicated the presence of significant variation among the genotypes for the studied traits, suggesting adequate genetic variability for selection. Estimates of phenotypic and genotypic coefficients of variation, broad-sense heritability and genetic advance as per cent of mean indicated that several yield-contributing traits could be improved through selection. High heritability coupled with relatively higher genetic advance was observed for important traits such as number of branches per plant, number of capsules per plant, number of seeds per capsule, 1000-seed weight and seed yield per plant, indicating the usefulness of these traits in sesame improvement. Mahalanobis’ D² analysis grouped the 40 genotypes into eight clusters. Cluster I contained the highest number of genotypes, while cluster VIII was solitary. The highest inter-cluster distance was observed between clusters VI and VII, indicating wide genetic divergence between these clusters. The traits 1000-seed weight, seed yield per plant and days to 50 per cent flowering contributed substantially to total divergence. The results suggest that genetically diverse genotypes from superior clusters may serve as potential parents in future sesame improvement programmes.