Genetic Evaluation of Leucaena Genotypes in Bundelkhand Region of Central India

During the 1970s and 1980s, Leucaena was known as the “miracle tree” native to Central America and Mexico, because of its worldwide success as a long-lived and highly nutritious forage tree. It is estimated to cover 2-5 million ha area worldwide. The genus Leucaena is one of the most widely grown tropical fodder trees and is the subject of extensive research. This is mainly due to its long life span; high productivity even under regular defoliation; its adaptation to wide climatic and edaphic tolerances; excellent palatability and digestibility and many uses including wood for timber and fuel wood. The species possesses enormous wealth of variability and great potential for economic yield which attract the breeders in utilizing the species in hybridization. A logical way to start any breeding programme is to survey the variations present in the germplasm. Precise information on the nature and degree of genetic divergence in respect of important traits is a prerequisite for undertaking meaningful breeding programme towards the improvement and conservation of a species. Further an investigation into the nature and degree of divergence among populations will be useful in understanding the course of evolution and for classifying the tree population into groups based on the diversity, particularly when they are overlapping in one more characters. Therefore, the present study was conducted to estimate genetic divergence among different germplasm of genus Leucaena