SHANTHI PRIYA, MKAVITHA REDDY, A2019-05-032019-05-032018http://krishikosh.egranth.ac.in/handle/1/5810101808D5715The present investigation was conducted at dryland farm of S.V. Agricultural College, Tirupati, during kharif, 2017 to estimate the variability, genetic parameters, correlation, direct and indirect effects and genetic divergence among 30 blackgram genotypes under organic and inorganic fertilizer managements. Analysis of variance carried out among 17 yield, yield contributing and water use efficiency traits revealed highly significant differences among the genotypes for all the characters under both the managements indicating the presence of considerable amount of genetic variation for different traits in the present material, except for days to maturity, which showed non-significant difference under organic fertilizer management. The genotypes differed in their performance for yield as well as for water use efficiency traits under organic and inorganic fertilizer management. The estimates of PCV and GCV were high and high heritability coupled with high genetic advance as per cent of mean was recorded for number of clusters per plant under both managements indicating selection may be effective for improvement of this trait. xvi D2 analysis grouped 30 blackgram genotypes into seven and eight clusters respectively under organic and inorganic fertilizer managements. Hundred seed weight and relative water content were the major contributors towards genetic divergence under organic and inorganic fertilizer managements, respectively. Based on the divergence analysis under organic fertilizer management, the crosses PU-31 × KU-14-01, KU-12-56 × LBG-752 and KU-12-56 × KU-14-01, whereas under inorganic management the crosses PU-31 × KU-10-1169, UG-708 × KU-14-01 and WBG-26 × LOP-1070 could be successfully utilized to get desirable transgressive segregants for yield and water use efficiency. The character association studies carried out under both the managements indicated significant positive association of number of pods per plant with seed yield per plant. Path coefficient analysis also revealed that number of pods per plant exerted direct effect on seed yield per plant under both the managements. Hence selection would be more effective through this trait to improve seed yield under both the managements. Comparison of the mean performance of genotypes for yield, yield contributing and water use efficiency traits revealed that PU-31 was found to be better performing under both the managements. All other genotypes showed differential performance for yield and water use efficiency traits under organic and inorganic fertilizer managements. Moreover, there was a significant difference in the yielding ability of the genotypes in organic and inorganic managements as observed by t-test. Therefore it necessitates the need to breed varieties that can adapt well under organic management and then go for selecting superior ones among them for inclusion in the hybridization programme.en-USnullThesis