Lentil (Lens culinaris Medikus) is a leading food legume and exportable commodity in Nepal whose seed yield is low and unpredictable as it is grown under limited soil moisture conditions during the winter months. However, there may be a potential to increase its yields by utilizing germplasm that is adapted to rainfed conditions and residual soil moisture from the preceding crop. National Agriculture Genetic Resources Centre (NAGRC) has collected and conserved 489 accessions of lentil germplasm in the NAGRC gene bank at Khumaltar. Among them, a total of 209 accessions of lentil germplasm were evaluated on the basis of agro-morphological traits at Khumaltar during 2008/09 and 2009/10. Tenqualitative and six quantitative traits were recorded to evaluate the variability on the basis of agro-morphological traits. Principal component analysis accounted 92.0% of the total variance among the accessions. Variability range for number of flower per peduncle was 2-3, for plant height 14.6-31.2cm and for maturity 117-130 days. The evaluated germplasm shows high variability in agro-morphological traits, which are very important in crop improvement programme. Evaluation and utilization of such valuable genetic resources would provide crucial information for its improvement in future.

Lentil (Lens culinaris Medikus) is a leading food legume and exportable commodity in Nepal whose seed yield is low and unpredictable as it is grown under limited soil moisture conditions during the winter months. However, there may be a potential to increase its yields by utilizing germplasm that is adapted to rainfed conditions and residual soil moisture from the preceding crop. National Agriculture Genetic Resources Centre (NAGRC) has collected and conserved 489 accessions of lentil germplasm in the NAGRC gene bank at Khumaltar. Among them, a total of 209 accessions of lentil germplasm were evaluated on the basis of agro-morphological traits at Khumaltar during 2008/09 and 2009/10. Tenqualitative and six quantitative traits were recorded to evaluate the variability on the basis of agro-morphological traits. Principal component analysis accounted 92.0% of the total variance among the accessions. Variability range for number of flower per peduncle was 2-3, for plant height 14.6-31.2cm and for maturity 117-130 days. The evaluated germplasm shows high variability in agro-morphological traits, which are very important in crop improvement programme. Evaluation and utilization of such valuable genetic resources would provide crucial information for its improvement in future.