Biological, morphological and biochemical features of seeds of introduced genotypes of Cicer arietinum L.

Abstract

The research relevance is determined by the need to develop modern scientific and practical principles of involving little-known, rare, and newly created plant genotypes in the introduction process. This will help to warn of a possible phytoproduct crisis caused by climate change and rapid population growth on the planet. The research aims to determine the morphological characteristics and biochemical features of Cicer arietinum seeds for improving the germplasm of legumes and conducting further breeding and biotechnological research. The comparative morphological method was used for seeds of introduced plant genotypes from different regions of origin. The material for the study was 9 genotypes of Cicer arietinum originating from Australia, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, and Ukraine, which were grown in experimental plots of the M.M. Gryshko National Botanical Garden. Morphometric parameters and some biochemical properties of plant seeds were studied depending on genotypic characteristics. Field, laboratory, and methods of analysis of variance and statistical evaluation of average data were used using Microsoft Excel (2010). In the course of the research, it was found that all introduced genotypes are characterised by high quantitative and qualitative indicators of seeds. In terms of linear seed dimensions (length to width ratio), the sample CAAFGK-1 was particularly distinguished – 17.12 × 14.38 mm, and in terms of weight of 1000 seeds CATADJK-1 – 584.5 g. Biochemical studies have shown that the highest amount of absolute dry matter was accumulated in the seeds of C. arietinum samples – CAAFGD-2, CAAFGK-1, CATADJD-2 and CATADJK-1 (from 89.04 to 89.68%). The level of total sugars was dominated by the samples of C. arietinum genotypes CATADJK-1 – 9.37%, and the accumulation of phosphorus was dominated by CAAZEUR-2 – 1.43%. The biochemical composition of plants makes it possible not only to characterise their value in terms of food crops but also to determine the most plastic genotypes to environmental factors. Thus, the results obtained indicate the prospects of using certain genotypes of C. arietinum as a starting material for breeding and biotechnological research and the creation of new plant forms, which will help to expand the range of highly productive chickpea genotypes in the northern regions of Ukraine