Variability and Character Association for Yield and Quantitative Traits under Late Sown Conditions in Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.)

Abstract

Background: Among all the pulses, chickpea is the most important rabi crop with high acceptability and wider use in India. More availability of quality seed of improved varieties being made available to the famers is one of the most important factors contributing to better harvest of chickpea in recent years. Therefore, there is urgent need for developing high yielding varieties of chickpea employing sound and effective breeding strategies. The study of variability, correlation and path coefficient analysis for seed yield with other yield contributing characters is of immense importance to get information regarding exercising selections for genetic improvement in chickpea.Methods: A total of 40 genotypes of chickpea were undertaken for present study and these genotypes evaluated in randomized block design (RBD) with three replications at Rajasthan Agricultural Research Institute (SKNAU), Jaipur Rajasthan, India under late sown conditions during rabi 2019-20. The experimental unit was four row plots of 4 m long and spacing between row to row was kept to 30 cm and plant to plant was 10 cm. The genetic parameters viz., mean GCV, PCV, broad sense heritability, genetic advance (GA), correlation coefficient and path analysis were estimated.Result: Genotypes revealed significant wide genetic variation for almost all the quantitative traits. Number of pods plant-1 exhibited highest PCV and GCV. The highest broad sense heritability (h2b) was recorded for days to maturity followed by days to 50% flowering and 100-seed weight. The 100-seed weight, number of pods plant-1, number of seeds pod-1 and primary branches plant-1 had positive genotypic correlation with grain yield. Path coefficient analysis depicted that among the 9 causal (independent) traits; number of seeds pod-1, number of pods plant-1, number of primary branches plant-1, plant height from ground to first pod (cm) and days to 50% flowering had positive and directly influence on grain yield. Therefore these traits can be taken into consideration while exercising selection for grain yield in chickpea.