Karishma Behera, Anita Babbar, R.G. Vyshnavi, Teena Patel and Shailendra Sagar Prajapati
Abstract
Exploring the genetic potential of chickpeas is imperative for strategic parent selection, targeted hybridization, and effective trait integration, resulting in development of resilient and high-yielding varieties. Hence, the current study aims to uncover the genetic potential and character associations of advanced breeding lines in chickpea, conducted at the Seed Breeding Farm, Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, JNKVV, Jabalpur during the rabi season of 2021-22. The assessment of forty advanced chickpea breeding lines encompassed an analysis of genetic parameters, correlation, and path coefficients. The findings unveiled that, across all observed traits, the phenotypic coefficient of variation (PCV %) exceeded the genotypic coefficient of variation (GCV %). The examination of genetic potential, utilizing phenotypic and genotypic coefficients of variability, heritability, genetic advance, and genetic gain, demonstrates a significant degree of variability within the genotypes for traits including total number of pods per plant, number of effective pods per plant, biological yield per plant, and seed yield per plant. The seed yield per plant exhibited high positive and direct effect and significant positive correlation with biological yield per plant and total number of pods per plant. Consequently, prioritizing these traits in future breeding programs could lead to the development of chickpea varieties with enhanced yield potential.