Characterization for nodulation and detection of duplicate gene action of dominant epistasis controlling root nodulation in chickpea (Cicer arietinum)

Abstract

Diverse germplasm of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.), procured from national and international organizations was categorized for nodulation as well as assessed for nodules per plant and yield per plant in The University of Agriculture, Peshawar. Forty three genotypes exhibited nodulation (Nod+) whereas four genotypes failed to produce any nodule (Nod-). ANOVA showed highly significant variances for both the studied characters between genotypes, in addition these traits showed high heritability estimate. Out of four non-nodulated genotypes, one new mutant strain was used to understand the mode of inheritance of nonnodulation. A spontaneous non-nodulating mutant ICC19181 was crossed with two different highly nodulated strains i.e., NDC 5-S-10 and NDC 4-20-4 and differential results were obtained in the F2 generation and backcross progenies. The former (ICC19181 X NDC 5-S-10) showed 3:1 and the latter (ICC19181 X NDC 4-20-4) showed 15: 1 segregation for Nod+: Nod-. The distribution of nodulated and non-nodulated progenies i.e., 1 Nod+: 1 Nod- and 3 Nod+: 1 Nod- in the backcross progenies of hybrid A and hybrid B, with ICC19181, respectively authenticate the results of segregating populations. The latter suggests that two independent loci were involved in forming non-nodulation phenotype. These are in complete dominance but the effect is epistatic to the others. NDC 5-S-10 is expected to be homozygous dominant in one gene but homozygous recessive in the other gene.