Assessment of genetic variation, diversity, and resistance to Helicoverpa armigera in cultivated chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) under new agro-climatic zone

Abstract

Climate change will have different impacts on various crops around the world. Rise in temperature will offer opportunity to cultivate nutritious legume crops like chickpea in new agro-climatic zones. Therefore, this study was piloted to know the genetic variation, genetic divergence, correlations and path analysis of six important quantitative traits among 25 chickpea genotypes to ascertain their potential to grow in new agro-climatic zone of North-Western Himalayas. The chickpea genotypes exhibited sufficient variability for all the traits. Path analysis revealed that number of pods per plant had highest direct effect followed by plant height on plant yield. Genotypes were grouped into seven clusters and cluster I was the largest among them. Based on highest inter cluster distance, genotypes from cluster III (ICC 4984 and RIL 115) and cluster IV (ICCL 81316); and from cluster III and cluster VI (Vijay and Annigeri) could be selected as parents in hybridization programme. Two genotypes viz; ICCC 37 and ICCL 87314 were rated superior based on damage ratings in sustaining Helicoverpa armigera infestation. ICCV 10 followed by ICC 4984 and RIL 27 had highest seed yield per plant. This study suggested the potential of chickpea cultivation under long summer days in Lahual valley of North-Western Himalayas.