Study of genetic variability parameters in Chick pea (Cicer arietinum L.) genotypes for yield and its components

The present study aimed to evaluate genetic variability and associations among 20 chickpea genotypes across two Rabi seasons, specifically in 2019-20 and 2020-2021. We employed a randomized block design for the assessment, with each genotype being replicated three times. We computed genetic variability parameters, including mean values, the range from maximum to minimum, and estimations of phenotypic coefficient of variation and genotypic coefficient of variation, which varied from moderate to high. Our investigation unveiled a substantial heritability in a broad sense, alongside significant genetic advances expressed as a percentage of the mean for these traits. This information holds significance in identifying the pivotal traits contributing to yield enhancement by exploring character associations and their direct and indirect effects on yield. Moreover, the analysis of variance indicated noteworthy differences among the genotypes for all the studied traits. In the initial year, significant disparities among the genotypes for all the studied characteristics were revealed, signifying considerable variability within the genotypes. For both phenotypic and genotypic coefficients of variation, biological yield per plant exhibited the highest values, while days to flower initiation displayed the highest heritability. The total number of pods per plant demonstrated the highest phenotypic and genotypic variance in both years. Additionally, genetic advancement as a percentage of the mean was most prominent for biological yield per plant. In the subsequent year, 100-seed weight exhibited the highest phenotypic and genotypic coefficients of variation, similar to the previous year. The total number of pods per plant displayed the highest phenotypic and genotypic variance, and the highest heritability in the broad sense was observed for the trait "Total number of pods per plant," with the genetic advance as a percentage of the mean being highest for 100-seed weight. Notably, the characteristics "Number of Effective Pods per plant" and "Number of pods per plant" demonstrated both high heritability and high genetic advancement as a percentage of the mean, indicating the presence of additive gene effects. Consequently, these traits can be effectively improved through selective breeding.