Author(s):

Vinay Kumar, Mukesh Kumar, SK Singh and Pooran Chand

Abstract: Genetic diversity and relationships of 37 chickpea genotypes were studied using 10 SSR markers and 10 morphological characters. High diversity and coefficients of variation were recorded for all morphological characters. Considerable diversity was observed with high PCV in comparison to GCV. High heritability (>80%) was observed for most of the characters like 100-seed weight followed by number of seeds per pod, number of pods per plant, harvest index, biological yield per plant and number of primary branches per plant. The moderate (60-80%) heritability revealed by grain yield per plant and plant height. The analysis of genetic divergence through Mahalanobis D² statistics revealed considerable genetic diversity among genotypes. PIC values ranged from 0.053 (Primer 7) to 0.876 (primer 4) with an average of 0.497. The resolving power (RP) varies between 0.702 (Primer 4) to 1.942 (Primer 7) with an average value of 1.311. Results showed that the introduction of genetic materials from exotic sources broadened the genetic base of the national chickpea breeding programme. Further implications of the findings of this study can be useful for selective breeding of specific traits and in enhancing the genetic base of breeding programmes.

Pages: 1091-1097  |  1098 Views  657 Downloads

Download (805KB)