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Background: The characterization of chickpea genetic resources is a vital step to explore genetic variability in breeding programs. In the present study, we characterized 90 germplasm lines of desi chickpea collected across the Indian chickpea growing region. The identified trait-specific germplasm lines will be used as a valuable genetic resource for the chickpea improvement programme. Methods: An experiment was conducted in augmented design to characterize germplasm lines of chickpea for 13 qualitative and 17 quantitative agro-morphological traits under Bundelkhand agro-climatic conditions. Result: Ample variation was observed for qualitative and quantitative traits. The study revealed that the presences of high variability in qualitative and quantitative traits are useful in the identification of plant genotype for a specific trait, genetic purity analysis, germplasm conservation and also possible use of potential genotype in the breeding program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Among the agronomic practices, optimum plant population and balanced nutrient management are pivotal for enhanced pulse production besides ensuring soil health. Methods: Present study was conducted during rabi 2020-21 and 2021-22 in split plot design with four main plots viz; seed rate (52, 70, 77 and 105 kg ha-1) and seven sub-plot nutrient management practices viz., N1-absolute control, N2-75% RDF, N3-100% RDF (20:50:20 kg N, P2O5 and K2O ha-1), N4-125 % RDF, S5-75% RDF + soil application of microbial consortia (Azotobacter + Phosphorus solubilizing bacteria (PSB) + Potassium releasing bacteria (KRB)+ Zinc solubilizing bacteria (ZnSB) @ 5 kg ha-1), N6-100 % RDF + MC and N7-125% RDF + MC. Result: Higher nodulation, seed yield (25.8 q ha-1) and economics (net returns 88807 ha-1 and B-C ratio 2.92) were registered with seed rate of 105 kg ha-1. However, protein content of chickpea was better with seed rate of 52 kg ha-1. Among the nutrient management treatments, crop growth, nodulation, seed yield (25.8 q ha-1) and economics (net returns 84388 ha-1 and B-C ratio 2.90) were found to be better with application of 125% RDF + Microbial consortia. Significant and positive correlation was found between the parameters at p<0.01. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Drought is the foremost environmental restraint that effects the growth and yield of chickpea. The mechanism of response to drought differs with genotype and growth stages of individual crop species. The activation of antioxidant enzymes is an alternate defensive system against oxidative stress that ultimately decide development of putative drought tolerant mechanism. Methods: Eighty-three chickpea genotypes were grown under normal and drought stress conditions and leaf samples were used to estimate different biochemical parameters including total sugar, lipid peroxidation (MDA), chlorophyll, proline and protein along with estimation of activities of different antioxidant enzymes viz., catalase (CAT) (EC 1.11.1.6), ascorbate peroxidase (APX) (EC 1.11.1.11), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and peroxidase (POX). Result: Positively significant correlation was found among proline under control with proline underwent stress (r=0.441), MDA under stress with proline under control (r=0.365) and MDA under control (r=0.336) at 1% level of significance. Positively significant correlation was also investigated between SOD under stressed condition with SOD under control (r=0.665), POX (0.449) and APX under stress (0.423), CAT under control (0.471) and CAT under stress condition (0.374) at 1% probability level. Heatmaps along with dendrograms represented expression levels of different antioxidant enzymes activities that showed variations among different genotypes. In conclusion. total sugar, proline and Malondialdehyde, have been increased under drought stressed condition whilst total chlorophyll and protein were decreased. While antioxidant enzymes viz., POX, APX, CAT and SOD levels increased under drought stressed conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The research focused on investigating the impact of genotype-environment interaction on the yield stability and performance of eight chickpea genotypes across three different locations (Bhatapara, Kawardha and Raipur). Methods: The study employed a randomized block design with two replications in each environment in Rabi season during 2021-22. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed significant variations between environments and genotype-environment interaction (G x E) based on AMMI and GGE biplot. Result: To visualize the genotype-environment relationship, a two-dimensional GGE biplot was created using the first two principal components, which accounted for 87.8% and 11.5% of the interaction's variation. The GGE biplot indicated that genotype g4 (ICCX 161100-B-B-B-B) in environment e2 (Kawardha) and g8 (JG-24) in environment e1 (Bhatapara) exhibited high yield. Genotype g3 (ICCV 201112) in environment e3 (Raipur) also showed high yield, while genotype g5 (JG 2020-10) demonstrated stability across all three environments. Furthermore, the AMMI analysis identified genotype g2 (ICCV 201103) as a superior performer in terms of yield stability across environments. By employing the GGE biplot and AMMI analysis, the study categorized the genotypes into three groups, facilitating simplified visual evaluations. The GGE biplot highlighted that genotype g8 (JG-24) exhibited better seed index in environment e3 (Raipur), while genotype g1 (ICCV 201210) performed well in environment e1 (Bhatapara). Genotype g2 (ICCV 201103) demonstrated a good seed index in all three environments. The AMMI analysis indicated that genotype g3 (ICCV 201112) had a slightly lower seed index but maintained stability across all environments. Overall, the findings of this investigation, as represented by the GGE and AMMI biplots, visually illustrated the relationship between genotypes and environments. The identified genotypes hold potential for improving yield production and further research and breeding efforts can be based on these findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Approximately 90% of the world's chickpea is grown under rainfed conditions where terminal drought is one of the major constraints limiting productivity. The need of short-duration, Fusarium wilt tolerant cultivars/elite lines and able to escape drought due to early maturity were required. Methods: The present investigation was carried out using 54 genotypes, generated from six diverse crosses, along with ten checks (resistant/tolerance, susceptible) were screened against drought and Fusarium wilt at Zonal Agricultural Research Station, Kalaburagi, Karnataka (Latitude: 17.36 and Longitude: 76.82) during crop season 2018-19. Result: The results revealed that higher PCV, GCV, heritability, per cent genetic advance were exhibited by number of pods per plant and seed yield per plot, whereas lower PCV, GCV recorded for days to 50% flowering and days to maturity in both normal and late sown conditions. The advanced breeding lines viz., KCD-8, KCD-24, KCD-28, KCD-32, KCD-37 and KCD-53 were identified as drought tolerant lines based on drought tolerant indices (viz., MP, YSI, DTE and DSI). The lines KCD-48 and KCD-32 were identified as Fusarium wilt resistance with lowest PDI of 1.47 and 2.46 respectively, as they were screened in wilt sick plot and further these were validated and confirmed the resistant alleles using two unpublished SNP markers (FW2_30366110 and FW2_30365816). The advanced breeding lines KCD-32 and KCD-37 were identified as drought tolerant and Fusarium wilt resistant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Chickpea being a winter season crop, often experiences high temperature during its reproductive phase resulting in yield losses due to the direct effect of it, on different physiological processes. Therefore, identification and development of heat stress tolerant genotypes is an important aspect in chickpea breeding especially in view of the changing climate scenario. Methods: An experiment was conducted during Rabi season 2017-18 at pulses research field, CCS HAU, Hisar, Haryana comprising 60 genotypes in randomized block design with three replications under two environmental conditions namely, normal and late sown to find out heat stress tolerant genotypes. A total of eleven morpho-physiological yield attributes noted down under both normal and late sown conditions and various multivariate statistical methods were used to find out tolerant chickpea genotypes. Result: The present study has led the understanding of many inter-related traits involved in the genetic variation of chickpea seed yield under normal as well as late sown conditions. This would certainly provide guidelines for selection of parents as well as effective selection of promising chickpea genotypes and also have paramount importance in formulating plant model for selection of segregating generations in chickpea breeding programmes for development of high yielding varieties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Accelerated ageing is a method to assess seed storage performance by exposing the seeds to higher temperature and relative humidity to make seeds lose its vigour and viability quickly. The seed physiological parameters are then compared with the natural ageing to derive certain conclusions. But, the molecular pattern of seed deterioration under accelerated ageing varies compared to that of natural ageing. Methods: Chickpea, seed lots of variety JG-11 and Annigeri-1 were subjected to natural ageing in cloth bag with nine per cent initial seed moisture under ambient conditions. Simultaneously, representative sample of same seed lot were also aged at 41.C and 95±2% humidity up to 120 hours. Result: Both the ageing methods had significant negative effect on seed physiological and biochemical quality parameters. The germination potential of seeds tested after 48 hours of accelerated ageing (83.5%) was equal 10 months of natural ageing (85%) in JG-11, while also in Annigeri-1, 48 hours of accelerated ageing (78%) was nearly equal to 10 months of natural ageing (80%). The protein expression analyzed through 2D-PAGE at similar germination potential brought out by two independent ageing methods showed higher protein down regulation ratio (3.4) in accelerated ageing than in natural ageing (3.2) unveiling its rapidity in the seed deterioration process. Therefore, accelerated ageing can be used for predicting chickpea seed longevity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Seed shape in chickpea, a less known but not a trivial trait to study, as the possibility to include it in applied breeding aspect is yet to be deciphered. The present study mainly focuses on the study of seed shape classification and its interrelationship with seed quality parameters. Methods: The present study was conducted at the N.E. Borlaug Crop Research Centre, G.B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology in Pantnagar, Uttarakhand. Seed shapes in chickpea were classified into distinct classes like angular, globular and owl headed types, using set of genotypes that constituted all the three seed shapes and corresponding hybrids obtained by crossing them. Result: The codominance of radicle length and dominance nature of shape of chalazal end was observed in a definite pattern. Angular types were dominant over owl-head and globular types, whereas the globular type was dominant over owl-head type. Angular and globular types had low and high protein content respectively. Globular types would be a key to merge the bi-directionally acting seed traits like protein content and seed weight. From our observations seed shape can be a potential criteria to select for seed protein content. We made clear cut shape classification based on seed components, which could helps in seed shaped based selection in large populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Chickpea is an important nutrient rich food legume cultivated mainly as rainfed crop in arid and semiarid regions of India. Due to changed climatic conditions incidence of frequent drought stress events are causing significant yield losses. Methods: In order to identify superior and locally adaptable genotypes under rainfed conditions multi-environment chickpea evaluation trial was conducted in five environments with 50 genotypes during Rabi, 2021-2022 stability analysis for grain yield was performed by deploying the AMMI (Additive Main Effects and Multiplicative Interaction) model and GGE (Genotype and Genotype by Environment) biplot method with an aim to identify the high yielding stable chickpea genotypes. Result: The AMMI analysis of variance for grain yield (kg ha-1) of 50 chickpea genotypes revealed significant genotype, environment and G x E interaction indicating the presence of variability among the genotypes and environments. The mean grain yield of 50 genotypes over environments ranged from 1296 kg/ha (G39) to 2222 kg/ha (G8). The genotype G24 exhibited high grain yield than mean yield with specific adaptability for the environment E2 (Palem). The results indicated that, environment E5 (Warangal) was identified as the best suited for potential expression of grain yield. Results of stability analysis revealed that genotype G17 exhibited high grain yield along with high stability across the locations with desirable mean performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]