Genetic variability and character correlation in pure lines, F-1 and F-2 progenies of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.)

An investigation was carried out to estimate genetic variability and level of association of grain yield with its various components, separately in 18 parental lines, 28 F-1 and 19 F-2 generations. Highly significant genotypi c differences were noted in these populations for characters like plant hei ght, number of primary and secondary branches, pads per plant, 100-seed wei ght, biological yield, harvest index and grain yield. A comparison between F-1, F-2 and parental lines revealed that the range of inter-genotypic vari ation for the above mentioned characters in F-1 and F-2 was wider than that of parental lines. Generally the genetic correlation coefficients were gre ater than those of phenotypic correlations in all the populations. Positive and highly significant genetic correlation of yield with plant height, num ber of primary and secondary branches, number of pods per plant, 100 seed w eight and biological yield was observed in parental lines. In F-1 positive and highly significant correlation of grain yield was observed with number of secondary branches, pods/plant and biological yield, whereas in F-2 numb er of secondary branches, pods per plant, biological yield and harvest inde x showed positive and highly significant correlation with grain yield. The pattern and level of association of grain yield with its components and int er-relation of these components differed in some cases between F-1, F-2 and parental genotypes. The correlation of seed yield with pods/plant, biologi cal yield and fruit bearing branches was positive and highly significant in all the three sets of genotypes characterized in this study. On the basis of these results and the results reported in the literature it can be sugge sted that a chickpea plant with enhanced yield potential can be synthesized through hybridization by combining high number of pods/plant and fruit bea ring branches and high biological yield into a single genotype.