Assessment of phenotypic diversity in source collection of Cicer arietinum L

Abstract

Phenotypic divergence between parental forms is important for the varietal improvement. The present study aimed to find the degree of phenotypic diversity among 22 chickpea collection cultivars and to identify accessions with valuable breeding traits. The experiment was conducted during the period 2023-2025 at the Institute of Forage Crops (Pleven). Genetic distance, heritability coefficient, genetic advance, and genotypic and phenotypic variation coefficients were determined. The highest PCV and GCV were found for the traits of seeds number (49.37%, 34.05%) and pods number/plant (36.53%, 28.99%). Estimates for broad-sense heritability ranged from 5.73% for 1000-seed mass to 88.28% for plant height. High heritability coupled with high genetic advance was established for plant height (H² = 88.28%, GA = 9.49) and number of pods per plant (H² = 62.77%, GA = 13.01), indicating the predominance of additive gene action and the potential for successful direct phenotypic selection. Hierarchical cluster analysis and principal component analysis classified the cultivars into distinct groups based on their agro-morphological profiles. The genotypes Garbanzo 4, Alfa, Caqui, Garbanzo 1, and Blanco Lechoso exhibited the highest genetic divergence, marking them as valuable parental components for hybridization programs aimed at improving chickpea productivity and environmental adaptability.