Genetic Divergence Analysis Studies in Chickpea (Cicer arientinum L.) Genotypes

Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.), a crucial pulse crop for food security and sustainable agriculture, exhibits substantial genetic divergence, which is essential for selecting diverse parents in breeding programs. This study assessed 40 chickpea genotypes during the Rabi season of 2021–22 at the Oil Seed Research Farm, Chandra Shekhar Azad University of Agriculture and Technology, Kanpur, using Mahalanobis D² statistics to determine genetic diversity. The genotypes were categorized into distinct clusters, demonstrating considerable genetic variability. Intra-cluster distances varied from 29.409 to 54.147, while the highest inter-cluster distance (D=54.147) was recorded between Cluster III and Cluster VII, indicating significant genetic differentiation. Traits such as the number of branches per plant (13.21%), plant height (11.92%), and the number of seeds per pod (11.54%) were the most influential in contributing to divergence. The study identified promising genotypes with desirable traits across different clusters, suggesting their potential use as parental lines for hybridization. The high inter-cluster divergence observed highlights the potential for obtaining high-yielding and stress-tolerant varieties through crossbreeding of genetically diverse genotypes. These results provide valuable insights into chickpea breeding strategies aimed at improving productivity, resilience, and adaptability to various environmental conditions.