Variability analysis among advance breeding lines of chickpea using microsatellite markers

Cicer arietinum L. is the third greatest widely planted imperative pulse crop worldwide, belongs to the Leguminosae family. Modern plant breeding and agricultural systems have narrowed the base for the genetic variability of cultivated chickpea and to explore new sources of variation that might be used in plant breeding programmes. The main aim of this study was to quantify the genetic variability present among the selected 20 advance breeding lines of chickpea using molecular markers. MAB, which is part of genomics-assisted breeding (GAB), is a tool that can significantly improve the precision and efficiency of breeding in chickpeas. This comprehensive approach combining traditional breeding with advanced genomic tools could lead to the development of chickpea varieties better suited to selected environments. The analysis revealed that set of 24 SSR primers were able to produce variability present within the advance breeding lines. UPGMA dendrogram were constructed by the genetic variability present within the selected lines. This analysis will be useful in the selection of advance breeding lines for mapping populations and further breeding programmes attempting to broaden the genetic base of future chickpea cultivars.