Genetic association and direct-indirect effects of yield components in chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.): A correlation and path coefficient study

The current research took place in the Rabi season of 2024-25 at the Genetics and Plant Breeding Research Farm, Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gorakhpur University, located in Uttar Pradesh, India. To assess twenty chickpea genotypes alongside two control varieties (BG 1003 and BG 256) for yield and related traits. The study was conducted using a Randomized Block Design, and information was gathered on eleven characteristics such as days to 50% flowering, days to maturity, plant height, primary and secondary branches per plant, pods per plant, seeds per pod, biological yield, weight of 100 seeds, harvest index, and seed yield per plant. Correlation analysis showed that genotypic correlations tended to exceed phenotypic correlations, signifying stronger genetic connections than those seen phenotypically, implying that environmental influences diminish the manifestation of genuine genetic relationships. Characteristics like biological yield, harvest index, primary branch count, pods per plant, and secondary branch count exhibited highly significant and positive correlations with seed yield per plant. Path coefficient analysis indicated that both the harvest index and biological yield per plant had the strongest positive direct effects on seed yield at both the phenotypic and genotypic levels, followed by traits such as 100-seed weight, pods per plant, and others contributing to yield. Significantly, days to 50% flowering showed strong positive indirect influences through biological yield and harvest index. These results indicate that choosing based on harvest index, biological yield, and associated traits can successfully improve seed yield in chickpea.