Genetic variability and association of chickpea germplasms (Cicer arietinum L.) for nutritional profiles grown in northern Ethiopia

The study was conducted to assess the extent of genetic variability present among 229 chickpea genotypes for seed protein, iron (Fe) and zinc (Zn) contents using alpha lattice design at Aksum, Northern Ethiopia. The analysis of variance revealed highly significant (p < 0.01) variation for protein, Fe and Zn contents among the studied genotypes, indicating the presence of wide genetic variation that could be utilized through selection. The variation in nutrient density traits were quite high and varied from 19.02% to 28.41%, 15.88 mg kg^-1 to 51.02 mg kg^-1 and 20 mg kg^-1 to 50.19 mg kg^-1 for protein, Fe and Zn concentrations, respectively. Seven genotypes exhibited the highest crude protein content. Three and eleven genotypes were also identified with the greatest Fe and Zn contents, respectively. Improved genotypes contained lower crude protein and mineral contents compared to landraces, indicating that quality traits are being compromised in crop improvement programs. The hierarchical cluster analysis classified the genotypes into seven distinct clusters and the D² values suggested the existence of wide genetic divergence among genotypes. Therefore, the wider nutritional quality variation observed in this study indicates the potential of these genotypes as a parent material for the chickpea breeding program and to develop new nutrient dense products for production.