Character Association among Yield, Drought Tolerant and Machine Harvestable Traits in Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.)

Abstract

Correlation and path analysis was worked out among thirty chickpea genotypes with three replications under both rainfed and irrigated conditions utilising yield, drought tolerant traits and mechanical harvestable traits during rabi, 2018 at Regional Agricultural Research Station, Nandyal, Andhra Pradesh, India. Biological yield per plot and harvest index exhibited significant positive correlation with seed yield and drought tolerance index. 100 seed weight and number of pods per plant also contributed positively to DTI and seed yield under rainfed conditions. Across environments, biological yield and harvest index exhibited consistency in correlations and their direct effects and also indirect effects via other correlated traits viz., number of pods per plant, number of primary branches per plant, days to 50% flowering, days to maturity, height of first pod and plant height. Across environments, number of primary branches per plant, mechanical harvestable traits such as height of the first pod, plant height, phenological traits, days to 50 % flowering and days to maturity exhibited negative correlation with seed yield and DTI. Breeding procedures like biparental mating in an appropriate segregating population was suggested for breaking undesirable linkages which provides more chances for recombination to obtain superior lines with desirable combination of yield, drought tolerance and machine harvest ability.