Genetic Evaluation of Chickpea Germplasm to Find Climate Resilient Material Under Semiarid Conditions | [1st International Conference on "Recent Advances in Green Biotechnology and Climate Resilience", September 15-16, 2025 • 2025]

Author(s):

1. Ikram-ul-Haq: Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, College of Agriculture, University of Sargodha,Sargodha 40100,Pakistan

2. Babar Munir: Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, College of Agriculture, University of Sargodha,Sargodha 40100,Pakistan

3. Muhammad Mansoor Javaid: Department of Agronomy, College of Agriculture, University of Sargodha,Sargodha 40100,Pakistan

4. Muhammad Mazhar Iqbal: Department of Soil and Environmental Sciences, College of Agriculture, University of Sargodha,Sargodha 40100,Pakistan

5. Ijaz Rasool Noorka: Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, College of Agriculture, University of Sargodha,Sargodha 40100,Pakistan

6. Naeem Akhtar: Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, College of Agriculture, University of Sargodha,Sargodha 40100,Pakistan

7. Shayan Fatima: Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, Faculty of Agriculture, Erciyes University,Kayseri, Turkia,

Abstract:

Water scarcity impacts agricultural yields and endangers food production in arid and semi-arid areas. Chickpea, a vital legume crop, is very sensitive to drought stress, leading to poor yields and negative physiological effects under these conditions. The present study assessed 14 chickpea genotypes for drought tolerance. Plants were grown in pots with limited irrigation, receiving only a single supply before sowing. The experimental procedures included measuring eight agronomic and physiological traits: the number of branches per plant, total plant biomass, chlorophyll concentration, number of pods per plant, number of seeds per pod, weight of 100 seeds, relative water content (RWC), and cell membrane stability (CMS) of chickpeas. The lines revealed significant differences at the genotype level concerning the biomass of the plant, the number of pods per plant, and the RWC as affected by drought. The four major principal components contributed to the total variance under normal conditions, while the three were associated with drought stress. Plant biomass with the number of branches per plant and RWC had the highest eigenvector value under stress. Findings from correlation analysis exhibited different trait association sunder drought and control conditions. Heritability estimates revealed the presence of genetic potential for drought resilience, whereby characters like relative water content and cell membrane stability appeared to be strong predictors of drought tolerance. The research thus inferred that adequate genetic variation is available in the tested genotypes to be used in breeding programs towards the development of drought-tolerant chickpea cultivars. Such findings provide critical inroads into the physiological and agronomic responses of chickpea against drought stress and give way to sustainable production underwater-limited conditions.

Page(s): 137-137

DOI: DOI not available

Published: Journal: 1st International Conference on "Recent Advances in Green Biotechnology and Climate Resilience", September 15-16, 2025, Volume: 1, Issue: 1, Year: 2025

Keywords:

Genetic variability , Drought , Chickpea Germplasm , Climate resilience

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