Vol. 12, Issue 11 (2023)

Author(s):
Ravindra Singh Solanki and Anita Babbar

Abstract:
The chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.), recognized for its high-quality protein suitable for both human and animal consumption, serves as an excellent source of carbohydrates and protein. Its protein quality surpasses that of other pulses. To assess genetic variability in nutritional quality, 45 advanced breeding lines of desi chickpea underwent analysis. The mineral nutrient composition of these 45 desi chickpea genotypes exhibited significant variations for each nutrient studied. For Fe, Zn, Cu, and Mn, the variability across genotypes ranged from 1.45 mg/100g to 9.28 mg/100g, 0.39 mg/100g to 2.03 mg/100g, 0.30 mg/100g to 1.85 mg/100g, and 0.43 mg/100g to 1.70 mg/100g, respectively. The average protein content stood at 20.77%, with a range of 19.11% to 22.39%. Analysis of variance demonstrated the high significance of genotypes for all studied traits. The Fe exhibited the highest Phenotypic Coefficient of Variation (PCV) and Genetic Coefficient of Variation (GCV), followed by Cu, Mn, Zn, and Reducing Sugar (%), indicating substantial phenotypic variation in these traits. The heritability was notably high for Cu, followed by Fe, Carbohydrate%, Mn, Crude Fiber%, Zn, Reducing Sugar%, and Protein%. Examining the percentage contribution to genetic divergence by twelve characters, Cu emerged as the primary contributor, followed by Carbohydrate (%), Fe, Mn, Crude Fiber%, Reducing Sugar%, Fat%, Ash%, Zn, Non-Reducing Sugar%, Total Sugar%, and Protein%. The 45 genotypes were categorized into 6 clusters, with intra-cluster distances ranging from 0.00 to 9.20. The most significant inter-cluster divergence was observed between genotypes of Cluster III and Cluster VI.