Breeding Advancement for Yield and Yield Related Traits of Desi Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L) Varieties in Ethiopia

Abstract

Thirteen desi chickpea varieties released since 1974 were evaluated in the 2017 cropping season at Jari location. The varieties were laid out in randomized complete block design with three replications. The analysis of variance revealed highly significant differences among tested varieties for all traits except plant height revealing that the varieties tested were highly variable. The average rate of increase in grain yield per year over the past 42 years period was 30.68 kg ha^-1yr^-1 with a relative genetic gain of 0.73% year^-1, which was a significant increase for the last four decades of desi chickpea improvement. The regression of a hundred seed weight against the years of release showed not significantly different from zero. It showed an annual rate of genetic gain of 0.85 g yr^-1 with a relative annual genetic gain of 0.23%. The number of pods per plant and number of seeds per pod revealed a non-significant decreasing trend over the past 42 years. Plant height, days to flowering, and days to maturity showed a non-significant trend in the current study. Grain yield showed a non-significant positive association with plant height, days to maturity and a hundred seed weight and non-significant negative association with days to flowering, the number of seed per pod, and the number of pods per plant. The study also showed that varieties developed through hybridization and selection from introduction had higher progress than old varieties and selection from landraces. Therefore, it is more likely that the productivity of desi chickpea in the future can also be increased by developing varieties using similar approaches by combining modern breeding tools.