GENETIC VARIABILITY AND ASSOCIATIONS OF YIELD AND YIELD RELATED TRAITS IN KABULI CHICKPEA (Cicer arietinum L.) GENOTYPES AT ARSI-ROBE, SOUTHEASTERN ETHIOPIA

Chickpea is an important pulse crop in Ethiopia; however, the production of the crop is not at its potential due to many constraints of which limited availability of high yielding varieties. Thus the main objectives of this study were to estimate genetic variability and assess associations of yield and yield related traits of chickpea genotypes. Forty nine kabuli chickpea genotypes were evaluated for 13 traits in 2019/20 at Arsi Robe using 7x 7 simple lattice designs with two replications. The analysis of variance result showed significant differences among genotypes. The phenotypic variances were higher than the genotypic variance, implying the influence of environment on the performance of genotypes for the traits. Genotypic coefficient of variation (GCV) ranged from 1.28 for days to maturity to 41.74% for grain yield and phenotypic coefficient of variation (PCV) ranged from 1.47 to 44.06% for days to maturity and grain yield, respectively. Low heritability (49.6%) for plant height to high heritability (89.7%) for grain yield was recorded. Genetic advance as present of mean ranged from 2.29% for days to maturity to 81.55% for grain yield. High broad sense heritability coupled with high genetic advance was observed for grain yield (89.7% and 81.55%), number of secondary branch (73.4% and 41.04%) and hundred seed weight (80.2% and 20.88%). Grain yield showed highly significant and positive genotypic correlations with grain filling period, number of pod per plant, number of seed per plant and plant height. Genotypic path coefficient analysis showed that days to maturity, number of pods per plant, number of seed per plant, plant height and hundred seed weight had positive direct effects on grain yield. Number of pods’ per plant (0.243) exhibited a maximum positive direct effect on grain yield followed by number of seed per plant (0.236). Cluster analysis showed the existence of wide variability among genotypes and grouped into six clusters. Maximum inter cluster distances were observed from cluster-IV and III followed by cluster IV and V, and cluster II and IV, while minimum inter cluster distances were found between cluster II and VI followed by cluster III and VI. The first three principal components explained about 66.1% of the total variations among the 49 kabuli chickpea genotypes. The first component accounts 34.58% of the total variation. It provides better opportunity for plant breeders to select parental materials to use for crossing in the breeding program. However, it requires multi-location and year trials to verify the consistency of existing genotypic variability.