Genetic Analysis of Drought Tolerance in Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) Using Generation Means Analysis

This experiment was conducted to determine gene action for different traits of chickpea including days to 50% flowering, days to maturity, plant height, 100-seed weight, number of primary branches, and number of pods per plant and seed yield since 2006 to 2009 in Sararood dry land Research Sub institute in Kermanshah. Five genotypes Arman, Hashem, ILC588, ICCV2 and ILC3279 were selected and crossed with each other. Six generations from each cross were produced and evaluated in a randomized complete block design with three replications. In each replication 15 plants for P1, P2 and F1 generations, 30 plants for BC1 and BC2 generations, and 60 plants for F2 generation were evaluated for all traits. Joint scaling test and chi-square test were used to estimate the gene action. The chi-square of simple three parametric model was significant for days to 50% flowering, days to maturity, number of pods per plant and seed yield, indicating the presence of non allelic-interactions in the inheritance of these traits in chickpea. Both additive and dominance genetic effects were significant for days to 50% flowering, days to maturity, number of pods per plant and seed yield. In addition, presence of high amount of dominance effect and dominance × dominance interactions suggests the importance of non-additive genetic effects for these traits in chickpea. Therefore, selection for these traits in early generations can not be successful. However, additive genetic effects play an important role in the inheritance of plant height, number of primary branches and 100-seed weight, promising selection for these traits in early generations during the process of chickpea breeding. The negative sign of dominance effect traits such as days to 50% flowering indicated progenies partial dominance towards earliness parent. Amount of heterosis was estimated using this formula (([h] + [l])-([d] + [i])). It was positive and significant only for some traits.