Genetic Diversity Analysis for Some Desi Type Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) Advanced Lines Under Potential Environment of North Gondar, Ethiopia

The present study was conducted in 100 promising chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) genotypes using Mahalanobis D2 Statistics. The divergence (D2) analysis revealed that the 100 chickpea genotypes were grouped into nine significant clusters. The intra-cluster distance values were ranged from 5.3 (cluster IV) to 77.8 (cluster VIII). The highest inter cluster distance were observed between genotypes of cluster I and cluster VIII (874.5) followed by cluster I and cluster II (837.4), cluster I and cluster V (759.3), cluster I and cluster III (480.4), cluster I and cluster VII (413.7), cluster IV and cluster VIII (390.9), cluster II and cluster IV (377.5) and Cluster II and cluster VI (309.4), cluster I and cluster IX (300.4), cluster I and cluster IV (295.2), cluster IV and cluster V (287.2). The lowest inter cluster distance (81.6) were found between cluster VI and cluster IX followed by cluster II and cluster VII (81.8), cluster III and cluster VII (87.4), cluster IV and cluster VI (90.6), cluster II and cluster III (93.6), indicating existence of closer proximity between these clusters. Based on inter cluster distances and Per se performance, hybridization among the genotypes from these clusters which showed maximum distance might produce high yielding varieties having broad genetic base. In general the genotypes JV-11, IE-16-059/1, iccx-090013-f2-p215-BP, DZ-2012-CX-0028, iccx-060045-f3-p5-BP, iccx-060039-f3-p182-BP may serve as potential parents for grain yield. IE-16-109/2, iccx-0900013-f2-p107-BP, icc-6279, JG-62, icc-15614, IE-16-059/2 can be also a parental line for earliness, while iccx-090013-f2-p265-BP, iccx-090013-f2-p107-BP, iccx-090013-f2-p103-BP, iccx-090013-f2-p215-BP for hundred seed weight. IE-16-109/2, icc-14778, icc-510, DZ-2012-CK-0253, icc-5135 also be a potential parental line for quality character of crude protein. Generally genotypes listed above may serve as a parental lines for hybridization program in the improvement of chickpea grain yield and its contributing trait.