Identification of drought tolerant Chickpea genotypes through multi trait stability index

Area of Science:

• Agricultural Science
• Plant Breeding
• Genetics

Background:

• Drought stress is a major abiotic factor limiting chickpea production globally.
• Traditional multi-environment trials (METs) often focus on single traits, reducing genotype recommendation reliability.
• Multi-trait analysis offers a more robust approach for selecting genotypes across diverse environments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To select superior Kabuli Chickpea genotypes using a multi-trait stability index (MTSI).
• To evaluate genotypic stability for multiple traits under drought stress across six diverse environments.
• To identify stable and high-yielding chickpea genotypes for future breeding programs.

Main Methods:

• Employed linear mixed-effect models to compute genotypic stability for individual traits.
• Utilized singular value decomposition to analyze genotype vs. environment interaction (GEI) effects.
• Calculated a superiority index (WAASBY) reflecting mean performance and stability (MPS).

Main Results:

• The multi-trait stability index (MTSI) provided a reliable method for genotype selection.
• Identified 19 stable and high-yielding Kabuli Chickpea genotypes (e.g., G20, G86, G31) out of 120.
• Demonstrated significant selection differentials for grain yield, primary branches per plant, and stomatal conductance.

Conclusions:

• The MTSI is a valuable and straightforward tool for plant breeders selecting genotypes based on multiple characters.
• The identified stable and high-yielding genotypes possess desirable traits for developing drought-tolerant Kabuli Chickpea.
• Selected traits can be utilized as genitors in hybridization programs to enhance drought tolerance in chickpea breeding material.