Genetic Variability of Ethiopian Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) Landraces for Acid Soil Tolerance

Chickpea is among the major legume crops grown globally. In Ethiopia, it plays a vital role in the food security and economic stability of smallholder farmers. However, its production is often hampered by abiotic factors, particularly soil acidity, which is a major yet often overlooked challenge. Using tolerant genotypes alone or combined with soil amendments is a sustainable approach to improving chickpea production in acidic soils. Hence, the present study assessed the genetic variation of 64 Ethiopian chickpea accessions for acidic-soil tolerance using simple lattice design-based field experiments with two replications at two sites with acidic soil, Emdebir and Holetta. The study revealed significant genetic variation among the evaluated accessions for acid soil tolerance. The study also identified tolerant and high-yielding chickpea accessions with a high yield stability index (YSI) at both test sites. The landrace ETC_B_1_2016 exhibited the highest number of primary branches per plant (NPB), number of pods per plant (NPP), and total seed yield (TSY) at the Emdebir acidic soil trial. At the Holetta acidic soil trial, the landrace ETC_41237 recorded the highest TSY, followed by ETC_K_3_2016 and ETC_B_1_2016, while Akaki had the least. In addition, 14 accessions had the highest TSY and YSI at the Emdebir site, while 16 had the highest YSI at the Holetta site. Notably, NPP displayed the strongest positive correlation with TSY at both sites, irrespective of lime application. Higher genetic variance and broad-sense heritability observed for NPP, hundred-seed weight (HSW), and TSY suggest that genetic factors mainly influence these traits and are more likely to improve through selection. The identified acid-tolerant and high-yielding accessions could be considered for direct cultivation in areas with acidic soils, potentially increasing chickpea productivity. Additionally, these accessions can be crossbred with existing improved varieties to enhance their adaptability to acidic soils, ultimately contributing to food security in regions affected by soil acidity.