Next Article in Journal
Exogenous Application of Amino Acids Mitigates the Deleterious Effects of Salt Stress on Soybean Plants
Previous Article in Journal
Soybean Crop Rotation Stability in Rainfed Agroforestry System through GGE Biplot and EBLUP
 
 
Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
Journals
Agronomy
Volume 12
Issue 9
10.3390/agronomy12092013
agronomy-logo
Submit to this Journal Review for this Journal Propose a Special Issue
► Article Menu

Article Menu

share Share announcement Help format_quote Cite question_answer Discuss in SciProfiles
first_page
settings
Order Article Reprints
Font Type:
Arial Georgia Verdana
Font Size:
Aa Aa Aa
Line Spacing:
Column Width:
Background:
Article

Evaluation of Global Composite Collection Reveals Agronomically Superior Germplasm Accessions for Chickpea Improvement

by
Muneendra K. Singh
1,
Manish Roorkiwal
1,2,*,
Abhishek Rathore
1,
Khela Ram Soren
3,
Motisagar S. Pithia
4,
Mohammad Yasin
5,
Surendra Barpete
6,
Servejeet Singh
7,
Rutwik Barmukh
1,
Roma Rani Das
1,
Priyanka Gangwar
3,
Chana P. Chetariya
4,†,
Priyanka Joshi
5,
Sushil K. Chaturvedi
3,8,
Rakesh M. Javia
4,
Vallabhbhai V. Ramani
4,
Aladdin Hamwieh
9,
Shiv Kumar
10,
Chellapilla Bharadwaj
11,
Narendra P. Singh
3 and
Rajeev K. Varshney
1,12,*add Show full author list remove Hide full author list
1
International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Hyderabad 502324, India
2
Khalifa Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, United Arab Emirates University, Al-Ain P.O. Box 15551, United Arab Emirates
3
ICAR—Indian Institute of Pulses Research, Kanpur 208024, India
4
Pulses Research Station, Junagadh Agricultural University, Junagadh 362001, India
5
RAK College of Agriculture, Rajmata Vijayaraje Scindia Krishi Vishwa Vidyalaya, Gwalior 474002, India
6
International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), Food Legume Research Platform (FLRP), Amlaha 466113, India
7
Rajasthan Agricultural Research Institute (RARI), Durgapura 302018, India
8
College of Agriculture, Rani Lakshmi Bai Central Agricultural University, Jhansi 284003, India
9
International Centre for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), Cairo 12619, Egypt
10
International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), Rabat 10112, Morocco
11
ICAR–Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), New Delhi 110012, India
12
State Agricultural Biotechnology Centre, Centre for Crop and Food Innovation, Murdoch University, Murdoch, WA 6150, Australia
 
add Show full affiliation list
 
remove Hide full affiliation list
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
†
Present address: School of Agriculture, Lovely Professional University, Phagwara 144001, India.
Agronomy 2022, 12(9), 2013; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy12092013
Submission received: 3 August 2022 / Revised: 22 August 2022 / Accepted: 23 August 2022 / Published: 26 August 2022
(This article belongs to the Section Crop Breeding and Genetics)
Versions Notes

Abstract

:
The rich genetic diversity existing within exotic, indigenous, and diverse germplasm lays the foundation for the continuous improvement of crop cultivars. The composite collection has been suggested as a gateway to identifying superior germplasm for use in crop improvement programs. Here, a chickpea global composite collection was evaluated at five locations in India over two years for five agronomic traits to identify agronomically superior accessions. The desi, kabuli, and intermediate types of chickpea accessions differed significantly for plant height (PLHT) and 100-seed weight (100 SW). In contrast, the intermediate type differed substantially from kabuli for days to maturity (DM). Several highly significant trait correlations were detected across different locations. The most stable and promising accessions from each of the five locations were prioritised based on their superior performance over the best-performing check cultivar. Accordingly, the selected germplasm accessions of desi type showed up to 176% higher seed yield (SY), 29% lower flowering time, 21% fewer maturity days, 64% increase in PLHT, and 183% larger seeds than the check cultivar JG11 or Annigeri. The prioritised kabuli accessions displayed up to 270% more yield, 13% less flowering time, 8% fewer maturity days, 111% increase in PLHT, and 41% larger seeds over the check cultivar KAK2. While the intermediate type accessions had up to 169% better yield, 1% early flowering, 3% early maturity, 54% taller plants, and 25% bigger seeds over the check cultivar JG 11 or KAK2. These accessions can be utilised in chickpea improvement programs to develop high-yielding, early flowering, short duration, taller, and large-seeded varieties with a broad genetic base.

1. Introduction

Food grain legumes are a rich source of high-quality proteins, carbohydrates, dietary fibres, and minerals for millions of people in developing countries, especially in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa [1]. Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is one of the most important food grain legumes, widely grown on marginal lands in more than 56 countries. The world cropping area under chickpea cultivation is ~13.72 million hectares, with a total annual production of ~14.25 million tonnes, of which Asia contributes 83% of production [2]. The key chickpea-producing countries include India, Turkey, Russian Federation, Myanmar, and Pakistan. Cultivated chickpea can be classified into two distinct forms: desi types (characterised by purple flowers, small seed size, angular shape, and coloured seeds with a high level of fibre) and kabuli types (characterised by white flowers, large seed size, owl’s head shape, and beige-coloured seeds possessing a low level of fibre).
Further, all desi types have anthocyanin pigmentation on other plant parts, whereas pigmentation is absent in kabuli chickpea. A third form, called intermediate type, is characterised by small- to medium-size round (pea)-shaped dark- or light-coloured seeds. The desi type chickpea is mainly cultivated in South Asia, while the kabuli type is primarily grown in the Mediterranean [2].
Although chickpea’s productivity has continuously increased over the last six decades, its sensitivity to several biotic and abiotic stresses has also been enhanced simultaneously, leading to yield variations [3]. The major biotic stresses constraining chickpea production include the diseases Ascochyta blight (Ascochyta rabiei (Pass.) Labr.), fusarium wilt (Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. Ciceris), botrytis grey mould (Botrytis cinerea Pers. ex Fr.), collar rot (Sclerotium rolfsii Sacc.), and dry root rot (Rhizoctonia bataticola (Taubenhaus)); while pod borer or gram pod borer (Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner)), leaf miner (Liriomyza cicerina Rondani), aphid (Aphis craccivora Koch.), and bruchid (Callosobruchus chinensis L.) are among the important pests [4]. In addition, drought, heat, cold, and salinity stress, among abiotic factors, represent key constraints to chickpea productivity [5,6]. Worldwide, these stresses result in potential yield losses costing over USD 2559 million annually. About 46% of losses are projected to be recovered by developing improved chickpea cultivars with multiple resistance/tolerance to these stresses [7]. However, improved genotypes are hampered primarily because of the limited genetic diversity available in the modern crop gene pools [8]. Extensive use of limited and closely associated germplasm/improved breeding accessions in chickpea improvement programs has led to a plateau in genetic improvements of target traits. Therefore, the newly developed cultivars display increased susceptibility to pests, diseases, and unstable yields under changing environments. To this end, using exotic and diverse genetic resources in breeding is the key to boosting the productivity and diversity of chickpea cultivars [9,10].
One of the major reasons for the limited utilisation of germplasm accessions in breeding efforts is the lack of knowledge of economically important traits, which often display genotype × environment interactions and need multi-environment testing [11,12,13,14]. Apart from higher yields, early maturity, taller plants, and large seed size represent some key agronomic traits of economic importance. Developing high-yielding and early-maturing chickpea to escape terminal drought is important in breeding programs targeted at semi-arid tropical environments [15]. Varieties with tall and erect growth habits are suitable for mechanical harvesting and help minimise labour costs [16]. Chickpea seed size is a crucial trait for international trade, with the large-seeded desi and kabuli types receiving a premium price in the markets. For instance, the large-seeded (>50 g 100-seed−1) kabuli cultivars receive a premium that is thrice the cost of desi and two times the cost of kabuli types, having a 100 SW of 25–40 g [17]. For developing improved chickpea cultivars for a target environment, identifying superior germplasm/parental accessions is a prerequisite. Different genetic backgrounds among parental accessions will offer the genetic diversity required to generate desired allelic combinations, which will increase the possibility of developing unique cultivars in proportion to the number of alleles by which the parents vary.
To increase the use of chickpea germplasm accessions in breeding programs, a composite collection of 3000 accessions represented variation in gene diversity ranging from 53% to 97% of the entire collection [18,19]. This global composite collection has been sequenced using whole-genome sequencing, and extensive analysis has been undertaken [10]. Evaluating such composite collections under multi-environmental trials is a promising approach to determining trait-specific promising germplasm accessions. The present study evaluated a composite collection under multi-environment field trials to identify agronomically superior germplasm accessions for increasing chickpea’s genetic potential.

2. Materials and Methods

2.1. Plant Material

The chickpea composite collection comprised 3000 (desi (1714), kabuli (1196), intermediate (70), and wild (20)) accessions [18]. The 1714 desi accessions included traditional cultivars (10), advanced cultivars (35), breeding lines (206), and landraces (1463). The 1196 kabuli accessions included advanced cultivars (16), breeding lines (47), traditional cultivars (423), landraces (459), and unknown types (251). In comparison, 70 intermediate type accessions consisted of breeding lines (8), traditional cultivars (17), landraces (42), and unknown types (3). Geographically, accessions of the composite collection originate from about 58 countries. These accessions’ flower colours vary from blue, light blue, pink, dark pink, light pink, and very light pink to white with pink stripes and white. These accessions had angular, owl’s head, and pea-shaped seeds. The presence of high anthocyanin, low anthocyanin, and no anthocyanin content produced different seed coat colours. The classification of 3000 accessions from the chickpea composite collection based on biological status, source country, flower colour, pigmentation, seed shape, and seed coat colour is provided in Table 1.

2.2. Experimental Design, Target Traits, and Experiment Locations

The entire composite collection and very promising checks include four desi (Annigeri, G130, ICCV10, and JG11) and two kabuli (KAK2 and L550) accessions, which were grown in 2 m single-row plots in an augmented block design. The experiment was conducted at Patancheru, Amlaha, Junagadh, and Sehore during the 2014–15 and 2015–16 years post-rainy season (between October–November). The experiment was conducted at Kanpur for two years during the 2015–16 and 2016–17 years post-rainy season (during November). The meteorological conditions during the experiment were recorded for field trials conducted at Patancheru, India. During the 2014–15 crop season, the average day/night temperature recorded was 35.4/5.2 °C with a relative humidity of 18.0/98.0% and an average rainfall of 0–33.8 mm. While during the 2015–16 crop season, the average day/night temperature and relative humidity were 37.8/6.6 °C and 20.0/98.0%, respectively, and the average rainfall ranged between 0 and 40 mm. The agronomic data were recorded for days to 50% flowering (DF; days counted from sowing up to 50% of plants producing their first flower), DM (DM; days counted from sowing to the appearance of golden colour pods), plant height (PLHT; measured in centimetre from the soil surface to the tip of the plant foliage), 100-seed weight (100 SW; measured by taking a random sample of 100 seeds from a single row and by weighing them), and seed yield (SY).

2.3. Statistical Analysis

The statistical analyses were performed using GenStat 19th edition [20]. Analysis of variance was performed for the phenotyping data collected from all the locations over two years and for all five traits by considering block as random and entry as fixed effects using the restricted maximum likelihood (REML) estimation procedure. Further entry effect was partitioned to examine the differences among checks, differences among tests, and differences between checks and tests. The least-square means were calculated for all entries and used separately for three different sets (desi, kabuli, and intermediate type). Ranking biplots [21] were constructed to examine the discriminating ability and representativeness of the entries in individual test environments (location and year combination) and an ideal test environment. The total number of ranking biplots at individual test environments was 150 (3 sets × 5 locations × 2 years × 5 traits). It was difficult to present all 150 ranking biplots in this article; therefore, the relevant information for desi type is shown in Supplemental Table S1. For kabuli and intermediate types, the information is presented in Supplemental Table S2. A flow chart depicting the selection of germplasm accessions at each level is provided in Table 2.

3. Results

3.1. Variation in Agronomic Traits among Desi, Kabuli, and Intermediate Type Accessions

Chickpeas are classified into three types based on seed shape—desi, kabuli, and intermediate. We observed significant differences among the means of desi, kabuli, and intermediate types of chickpea accessions for five traits phenotyped at five different locations in India for two years (Supplementary Tables S3 and S4). The three types of chickpeas showed significant variation for PLHT, 100 SW, and DM. For instance, the desi and kabuli chickpeas varied substantially for PLHT and 100 SW. The kabuli accessions were taller and possessed a higher 100 SW than desi. The intermediate types differed from desi types for PLHT and 100 SW and had taller plants with greater 100 SW.
Furthermore, a significant difference was observed for DM, PLHT, and 100 SW between the intermediate and kabuli chickpeas. Compared to intermediate types, the kabuli were later in maturity, taller in height, and had higher 100 SW. No significant differences were detected among the means of three types of chickpeas for DF and SY.

3.2. Correlation among Traits Evaluated at Five Locations

A Pearson correlation analysis was conducted to identify the correlations between agronomic traits within and between experimental trials. The correlation coefficients among the five traits evaluated for two years across five different locations revealed the presence of significant and meaningful correlations (0.50 ≤ r ≤ –0.50) (Supplementary Table S5). For instance, 100 SW measured across two years at Amlaha (Madhya Pradesh) displayed a significant positive correlation. At Patancheru (Telangana), significant positive correlations were detected between the following pairs of traits: DF and DM, DF and PLHT, and DM and PLHT. The 100 SW evaluated for two years at Kanpur (Uttar Pradesh) showed a substantial positive correlation. At Junagadh (Gujarat), DF was significantly and positively correlated with DM, while DF and 100 SW showed a significant positive correlation across years. Furthermore, at Sehore (Madhya Pradesh), DF, PLHT, and 100 SW showed a significant correlation across two years. Several other traits displayed a low to moderate correlation (r = ± 0.01 to r = ± 0.49) across years at different locations evaluated.

3.3. Selection of Stable and Promising Elite Accessions for Amlaha, Madhya Pradesh

3.3.1. Desi Type

During the 2014–15 year, the best check JG11 had a seed yield (SY) of 16 g plant−1, DF of 83 days (d), DM of 119 d, PLHT of 48 cm, and 100 SW of 23 g. Based on DF, 16 elite accessions were selected with a flowering time of 75–90 d and SY in the range of 16–37 g plant−1. Of these 16 accessions, 6 (ICCV91902, ICC14881, ICC14014, ICC16076, ICC16166, and ICC11046) produced a 50–131% higher yield than the check cultivar JG11 (Table 3). Based on DM, 20 elite accessions were identified with maturity days ranging from 108 d to 117 d and SY in the 16–42 g plant−1. Of these 20 accessions, 9 (ICC14014, ICC16076, ICC13107, ICC5878, ICC11091, ICC14507, ICC8366, ICC10953, and ICC4074) produced an SY in the range of 50–163% over the check cultivar JG11 (Table 3). Furthermore, 20 germplasm accessions were selected based on PLHT, whose height ranged from 48 cm to 62 cm, and SY ranged from 27 to 36 g plant−1. The PLHT of all the accessions was at par or more than JG11, and the accessions displayed a yield gain of up to 125% over the check cultivar JG11 (Table 3). Twenty accessions prioritised based on 100 SW had seed weight values ranging from 18 to 65 g 100-seeds−1 and SY ranging from 20 to 37 g plant−1. Of these, ten accessions (ICC12452, ICCV88202, ICC8474, ICC14385, ICC11903, ICCV91902, ICC1000, ICC15540, ICC3164, and ICC16903) produced SY in the range of 50–131% more than JG11 (Table 3).
During the 2015–16 year, JG11 was selected as the best check and possessed an SY of 8 g plant−1, DF of 56 d, DM of 112 d, PLHT of 40 cm, and 100 SW of 24 g. Here, 12 accessions were selected based on flowering time (48–62 d), producing SY in the 6–12 g plant−1. Eight accessions were selected based on DM (91–116 d), which yielded in the range of 6–12 g plant−1; three accessions were selected based on PLHT (31–46 cm), which produced a yield of 6–7 g plant−1, and two accessions were selected based on 100 SW (15–24 g), having an SY of 6–7 g plant−1. Notably, one accession (ICC5710), with a flowering time of 52 d and DM of 101 d, produced about 50% higher yield over the check cultivar JG11 (Table 3).

3.3.2. Kabuli Type

During the 2014–15 year, KAK2 was the best check cultivar, with an SY of 16 g plant−1, DF of 79 d, DM of 119 d, PLHT of 50 cm, and 100 SW of 35 g. Eight accessions selected based on flowering time had DF in the range of 75–93 d and SY in the range of 16–32 g plant−1. Three accessions (ICC11879, ICC15518, and IG10187) were prioritised, and SY was 56–100% more than the check cultivar KAK2 (Table 3). Furthermore, eight germplasm accessions were selected based upon DM (112–127 d), whose SY varied from 17–22 g plant−1. None of these eight accessions produced a yield with a 50% increase over KAK2. Based on PLHT, eight accessions were selected whose height ranged between 48 and 64 cm, with a yield of 16–32 g plant−1. Two of these eight accessions (ICC11879 and ICC2496) produced SY with a 75–100% increase over KAK2 (Table 3). Further, ten accessions were selected based upon 100 SW (26–39 g), whose SY ranged between 16–26 g. Two (IG70815 and IG6078) out of ten accessions had a 50–62% yield advantage compared to KAK2 (Table 3).
KAK2 was designated the best check during 2015–16, with an SY of 9 g plant−1, a flowering time of 55 d, DM of 111 d, PLHT of 38 cm, and 100 SW of 37 g. Eight accessions were selected based on DF (50–57 d), which produced an SY of 6–11 g plant−1. Ten accessions were prioritised based on maturity days (98–110 d), with a yield ranging between 6 and 11 g plant−1. Further, seven accessions were selected based on PLHT (41–49 cm), yielding between 6 and 17 g plant−1. Based on 100 SW, seven accessions were prioritised whose seed weight was 24–30 g and whose yield varied between 6 and 11 g plant−1. Interestingly, during 2015–16, none of the accessions produced more than 50% over the check cultivar (Table 3).

3.3.3. Intermediate Type

During 2014–15, the check cultivar KAK2 produced a yield of 16 g plant−1, DF of 79 d, DM of 119 d, PLHT of 50 cm, and 100 SW of 35 g. One accession (ICC5980) was selected based on DF (83 d), which yielded over 32 g plant−1 (>100% over KAK2); one accession (ICC5727) was selected based on DM (131 d), which produced an SY of 41 g plant−1 (>156% over KAK2). Further, two accessions (ICC5616 and ICC12118) were prioritised based on PLHT, which produced up to 75% higher yield when compared with KAK2. One accession (ICC12431) was selected based on 100 SW (20 g), producing up to 169% more yield than KAK2. During 2015–16, KAK2 was considered the best check, with an SY of 9 g plant−1, DF of 55 d, DM of 111 d, PLHT of 38 cm, and 100 SW of 37 g. Here, none of the accessions was found to be agronomically superior to KAK2 (Table 3).

3.4. Selection of Stable and Promising Elite Accessions for Patancheru, Telangana

3.4.1. Desi Type

During the 2014–15 year, the check cultivar JG11 produced an SY of 15 g plant−1, DF of 41 d, DM of 100 d, PLHT of 42 cm, and 100 SW of 25 g (Table 4). A total of 18 accessions were selected based upon flowering time (35–52 d), which produced an SY in the range of 14–23 g plant−1. One accession (ICC8348) having DF of 38 d and a yield of 23 g plant−1 (>53% over JG11) was selected (Table 4). Seventeen accessions were selected based on maturity days (99–110 d), producing an SY of 14–26 g plant−1. Further, two accessions (ICC8348 and ICC5003HN) with DM of 100–108 d and producing a yield of up to 73% higher than the check cultivar JG11 were prioritised (Table 4). Based on PLHT, 13 accessions were selected whose height ranged between 40 and 56 cm and whose SY ranged from 15 to 26 g plant−1. Two accessions (ICC5003HN and ICC8348) having an average height in the range of 45–47 cm and SY up to 73% higher than JG11 were selected (Table 4). A total of 15 accessions were prioritised based on 100 SW (16–32 g), whose SY ranged between 14 and 26 g plant−1. One accession (ICC5003HN) was selected, with a seed weight of 29 g and about 73% higher SY over JG11 (Table 4).
The best check cultivar, JG11, possessed an SY of 15 g plant−1, a flowering time of 38 d, DM of 101 d, PLHT of 39 cm, and 100 SW of 24 g during 2015–16 (Table 4). Eight accessions were selected based upon DF (37–54 d), which produced a yield between 16 and 28 g plant−1. Of these, one accession (ICC8474) having a flowering time of 37 d produced up to 87% higher SY over JG11 (Table 4). Furthermore, 18 accessions were selected based on maturity days (91–122 d), with SY ranging between 15 and 24 g plant−1. One accession (ICC273) with a DM of 121 d produced a 60% greater yield than JG11 (Table 4). Based on PLHT, 14 accessions were selected whose height was 36–64 cm and whose yield varied between 16 and 28 g plant−1. Out of 14, 5 accessions (ICC9307, ICC2356, ICC10197, ICC1201, and ICC8474) were found to have a more than 50% yield potential of JG11 (Table 4). Eighteen accessions were selected based upon 100 SW (15–30 g), which yielded between 16 and 32 g plant−1. Five accessions (ICC8474, ICC15445, ICC15186, ICCV95705, and ICC1201) were found to have yielded more than 50% over the best check JG11 (Table 4).

3.4.2. Kabuli Type

During 2014–15, the best check cultivar KAK2 had an SY of 13 g plant−1, a flowering time of 37 d, DM of 93 d, PLHT of 40 cm, and 100 SW of 37 g (Table 4). Nine accessions were selected based on flowering time (48–59 d), producing a yield of 14–23 g plant−1. Two of these nine accessions (IG10569 and ICC15812) yielded up to 72% higher than KAK2 (Table 4). Based on DM, eight selected accessions had maturity days between 100 and 115 d and yields in the range of 13–23 g plant−1. Here, one accession (ICC15812) produced about 77% higher yield than the best check KAK2. Nine accessions selected based on PLHT (54–63 cm) had SY in the 13–21 g plant−1. Two accessions (IG73286 and IG10569) produced about 62% higher yields than KAK2. Further, nine accessions selected based on 100 SW (21–33 g) produced yields in the 13–23 g plant−1. Three accessions (ICC15812, IG73286, and IG6078) were prioritised based on SY, ranging between 62 and 77% more than check cultivar KAK2 (Table 4).
During 2015–16, KAK2 had an average yield of 10 g plant−1, DF of 39 d, DM of 90 d, PLHT of 36 cm, and 100 SW of 35 g (Table 4). Ten accessions were prioritised based on flowering time (53–63 d), producing a yield of 13–23 g plant−1. Seven out of ten accessions yielded between 50 and 130% more than KAK2 (Table 4). Ten accessions were selected based on maturity days (85–123 d), producing 12–19 g plant−1. Four accessions (IG10360, IG71728, ICC15834, and ICC8864) were selected, producing a 50–90% higher yield over KAK2. Furthermore, ten accessions were selected based on PLHT (57–76 cm), which had a yield of 13–30 g plant−1. Eight of ten accessions produced a 50–200% greater yield than KAK2 (Table 4). Ten accessions were selected based upon 100 SW (27–45 g), having a yield of 10–26 g plant−1. Seven accessions produced up to 60–160% more yield than the check cultivar KAK2 (Table 4).

3.4.3. Intermediate Type

The check cultivar JG11 yielded 15 g plant−1, DF of 41 d, DM of 100 d, PLHT of 42 cm, and 100 SW of 25 g during 2014–15 (Table 4). One accession (ICC9778) was selected based on flowering time (51 d), which produced a 73% increase in yield over JG11. In addition, one accession (ICC9778) with a DM of 111 d had a yield gain of >73% over the check cultivar JG11. An accession (ICC9778) was prioritised based on PLHT (50 cm), producing more than 73% greater yield than JG11. During 2015–16, JG11 had an SY of 15 g plant−1, days to flowering of 38 d, DM of 101 d, PLHT of 39 cm, and 100 SW of 24 g. One accession (ICC4878) was selected based upon flowering time (54 d) and produced about 73% more yield than JG11. Further, two (ICC4878 and ICC5727) accessions were selected based on maturity days (102–107 d) and produced more than 73% higher yield than JG11. One accession (ICC7524) was prioritised, with a PLHT of 60 cm yield gain of more than 100% over JG11. The two accessions (ICC4878 and ICC12431) selected based on 100 SW produced a 73–86% yield over the check cultivar JG11 (Table 4).

3.5. Selection of Stable and Promising Elite Accessions for Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh

3.5.1. Desi Type

During the 2015–16 season, JG11 was the best check cultivar and had an SY of 16 g plant−1, DF of 64 d, DM of 117 d, PLHT of 45 cm, and 100 SW of 24 g (Table 5). Fourteen accessions were selected based upon DF (54–74 d), which produced 15–24 g plant−1. One accession (ICC16734) was found to possess a flowering time of 62 d and yielded 24 g plant−1 (>50% over JG11) (Table 5). Based on DM, 13 accessions were selected with maturity days in the 112–120 d and produced a yield between 16 and 28 g plant−1. One accession (ICC299) with days of maturity of 112 d had more than 75% yield over the check JG11 (Table 5). Further, 11 accessions were selected based on PLHT (44–67 cm), which yielded 15–43 g plant−1. Three accessions (ICC2766, ICC9139, and ICC2878) were detected to produce a 94–169% higher yield than JG11 (Table 5). Thirteen accessions were selected with 100 SW in the 12–31 g and had a yield of 15–41 g plant−1. Notably, two accessions (ICC9139 and ICC15610) had 94–156% more yield than the JG11 check (Table 5).
During 2016–17, JG11 outperformed other checks by producing a yield of 16 g plant−1, DF of 76 d, DM of 120 d, PLHT of 51 cm, and 100 SW of 24 g. Ten accessions were selected based upon flowering time (70–79 d), and these accessions had yields in the range of 17–30 g plant−1. Of these, one accession (ICC15081) with a flowering time of 74 d and an SY of 30 g plant−1 produced 88% more yield than the JG11 check. Based on DM, 15 accessions were selected that matured in 112–122 d and produced yield in the range of 17–27 g plant−1. Of these 15 accessions, 4 (ICC12878, ICC1594, ICC12273, and ICC4478) were selected, as they produced 56–69% higher yield than the check cultivar JG11. Nineteen accessions were selected based on PLHT (45–68 cm), which yielded 16–28 g plant−1. A total of five accessions (ICC15427, ICC3126, ICCL82108, ICC7054, and ICC796) outperformed JG11 by producing a 50–75% higher yield. Seventeen accessions were prioritised based on 100 SW (15–28 g), and these accessions had SY in the range of 16–28 g plant−1. Four accessions (ICC2086, ICC10393, ICC1510, and ICC15427) out of seventeen produced about 50–75% greater yield than JG11 (Table 5).

3.5.2. Kabuli Type

The cultivar KAK2 was the best check during 2015–16 and had an SY of 15 g plant−1, a flowering time of 59 d, DM of 116 d, PLHT of 44 cm, and 100 SW of 37 g (Table 5). Here, nine accessions were selected based upon days to flowering (56–73 d), which yielded 14–17 g plant−1. Five accessions were prioritised based upon maturity days (111–121 d), which produced a yield range of 14–17 g plant−1 (Table 5). Based on PLHT, six accessions were selected with a height of 55–71 cm and a yield of 16–24 g plant−1. One accession (ICC16637) with 71 cm PLHT produced >60% yield over the check KAK2 (Table 5). Seven accessions were selected based on 100 SW (25–38 g), whose yield varied in the range of 14–24 g plant−1. Two accessions produced about 53–60% higher yield than the check cultivar (Table 5).
During 2016–17, the check cultivar KAK2 yielded 14 g plant−1, DF of 85 d, DM of 119 d, PLHT of 51 cm, and 100 SW of 37 g (Table 5). Nine accessions were selected based on flowering time (74–83 d), which produced a yield of 13–25 g plant−1. Of these, an accession (ICC15060) with a DF of 80 d produced ~67% higher yield than KAK2 (Table 5). Ten accessions were prioritised based on maturity days (110–121 d) and had SY in the 14–22 g plant−1. Furthermore, ten accessions were selected based on PLHT (54–78 cm) and produced 13–27 g plant−1. One accession (ICC12031) having 57 cm PLHT was found to produce >80% yield over the check cultivar (Table 5). Ten accessions were also selected based on 100 SW, and these accessions had seed weight in the range of 28–52 g and produced a yield of 13–20 g plant−1 (Table 5).

3.5.3. Intermediate Type

The best check JG11 displayed an SY of 16 g plant−1, DF of 64 d, DM of 117 d, PLHT of 45 cm, and 100 SW of 24 g during 2015–16 (Table 5). One accession (ICC5923) with a DM of 122 d produced about 63% higher yield than check JG11. During 2016–17, JG11 displayed a yield of 16 g plant−1, DF of 76 d, DM of 120 d, PLHT of 51 cm, and 100 SW of 24 g (Table 5). One accession (ICC7574) with 61 cm PLHT produced about 69% higher yield than JG11. Further, two accessions were selected based upon 100 SW, which displayed superior yield performance over JG11 (Table 5).

3.6. Selection of Stable and Promising Accessions for Junagadh, Gujarat

3.6.1. Desi Type

During the 2014–15 year, Annigeri was the best check and had an SY of 23 g plant−1, DF of 54 d, DM of 104 d, PLHT of 41 cm, and 100 SW of 22 g (Table 6). Eight accessions were selected based on DF (46–65 d), which produced a yield of 19–27 g plant−1. A total of 16 accessions were prioritised based on DM (82–110 d), which yielded in the range of 19–31 g plant−1. Based on PLHT, 12 accessions were selected whose height ranged from 37 cm to 59 cm, and whose yield ranged from 19 to 31 g plant−1. Fifteen accessions were selected based on 100 SW (14–30 g), having an SY of 19–36 g plant−1. One accession (ICCV95605), having a 100 SW of 16 g, produced about 57% higher yield than Annigeri (Table 6).
During the 2015–16 year, the best check Annigeri produced a yield of 17 g plant−1, a flowering time of 50 d, DM of 102 d, PLHT of 47 cm, and 100 SW of 21 g (Table 6). Twenty accessions were selected based on flowering time (47–62 days), producing a yield between 20 and 47 g plant−1. Of these 20 accessions, six (ICC5934, ICC14550, ICC2072, ICC45, ICC494, and ICC273) produced about 59–176% higher yield over Annigeri. Twenty accessions were prioritised based on crop duration, whose DM ranged between 86 and 108 d, and SY varied between 21 and 47 g plant−1. Of these 20 accessions, 10 produced more than 50% compared with the check Annigeri (Table 6). Nineteen accessions were selected based upon PLHT (44–76 cm) with an SY of 22–37 g plant−1. Of these, nine accessions showed about 50% higher yield over Annigeri. Based on 100 SW, 20 accessions were selected whose seed weight values ranged between 17 and 33 g, and whose SY ranged from 17 to 34 g plant−1. Out of 20 accessions, 5 accessions produced an SY of 53–100% more than the check cultivar Annigeri (Table 6).

3.6.2. Kabuli Type

The best check cultivar, KAK2, had an SY of 23 g plant−1, a flowering time of 48 d, DM of 86 d, PLHT of 42 cm, and 100 SW of 36 g (Table 6). Ten accessions were selected based on flowering time (51–67 d), producing yields in the range of 21–32 g plant−1. Eight accessions were selected based upon DM (81–110 d), having a yield of 18–31 g plant−1. Ten accessions were selected based on PLHT, whose height ranged from 51 to 57 cm and whose yield spanned from 22 to 46 g plant−1. One accession (IG6401) was identified with a height of 57 cm and a yield of 46 g plant−1, which was about 100% more than KAK2. Further, eight accessions selected based upon 100 SW (28–38 g) had an SY in the range of 19–31 g plant−1 (Table 6). During the 2015–16 year, KAK2 yielded 10 g plant−1, a flowering time of 50 d, DM of 96 d, PLHT of 50 cm, and 100 SW of 37 g (Table 6). Ten accessions were selected based on flowering time (58–68 d), with SY in the range of 16–37 g plant−1. All the accessions produced about 60–270% higher yield over the check KAK2 (Table 6). Ten accessions selected based upon maturity days (91–108 d) yielded in the range of 14–37 g plant−1, and all the accessions, excluding one, yielded more than 50% of the check cultivar. Similarly, ten accessions selected based on PLHT (53–61 cm) had SY in the range of 18–29 g plant−1; all these accessions produced more than 50% high yield over the check KAK2. Ten accessions were prioritised based upon 100 SW (29–40 g) and yielded 13–19 g plant−1. Seven of these ten accessions (ICC8483, ICC14220, ICC7654, ICC10747, IG72070, IG69692, and IG70436) exhibited more than 50% yield gain over KAK2 (Table 6).

3.6.3. Intermediate Type

During the 2014–15 year, none of the accessions was found to have yielded higher than that of the check cultivar KAK2. However, during 2015–16, about five accessions with DF in the range of 59–60 d, DM in the range of 106–108 d, and PLHT of 61 cm were found to produce a 60–120% higher yield than KAK2 (Table 6).

3.7. Selection of Stable and Promising Accessions for Sehore, Madhya Pradesh

3.7.1. Desi Type

The cultivar JG11 was the best check and had an SY of 12 g plant−1, a flowering time of 75 d, DM of 120 d, PLHT of 38 cm, and 100 SW of 20 g (Table 7). Twenty accessions selected based on flowering days (67–79 d) had yields in the range of 10–29 g plant−1. Of the 20 accessions, 5 (ICC15065, ICC257, ICC1629, ICC2023, and ICC2664) showed more than 50% yield gain over the check cultivar JG11 (Table 7). Further, 20 accessions selected based upon maturity days (109–122 d) produced a 10–37 g plant−1. Four out of twenty accessions (ICC12159, ICC16841, ICC1896, and ICC8366) were found to have a 58–208% higher yield than the check cultivar (Table 7). Twenty accessions selected based on PLHT (36–57 cm) produced a yield of 10–24 g plant−1. Three accessions (ICC9636, ICC16841, and ICC16269) grew 100% more yield over the JG11 check. Based on 100 SW, 20 accessions were selected having seed weight of 12–41 g 100-seeds−1, which produced yield in the range of 10–24 g plant−1. Three promising accessions (ICCV95605, ICC8318, and ICC15065) showed 50–100% more yield than JG11 (Table 7).
The cultivar JG11 outperformed other checks during 2015–16 and had a yield of 6 g plant−1, a flowering time of 66 d, DM of 109 d, PLHT of 35 cm, and 100 SW of 19 g (Table 7). Twenty accessions were selected based upon flowering time (47–71 d), which displayed a yield variation of 4–13 g plant−1. Seven accessions (ICCV92503, ICC4984, ICC10018, ICC95, ICC12159, ICC3406, and ICC5593) produced a 50–117% higher yield than the check cultivar JG11 (Table 7). Twenty accessions were selected based on maturity days (103–111 d) and produced yields in the 4–13 g plant−1. Three accessions (ICC10947, ICC5593, and ICC12159) showed a 67–117% increase in SY over the check cultivar JG11 (Table 7). Furthermore, 20 accessions were prioritised based on PLHT (33–52 cm), which displayed a yield variation of 4–9 g plant−1. One accession (ICC95) having a PLHT of 34 cm and more than 50% yield gain over JG11 was selected. Nineteen accessions were selected based on 100 SW (12–29 g), producing a yield in the 4–13 g plant−1. Three promising accessions (ICCV92503, ICC5639, and ICC5593), having yielded more than 50% over the best check cultivar, were identified (Table 7).

3.7.2. Kabuli Type

During the 2014–15 year, the best check cultivar KAK2 displayed a yield of 12 g plant−1, a flowering time of 64 d, DM of 122 d, PLHT of 38 cm, and 100 SW 36 g (Table 7). Ten accessions with DF in the range of 58–79 d were selected, producing a yield of 12–23 g plant−1. Three out of ten accessions (ICC16644, ICCV92311, and ICC8584) had yielded 50–92% more yield over the check KAK2. Further, ten accessions were selected based on maturity days (120–123 d), which produced a yield of 12–23 g plant−1. Four accessions (ICC16644, ICC8584, ICCV92311, and IG72140) were prioritised with a 50–92% yield higher than KAK2. Ten accessions selected based on PLHT (44–52 cm) had yields in the range of 11–23 g plant−1. One accession (ICC11879), among the ten accessions selected, had a height of 48 cm and showed up to 92% more yield over the best check cultivar. Ten accessions were selected based on 100 SW, having a seed weight of 22–33 g 100-seeds−1 and an SY of 10–20 g plant−1. Two accessions produced a 50–67% higher yield over the check KAK2 (Table 7).
During the 2015–16 year, the best check KAK2 produced a yield of 7 g plant−1, DF of 57 d, DM of 116 d, PLHT of 35 cm, and 100 SW of 34 g (Table 7). Ten accessions selected based upon flowering time (65–74 d) produced yield in the 4–8 g plant−1. Furthermore, ten accessions were selected based on maturity days (102–115 d) and showed a yield variation of 4–10 g plant−1; 10 accessions were selected based on PLHT (40–53 cm) and produced a yield of 4–8 g plant−1. Based on 100 SW, nine accessions were selected with seed weight values in 20–33 g 100-seeds−1 and yield variation in the 4–10 g plant−1 (Table 7).

3.7.3. Intermediate Type

During the 2014–15 year, KAK2 was the best check cultivar that produced a yield of 12 g plant−1, DF of 64 d, DM of 122 d, PLHT of 38 cm, and 100 SW of 36 g (Table 7). One accession (ICC4878) with DF of 79 d and producing SY of 18 g plant−1 (>50% over KAK2) was selected. In addition, one accession (ICC5616) with a PLHT of 40 cm and a yield of 19 g plant−1 displayed ~58% yield gain over the check cultivar KAK2 (Table 7).

3.8. Selection of Short Duration Desi, Kabuli, and Intermediate Type Accessions

3.8.1. Desi Type

Early flowering and maturing desi type cultivars were selected for each of the five locations evaluated based on their superior performance across two years. For Amlaha, four accessions (ICCV91902, ICC14014, ICC5710, and ICC9499) were selected based on the flowering response evaluated over two years. These accessions displayed an 11% decrease in DF and a 131% increase in SY over the check cultivar JG11. Further, 11 accessions (ICC14014, ICC8950, ICC12527, ICC13107, ICC8332, ICC1560, ICC15851, ICC5878, ICC8556, and ICC14176) were selected based on early maturity, which showed up to a 10% decrease in crop duration and up to a 106% increase in yield over JG11 (Table 3). For Patancheru, two accessions (ICCV92503 and ICC8348) were prioritised based on early flowering, displaying up to a 15% decrease in flowering time and a 53% increase in yield over the check cultivar JG11. Only one accession (ICCV88202) was selected based on DM, which showed a 10% decrease in maturity days and a 7% higher yield over JG11 (Table 4). For Kanpur, six promising accessions (ICCV92503, ICC12159, ICC8348, ICCV88503, ICCV91902, and ICC10963) were selected for early flowering, which indicated up to 16% reduction in flowering time and up to 44% increase in SY over the check cultivar JG11. One accession (ICC12878) was prioritised based on DM, which revealed a 7% early maturity and a 69% yield increase over JG11 (Table 5). For Junagadh, one accession (ICC8348) was selected that showed a 6% decrease in flowering time and yield performance of 35% over check cultivar Annigeri. Based on DM, seven accessions (ICC1560, ICC6384, ICC4526, ICC95, ICC16841, ICC14495, and ICC5934) were selected, with up to 21% early maturity producing up to 88% higher yield over Annigeri (Table 6). For Sehore, five accessions were selected based on DF, which revealed a 29% decrease in flowering time and a 67% increase in yield over JG11 (Table 7).

3.8.2. Kabuli Type

The kabuli type chickpea, having both early flowering and maturity and producing higher/similar yields over the best check cultivar of the respective location, was selected based on two years’ evaluation. For the Amlaha location, two accessions (ICC11879 and IG70436) were selected based on DF, which displayed a 9% decrease in flowering time and up to 100% yield gain over the check cultivar KAK2. Four accessions (ICC16644, IG71878, ICC6831, and ICC8527) were selected based on maturity days, which matured up to 6% early and produced up to 25% greater yield than KAK2 (Table 3). For Patancheru, only one accession (ICCV2NN) was selected based on maturity days, which showed 6% early maturity and a 40% yield increase over KAK2 (Table 4). At Kanpur, eight accessions showed up to 13% early flowering and 79% higher yield over KAK2. Six accessions were prioritised based on early maturity, which showed an 8% decrease in crop duration and a 43% increase in yield over KAK2 (Table 5). Two accessions for the Junagadh location were selected based on early maturity, indicating a 6% decrease in maturity days and up to 60% yield advantage over KAK2 (Table 6). At Sehore, one accession (ICC16644) with 9% early flowering and 50% yield gain over KAK2 was found. Six accessions (ICC16644, IG5868, IG72070, IG7458, ICC14220, and ICC15823) were selected based on early maturity that showed a 3% decrease in DM and up to a 50% increase in yield over the check cultivar KAK2 (Table 7).

3.8.3. Intermediate Type

Like desi and kabuli types, intermediate type cultivars that displayed early flowering and maturity and higher/similar yield over the check cultivar were selected for each of the evaluated locations. For Amlaha, one accession (ICC5955) with 1% early flowering and 3% early maturity with 38% higher yield than KAK2 was selected (Table 3). For Patancheru, none of the accessions was superior to JG11 (Table 4). For the Kanpur location, two accessions (ICC15234 and ICC7574) with early maturity showed a 3% decrease in maturity days and up to 69% yield gain over JG11 (Table 5). For Junagadh, one accession (ICC15234) with 1% early maturity and SY similar to KAK2 was selected (Table 6). For Sehore, two accessions (ICC8407 and ICC12431) were selected based on early maturity, which indicated a 3% decrease in crop duration and up to 33% yield advantage over KAK2 (Table 7).

3.9. Selection of Mechanically Harvestable Desi, Kabuli, and Intermediate Type Accessions

3.9.1. Desi Type

Desi accessions displaying at least a 10 cm increase in the PLHT over the check cultivar and having a higher/similar yield than the best check were selected. For Amlaha, three accessions (ICC13285, ICC5472, and ICC8474) were found to have a 29% increase in PLHT and up to 100% yield gain over the check cultivar JG11 (Table 3). For Patancheru, eight accessions (ICC9139, ICC9307, ICC12993, ICC5472, ICC16234, ICC1817, ICC5722, ICC2356, and ICC10197) were prioritised that had up to 64% taller plants and up to 60% higher yield over JG11 (Table 4). The selected ten accessions displayed up to 49% tall plants for the Kanpur location and 94% yield gain over the check JG11 (Table 5). For Junagadh, five accessions (ICC9307, ICC5491, ICC3558, ICC9261, and ICC2878) showed a 62% increase in height and up to 65% yield advantage when compared to Annigeri (Table 6). For the Sehore location, three accessions (ICC4233, ICC5541, and ICC2500) were selected based on the above-defined criteria, demonstrating up to 50% gain in PLHT and up to 33% increase in yield over JG11 (Table 7).

3.9.2. Kabuli Type

Kabuli accessions showing a minimum of 10 cm increase in PLHT over the best check and those having a higher/similar yield than the check cultivar KAK2 were selected. For Amlaha, two accessions (ICC16659 and IG72021) display up to a 28% increase in PLHT and up to a 31% yield advantage over KAK2 (Table 3). For Patancheru, 19 accessions revealed up to 111% taller plants and a 200% higher yield over the check cultivar KAK2 (Table 4). Furthermore, five accessions (ICC16637, ICC14190, IG70321, ICC16206, and IG6448) had more than 10 cm taller plants and produced up to 60% higher yield for the Kanpur location over the check cultivar KAK2 (Table 5). In the Junagadh location, six accessions (IG6401, ICC16659, ICC9330, IG69746, IG73294, and IG5868) were found to have up to a 36% increase in PLHT and up to 180% yield increase over the check cultivar KAK2 (Table 6). Sehore’s seven accessions (ICC8483, ICC10778, IG73286, ICC4899, ICC11879, IG72070, and IG73294) showed a 51% increase in PLHT and up to 92% increase in SY over KAK2 (Table 7).

3.9.3. Intermediate Type

Intermediate type accessions with at least a 10 cm increase in PLHT and having higher/similar yield over the check cultivar were selected. Accordingly, for Amlaha, none of the accessions was superior in height and yield performance over the best check KAK2 (Table 3). For Patancheru, three accessions (ICC7574, ICC8930, and ICC5616) were found to have a minimum of 10 cm increase in PLHT and a 100% increase in yield over the check JG11 (Table 4). One accession (ICC7574) with 61 cm PLHT and 69% higher yield than JG11 was detected for Kanpur (Table 5). For Junagadh, one accession (ICC5616) with a PLHT of 61 cm and a yield of 19 g plant−1, 90% higher than the KAK2 check, was selected (Table 6). Sehore prioritised one accession (ICC7574) with a 32% increase in PLHT and an 8% higher yield than KAK2 (Table 7).

3.10. Selection of Large-Seeded Desi, Kabuli, and Intermediate Type Accessions

3.10.1. Desi Type

Desi accessions displayed an increase of at least 3 g 100-seeds−1 over the best check and a higher/similar yield than the selected check cultivar. For Amlaha, eight accessions (ICC12452, ICC8348, ICC8474, ICC15762, ICCV88202, ICC11903, ICCV93958, and ICCV91902) were selected that showed up to 183% increase in 100 SW and up to 131% increase in yield over JG11 (Table 3). For Patancheru, five accessions (ICC5003LN, ICC5003HN, ICCV93958, ICC12159, and ICC8474) increased the 100 SW by up to 28% and produced up to 87% higher yield than JG11 (Table 4). For the Kanpur location, three accessions (ICC15065, ICC9139, and ICCV91902) were found to have up to 29% bigger seeds and up to 94% greater yield than the check cultivar JG11 (Table 5). For the Junagadh location, eight accessions (ICCV93958, ICC10301, ICC15762, ICC5003LN, ICC15376, ICC9139, ICC5003HN, and ICC9261) were detected to possess up to a 57% increase in 100 SW and up to 100% yield advantage over Annigeri (Table 6). Sehore identified one accession (ICCV95605) with a 100 SW of 41 g and a 50% higher yield than the JG11 check (Table 7).

3.10.2. Kabuli Type

Kabuli accessions showing higher/similar 100 SW than best check and greater/similar yield over the check cultivar were selected. For Amlaha, one accession (ICC8483) with an 11% increase in 100 SW and yield similar to KAK2 was detected (Table 3). For Patancheru, three accessions (ICC14220, IG70466, and ICC6239) were found to have up to a 29% increase in 100 SW and up to 160% higher yield over KAK2 in the year 2015–16 (Table 4). Furthermore, only one accession (IG70872) was selected from the Kanpur location, with up to 41% bigger seeds and up to 27% greater yield over the check cultivar KAK2 (Table 5). For the Junagadh location, three elite accessions (ICC8483, ICC14220, and ICC7654) with up to 8% bigger seeds and 80% higher yield than the check KAK2 were detected (Table 6). At the Sehore location, none of the accessions was superior in seed weight and yield than the check KAK2 (Table 7).

3.10.3. Intermediate Type

Intermediate type accessions having higher/similar 100 SW than the best check and greater/similar yield over the check cultivar were selected. Agronomically superior accession was detected only for the Kanpur location compared to the JG11 check. The accession (ICC7574) had a 25% better 100 SW and a 69% higher yield than the JG11 check (Table 5). None of the accessions was suitable for the remaining four locations compared with the JG11 or KAK2 check.

4. Discussion

Diverse germplasm accessions stored in gene banks (or germplasm repositories) hold the key to most future success in developing improved crop cultivars [22,23]. That said, a major challenge for the gene bank curators or plant breeders is to characterise and determine beneficial genetic variations from the vast germplasm collections, particularly for agronomically important traits that need multi-location evaluation. Developing a composite collection was suggested as a gateway for harnessing the available genetic diversity in applied plant breeding to expand the breeding populations’ genetic base [18]. In the present study, the multi-location evaluation of a chickpea composite collection allowed a selection of elite germplasm accessions with superior agronomic performance, different from the check cultivars. This, in turn, provided novel sources of variation for economically important traits, which can be utilised to increase the genetic potential of desi, kabuli, and intermediate type chickpea. When such diverse accessions are deployed in chickpea breeding programs, it is predicted that there will be a high possibility of the appearance of transgressive segregants with useful traits because of the reshuffling of alleles due to recombination. Such beneficial traits can then be selected to identify high-yielding accessions with desired allelic combinations.
A breeder is mostly interested in selecting high-yielding and stable accessions compared to the best check of the location to reap economic benefits. Therefore, the desi, kabuli, and intermediate type accessions that yielded 50% above the check cultivar of a particular location were prioritised in the present study. The desi accessions were compared with either JG11 or Annigeri check cultivars. In contrast, the kabuli accessions were compared with the KAK2 check, representing some of the most widely used checks in India’s northern and southern parts. According to a recent survey on the adoption of chickpea varieties, the JG11 cultivar was found to cover almost 82% of the total chickpea growing area in Andhra Pradesh [24]. The desi, kabuli, and intermediate type germplasm accessions producing up to 176%, 270%, and 169% higher yield over the check cultivars were identified in the current study. However, further field evaluation of the selected high-yielding accessions in large trials and optimal sites for the target population of the environment will be required to confirm their yield potential and their deployment in chickpea breeding programs.
Chickpea is usually grown on residual soil moisture in the post-rainy season and is mostly subjected to terminal drought and intermittent heat or is sown after harvest of long/medium duration rainy season crops that face heat stress towards the end of the cropping cycle [6,25]. Developing early maturing chickpea cultivars that can escape terminal drought or heat stresses is highly desirable. Efforts are being made to develop varieties with varying maturity duration (75–120 d) for cultivation under rainfed and irrigated conditions in different parts of the country. For example, early (90–100 d), extra early (85–90 d), and super early (75–80 d) maturing cultivars of desi and kabuli types will have an advantage in southern and central India. A key success story of the adoption of early-maturing chickpea is represented by the chickpea revolution being brought about in the Andhra Pradesh state of India, where over 80% of the chickpea growing areas are now cultivated with short-duration improved cultivars such as JG11 (desi) and KAK2 (kabuli) [26]. In the present study, desi accessions that showed at least three days early flowering and seven days early maturity when compared to JG11 or Annigeri, with higher/similar SY than the respective check, were selected.
On the other hand, kabuli and intermediate type accessions having early/similar flowering and maturity and higher/similar yield over the respective check cultivar were selected. Such short-duration chickpea could be used as a cash crop (after rice harvest and before wheat sowing). It may provide extra income to the farmers and utilisation of available resources. These accessions will also provide an opportunity to expand the chickpea area under late-sown conditions, which is immediately required to diversify the rice-wheat cropping system [27].
Although mechanical harvesting of pulse crops is extensively practised in countries such as the United States of America, Canada, and Australia [28], chickpea is still harvested manually in the Middle East, North Africa, and South and West Asian countries [29]. In most countries, labour cost is continuously rising, and manual harvesting has become an expensive and time-consuming field operation. Mechanical harvesting of chickpea offers a promising alternative to manual harvest. It is expected to reduce production costs and the chances of damage to the crop due to fluctuating environments, which usually occurs when there is a delay in harvesting due to the non-availability of labour. The harvest loss during machine harvest is higher for the semi-erect genotype (~20%) and low in tall and erect genotypes (2.6–5.0%) [16]. Therefore, germplasm accessions showing at least a 10 cm increase in PLHT over the check cultivars were selected in the present study. These selected accessions must be further evaluated under large-scale field trials for yield potential and machine harvesting to identify the percentage of economic gain associated with the harvest. In chickpea, erectness and height of the first pod from the ground (ground clearance) are the two most crucial traits that primarily decide a cultivars’ suitability for mechanical harvesting [29]. Therefore, there is also an emerging need to study the selected accessions’ growth habits and the lower pods’ height from the base before their recommendation to be included in breeding programs. The resulting taller and erect genotypes with higher yields are predicted to enhance chickpea area and production mostly in the dryland tropics, which is required to achieve self-sufficiency in pulse production.
The large-seeded desi and kabuli types have high consumer preferences because of the premium price to the farmers. The bold seeded chickpea is used as a green vegetable, parched, fried, roasted, and boiled as a snack food and chhole, while sprouted seeds are eaten as vegetables or added to salads. A farmer prefers to have large-seeded cultivars with high yield potential from the market point of view for gaining extra income. This is because the trading of extra-large seeded kabuli types dominates the international market [17,30]. The premium price of >USD 1000 per tonne is paid for kabuli types having extra-large seeds; whereas for kabuli types with medium-size seeds, the price is about USD 600 per tonne, and for desi types with medium-size seeds, the prices range between USD 400 and 500 per tonne. Keeping these things in mind, desi germplasm accessions showing at least a 3 g increase in 100 SW and higher/similar yield over the JG11 or Annigeri were selected. In addition, kabuli and intermediate type accessions with larger/similar 100 SW and SY over the check cultivars were selected. This resulted in identifying desi, kabuli, and intermediate type accessions showing up to 183%, 41%, and 25% increase in 100 SW, respectively, with higher/similar yields over the check cultivar. These germplasm accessions can be deployed in a breeding program to develop large-seeded high-yielding cultivars that combine earliness, high pod clearance, and 100 seed weight or can be used directly for cultivation after evaluating their performance in large-scale field trials.

5. Conclusions

Over two years, the chickpea composite collection was evaluated at five locations in India for five agronomic traits. The desi, kabuli, and intermediate type chickpea showed significant variation for PLHT and 100 SW. The selected germplasm accessions displayed 169–270% higher yield over check cultivars. About 25–183% higher 100 SW was observed in selected germplasm accessions compared to check cultivars. The identified superior accessions hold potential for enhancing the genetic potential of chickpea cultivars.

Supplementary Materials

The following supporting information can be downloaded at: https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/agronomy12092013/s1, Table S1: Entry number and name of desi type chickpea lines used for ranking biplots; Table S2: Entry number and name of kabuli and intermediate type chickpea lines used for ranking biplots; Table S3: Mean for five agronomic traits among accessions belonging to desi, kabuli, and intermediate types in chickpea composite collection evaluated for two years at five locations in India; Table S4: Differences between means of desi, kabuli, and intermediate type chickpea for five agronomic traits evaluated for two years at five locations in India; Table S5: Pearson correlation analysis for five agronomic traits evaluated for two years at five locations in India.

Author Contributions

Conceptualisation, R.K.V. and M.R.; methodology, M.K.S., K.R.S., M.S.P., M.Y., S.B., S.S., R.B., P.G., C.P.C., P.J., S.K.C., R.M.J., V.V.R., A.H., S.K. and C.B.; formal analysis, R.K.V., M.R., A.R., R.B. and R.R.D.; resources, R.K.V. and N.P.S.; writing—original draft preparation, M.K.S.; writing—review and editing, R.K.V., M.R. and R.B.; supervision, M.R.; project administration, M.R.; funding acquisition, R.K.V. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

Funding

This research was funded by the Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science and Technology under the Indo-Australian Biotechnology Fund, Government of India, and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation USA. The APC was funded by Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation USA.

Institutional Review Board Statement

Not applicable.

Informed Consent Statement

Not applicable.

Data Availability Statement

All the phenotyping data generated and used for analysis have been submitted to the ICRISAT Breeding Management system.

Acknowledgments

The authors are thankful to Hari D. Upadhyaya for his contribution to the planning of the study and for generating quality phenotypic data at ICRISAT, Patancheru.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

References

  1. Atlin, G.N.; Cairns, J.E.; Das, B. Rapid breeding and varietal replacement are critical to adaptation of cropping systems in the developing world to climate change. Glob. Food Secur. 2017, 12, 31–37. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
  2. FAOSTAT. 2019. Available online: http://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data (accessed on 8 March 2021).
  3. Muehlbauer, F.J.; Sarker, A. Economic importance of chickpea: Production, value, and world trade. In The Chickpea Genome; Varshney, R.K., Thudi, M., Muehlbauer, F., Eds.; Springer International Publishing: Dordrecht, The Netherlands, 2017; pp. 5–12. [Google Scholar]
  4. Li, H.; Rodda, M.; Gnanasambandam, A.; Aftab, M.; Redden, R.; Hobson, K.; Rosewarne, G.; Materne, M.; Kaur, S.; Slater, A.T. Breeding for biotic stress resistance in chickpea: Progress and prospects. Euphytica 2015, 204, 257–288. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  5. Rani, A.; Devi, P.; Jha, U.C.; Sharma, K.D.; Siddique, K.H.M.; Nayyar, H. Developing climate-resilient chickpea involving physiological and molecular approaches with a focus on temperature and drought stresses. Front. Plant Sci. 2020, 10, 1759. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  6. Varshney, R.K.; Thudi, M.; Nayak, S.N.; Gaur, P.M.; Kashiwagi, J.; Krishnamurthy, L.; Jaganathan, D.; Koppolu, J.; Bohra, A.; Tripathi, S.; et al. Genetic dissection of drought tolerance in chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.). Theor. Appl. Genet. 2014, 127, 445–462. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
  7. ICRISAT (International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics). Medium Term Plan, 1994–1998; Main Report; ICRISAT: Patancheru, India, 1992; Volume 1. [Google Scholar]
  8. Varshney, R.K.; Song, C.; Saxena, R.K.; Azam, S.; Yu, S.; Sharpe, A.G.; Cannon, S.; Baek, J.; Rosen, B.D.; Taran, B.; et al. Draft genome sequence of chickpea (Cicer arietinum) provides a resource for trait improvement. Nat. Biotechnol. 2013, 31, 240–246. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  9. Varshney, R.K.; Thudi, M.; Roorkiwal, M.; He, W.; Upadhyaya, H.D.; Yang, W.; Bajaj, P.; Cubry, P.; Rathore, A.; Jian, J.; et al. Resequencing of 429 chickpea accessions from 45 countries provides insights into genome diversity, domestication and agronomic traits. Nat. Genet. 2019, 51, 857–864. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  10. Varshney, R.K.; Roorkiwal, M.; Sun, S.; Bajaj, P.; Chitikineni, A.; Thudi, M.; Singh, N.P.; Du, X.; Upadhyaya, H.D.; Khan, A.W.; et al. A global reference for chickpea genetic variation based on the sequencing of 3366 genomes. Nature 2021, 599, 622–627. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  11. Glaszmann, J.; Kilian, B.; Upadhyaya, H.; Varshney, R. Accessing genetic diversity for crop improvement. Curr. Opin. Plant Biol. 2010, 13, 167–173. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  12. Langridge, P.; Waugh, R. Harnessing the potential of germplasm collections. Nat. Genet. 2019, 51, 200–201. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  13. Dawson, I.K.; Powell, W.; Hendre, P.; Bancic, J.; Hickey, J.M.; Kindt, R.; Hoad, S.; Hale, I.; Jamnadass, R. The role of genetics in mainstreaming the production of new and orphan crops to diversify food systems and support human nutrition. New Phytol. 2019, 224, 37–54. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [Green Version]
  14. Varshney, R.K.; Barmukh, R.; Roorkiwal, M.; Qi, Y.; Kholova, J.; Tuberosa, R.; Reynolds, M.P.; Tardieu, F.; Siddique, K.H.M. Breeding custom-designed crops for improved drought adaptation. Adv. Genet. 2021, 2, e202100017. [Google Scholar]
  15. Roorkiwal, M.; Bharadwaj, C.; Barmukh, R.; Dixit, G.P.; Thudi, M.; Gaur, P.M.; Chaturvedi, S.K.; Fikre, A.; Hamwieh, A.; Kumar, S.; et al. Integrating genomics for chickpea improvement: Achievements and opportunities. Theor. Appl. Genet. 2020, 133, 1703–1720. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
  16. Singh, U.; Gaur, P.M.; Chaturvedi, S.K.; Hazra, K.K.; Singh, G. Changing plant architecture and density can increase chickpea productivity and facilitate for mechanical harvesting. Int. J. Plant Prod. 2019, 13, 193–202. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  17. Gaur, P.M.; Pande, S.; Upadhyaya, H.D.; Rao, B.V. Extra-large kabuli chickpea with high resistance to Fusarium wilt. Int. Chickpea Pigeonpea Newsl. 2006, 13, 5–7. [Google Scholar]
  18. Upadhyaya, H.D.; Furman, B.J.; Dwivedi, S.L.; Udupa, S.M.; Gowda, C.L.L.; Baum, M.; Crouch, J.H.; Buhariwalla, H.K.; Singh, S. Development of a composite collection for mining germplasm possessing allelic variation for beneficial traits in chickpea. Plant Genet. Resour. 2006, 4, 13–19. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  19. Upadhyaya, H.D.; Dwivedi, S.L.; Baum, M.; Varshney, R.K.; Udupa, S.M.; Gowda, C.L.L.; Hoisington, D.; Singh, S. Genetic structure, diversity, and allelic richness in composite collection and reference set in chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.). BMC Plant Biol. 2008, 8, 106. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  20. VSN International. Genstat for Windows, 19th ed.; VSN International: Hemel Hempstead, UK; Available online: Genstat.co.uk (accessed on 25 February 2021).
  21. Yan, W.; Tinker, N.A. Biplot analysis of multi-environment trial data: Principles and applications. Can. J. Plant Sci. 2006, 86, 623–645. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  22. McCouch, S.; Navabi, Z.K.; Abberton, M.; Anglin, N.L.; Barbieri, R.L.; Baum, M.; Bett, K.; Booker, H.; Brown, G.L.; Bryan, G.J.; et al. Mobilizing Crop Biodiversity. Mol. Plant 2020, 13, 1341–1344. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  23. Altman, A.; Fan, L.; Foyer, C.; Cowling, W.; Mittler, R.; Qaim, M.; Weber, A.P.M.; Reynolds, M.; Varshney, R.K.; Fernie, A. Past and Future Milestones of Plant Breeding. Trends Plant Sci. 2021, 26, 530–538. [Google Scholar]
  24. Gaur, P.M.; Jukanti, A.K.; Samineni, S.; Chaturvedi, S.K.; Basu, P.S.; Babbar, A.; Gowda, C.L.L. Climate change and heat stress tolerance in chickpea. In Climate Change and Plant Abiotic Stress Tolerance; Tuteja, N., Gill, S.S., Eds.; Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co.: Weinheim, Germany, 2014; Volume 2, pp. 839–855. [Google Scholar]
  25. Thudi, M.; Upadhyaya, H.D.; Rathore, A.; Gaur, P.M.; Krishnamurthy, L.; Roorkiwal, M.; Nayak, S.N.; Chaturvedi, S.K.; Basu, P.S.; Gangarao, N.V.P.R.; et al. Genetic dissection of drought and heat tolerance in chickpea through genome-wide and candidate gene-based association mapping approaches. PLoS ONE 2014, 12, e0175609. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  26. Bantilan, C.; Kumara, C.D.; Gaur, P.M.; Shyam, M.D.; Jeff, D. Short-Duration Chickpea Technology: Enabling Legumes Revolution in Andhra Pradesh, India; Research Report No. 23; International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics: Patancheru, India, 2014; p. 208. [Google Scholar]
  27. Chaturvedi, S.K.; Ali, M. Development of early maturing chickpea varieties for diversification of rice-wheat cropping system. New Directions for a Diverse Planet. In Proceedings of the 4th International Crop Science Congress, Brisbane, Australia, 26 September–1 October 2004. [Google Scholar]
  28. Siddique, K.H.M.; Sykes, J. Pulse production in Australia past, present and future. Aust. J. Exp. Agric. 1997, 37, 103–111. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  29. Chaturvedi, S.K.; Mishra, N.; Gaur, P.M. An overview of chickpea breeding programs in India: Legume perspectives. Legume Perspect. 2014, 3, 50–52. [Google Scholar]
  30. Biçer, T.B. The effect of seed size on yield and yield components of chickpea and Lentil. Afr. J. Biotechnol. 2009, 8, 1482–1487. [Google Scholar]
Table
Table 1. Classification of a chickpea composite collection based on biological status, source country, flower colour, pigmentation, seed shape, and seed coat colour.
Table 1. Classification of a chickpea composite collection based on biological status, source country, flower colour, pigmentation, seed shape, and seed coat colour.
Type (Number of Accessions)Biological StatusSource CountryFlower ColourPigmentationSeed ShapeSeed Coat Colour
Desi type (1714)Traditional cultivar/
Landrace (10)		Jordan (1); Portugal (1); Tajikistan (1); Ukraine (1); Australia (1); Pakistan (2); Turkey(1); Romania (1); and Chile (1)Pink (2) and White (8)Low anthocyanin (2) and without anthocyanin (8)AngularBrown beige (1); Light yellow (2); Yellow beige (2); Yellow (1); Yellow brown (1); and Orange (3)
Advanced cultivar (35)ICRISAT (20); India (14); and Australia (1)Pink (34) and White (1)Low anthocyanin (34) and without anthocyanin (1)AngularDark brown (1); Green (1); Light brown (5); Yellow (4); Yellow beige (1); and Yellow brown (23)
Breeding material (206)Bangladesh (1); Chile (1); Ethiopia (5); ICRISAT (103); India (90); Malawi (1); Myanmar (1); Turkey (1); United States of America (2); and Iran (1)Blue (4); Dark pink (1); Light pink (1); Pink (193); White (6); and Light blue (1)High anthocyanin (8); Low anthocyanin (188); and without anthocyanin (10)AngularBlack (4); Brown beige (1); Dark brown (7); Green (3); Light brown (23); Light green (2); Light yellow (10); Yellow (1); Yellow beige (2); and Yellow brown (153)
Landrace (1463)Afghanistan (33); Algeria (2); Bangladesh (31); Cyprus (4); Egypt (3); Ethiopia (108); France (1); Germany (3); Greece (2); Hungary (1); India (649); Iran (377); Iraq (3); Israel (4); Italy (4); Jordan (1); Lebanon (1); Malawi (15); Mexico (43); Morocco (19); Myanmar (21); Nepal (17); Nigeria (2); Pakistan (43); Portugal (1); Russian Federation (12); Spain (2); Sri Lanka (2); Syrian Arab Republic (4); Tanzania (2); Turkey (19); Uganda (1); United States of America (9); Unknown (23); and Yugoslavia (1)Blue (1); Dark pink (4); Light blue (1); Light pink (105); Pink (1320); Very light pink (4); White (25); and White with pink strips (3)High anthocyanin (36); Low anthocyanin (1271); and without anthocyanin (156)AngularBeige (1); Black (187); Brown beige (115); Dark brown (50); Green (13); Greyish brown (1); Light brown (108); Light green (2); Light orange (8); Light yellow (67); Orange (1); Orange brown (4); Reddish brown (2); Yellow (19); Yellow beige (7); and Yellow brown (878)
Kabuli type (1196)Advanced cultivar (16)ICRISAT (10); India (2); Mexico (1); Morocco (1); Turkey (1); and USA (1)WhiteNo anthocyaninOwl’s headBeige
Breeding material (47)Chile (3); Egypt (9); ICRISAT (18); India (8); Mexico (5); and Syrian Arab Republic (4)White (46) and Pink (1)No anthocyaninOwl’s headBeige
Traditional cultivar/
Landrace (423)		Afghanistan (62); Algeria (12); Azerbaijan (6); Bulgaria (4); Chile (3); Cyprus (9); Czechoslovakia (1); Ecuador (1); Egypt (1); Ethiopia (1); Georgia (1); Greece (3); India (3); Iran (19); Iraq (9); Italy (5); Jordan (27); Kazakhstan (2); Kyrgyzstan (2); Lebanon (6); Libyan Arab Jamahiriya (2); Mexico (2); Moldova, Republic of (2); Morocco (25); Pakistan (32); Palestine (2); Peru (2); Portugal (3); Romania (1); Russian Federation (6); Spain (8); Sudan (4); Syrian Arab Republic (57); Tajikistan (1); Tunisia (9); Turkey (80); Ukraine (4); United Kingdom (1); United States of America (1); and Uzbekistan (4)Light pink (6) and white (417)No anthocyaninOwl’s headBeige (418); Ivory white (1); Orange (1); and Orange brown (3)
Landrace (459)Afghanistan (38); Algeria (3); Australia (1); Bulgaria (3); Chile (17); China (7); Colombia (1); Cyprus (5); Czechoslovakia (4); Egypt (2); Ethiopia (8); Greece (2); India (27); Iran (153); Iraq (3); Israel (6); Italy (7); Jordan (3); Kenya (1); Lebanon (4); Malawi (2); Mexico (8); Morocco (17); Myanmar (3); Nepal (3); Pakistan (20); Peru (1); Portugal (12); Russian Federation (13); Spain (10); Sudan (1); Syrian Arab Republic (17); Tunisia (5); Turkey (38); United States of America (7); Yugoslavia (1); and Unknown (6)Light pink (9); Pink (3); White (446); and white with pink strips (1)Low anthocyanin (5) and without anthocyanin (454)Owl’s headBeige (445); Brown (7); Ivory white (1); Light yellow (1); Orange (1); Orange brown (2); and Salmon brown (2)
Unknown (251)Algeria (3); Armenia (2); Bulgaria (8); Chile (20); China (7); Cyprus (1); Egypt (3); Ethiopia (1); France (11); Georgia (1); Greece (2); Hungary (1); ICARDA (1); India (1); Iran (2); Italy (2); Lebanon (1); Mexico (5); Morocco (2); Palestine (2); Portugal (6); Russian Federation (6); Spain (21); Syrian Arab Republic (101); Tajikistan (1); Tunisia (21); Turkey (2); Ukraine (1); United States of America (10); and Unknown (6)WhiteNo anthocyaninOwl’s headBeige
Intermediate type (70)Unknown (3)Bulgaria (2) and Moldova, Republic of (1)WhiteNo anthocyaninPea-shapedLight yellow (1) and Beige (2)
Breeding material (8)ICRISAT (2); Syrian Arab Republic (1); and India (5)Blue (2); Light pink (1); and white (5)No anthocyaninPea-shapedBrown (1); Light yellow (1); Beige (1); Orange (3); and Salmon brown (2)
Traditional cultivar/Landrace (17)Afghanistan (5); India (1); Kyrgyzstan (1); Republic of Moldova (1); Morocco (1); Pakistan (1); Russian Federation (1); Ukraine (2); Uzbekistan (3); and Yugoslavia (1)Light pink (4); Pink (1); Very light pink (1); white (11)Low anthocyanin (1) and without anthocyanin (16)Pea-shapedBeige (3); Light yellow (1); Orange brown (6); Salmon brown (1); and Yellow (6)
Landrace (42)Afghanistan (9); Czechoslovakia (1); Ethiopia (1); India (20); Iran (1); Mexico (1); Morocco (3); and Russian Federation (6)Blue (1); Dark pink (1); Light blue (3); Light pink (15); Pink (6); White (15); and White with pink strips (1)Low anthocyanin (8) and without anthocyanin (34)Pea-shapedBeige (3); Black brown mosaic (2); Brown (10); Light brown (1); Light green (1); Light orange (1); Light yellow (3); Orange (4); Orange brown (2); Reddish brown (2); Salmon brown (7); and Yellow (6)
Wild (20)WildTurkeyPinkLow anthocyaninAngularBrown (8); Dark brown (6); Greyish brown (4); Light green (1); and Orange brown (1)
Table
Table 2. Flow chart for selection of the germplasm accessions at each level.
Table 2. Flow chart for selection of the germplasm accessions at each level.
LevelNumber of AccessionsSelection Procedure of Potential Elite Accessions
13000 composite collection (1714 desi + 1196 kabuli + 70 intermediate type + 20 wild type)
➢
A chickpea composite collection and 6 checks (4 desi and 2 Kabuli) were evaluated in augmented design at five locations (Patancheru, Amlaha, Kanpur, Junagadh, and Sehore) in India over 2 years.
➢
The data were recorded for DF (days), DM (days), PLHT (cm), 100 SW (g), and SY (g).
2(1162 desi + 336 kabuli + 35 intermediate type)
➢
The data for wild type accessions were not received from all the locations; therefore, it was not considered for further analysis.
➢
Common accessions were selected based upon data availability from different locations and across 2 years for all five traits.
➢
A total of 1162 desi accessions, 336 kabuli accessions, and 35 intermediate type accessions were used for developing ranking biplots for all five traits.
➢
To rank accessions based on the performance of one environment, a ranking biplot was developed where a line is drawn that passes through the biplot origin and the environment. Hence, 150 ranking biplots were developed (5 traits × 2 years × 5 locations × 3 types as desi, kabuli, and intermediate type).
3(150–200 desi + 50–100 kabuli + 15–20 intermediate type for each trait)
➢
Firstly, all the accessions were shortlisted for early flowering and early maturity by using ranking biplots. Here the accessions that were opposite to the direction of AEC and far off from AEA seem to have less than average and unstable performance for PLHT and 100 SW, while accessions having more than average value in a positive direction towards AEC and closer to AEA, i.e., stable, were selected.
4(40–50 desi + 25–30 kabuli + 8–10 intermediate type for each trait)
➢
Accessions selected at level 3 were further shortlisted based on yield performance. The accessions exhibiting the best performance in the ranking biplot of yield (in the direction of AEC and closer to AEA) were selected.
5(0–20 desi + 0–10 kabuli + 0–3 intermediate type for each trait)
➢
Accessions selected at level 4 were further shortlisted based upon superior performance than check cultivars in yield. Here a maximum of top 20 accessions were selected for desi, a maximum of top 10 accessions were selected for kabuli, and a maximum of top 3 accessions were selected for intermediate type over the respective check cultivars for each location.
Table
Table 3. Shortlisted germplasm accessions based on ranking biplot for five traits across two years for Amlaha, Madhya Pradesh.
Table 3. Shortlisted germplasm accessions based on ranking biplot for five traits across two years for Amlaha, Madhya Pradesh.
Ranking of AccessionsDesi Type Chickpea Accessions Tested in the Year 2014–15Desi Type Chickpea Accessions Tested in the Year 2015–16
Accession NameDFSYAccession NameDMSYAccession NamePLHTSYAccession Name100 SWSYAccession NameDFSYAccession NameDMSYAccession NamePLHTSYAccession Name100 SWSY
1ICCV919027537ICC1401410825ICC132856232ICC124526529ICC7470486ICC8190917ICC7554467ICC15065247
2ICC140147925ICC895010923ICC54726125ICC83484922ICC16145506ICC515916ICC13895447ICC5593156
3ICC73028220ICC1252711018ICC84745825ICC84743525ICC9499508ICC10971006ICC16841316NANANA
4ICC161668236ICC1310711033ICC40745734ICC157622921ICC15065517ICC571010112NANANANANANA
5ICC91008319ICC833211023ICC138745725ICCV882022929ICC57105212ICC150651047NANANANANANA
6ICC148818337ICC156011024ICC155405526ICC119032927ICC16841556ICC3421087NANANANANANA
7ICC85228422ICC1585111019ICC136945425ICCV939582821ICC8190557ICC144951118NANANANANANA
8ICC145198423ICC587811126ICC31645428ICCV919022637ICC13895567ICC55931166NANANANANANA
9ICC83328523ICC855611216ICC69735332ICC124582422ICC6120587NANANANANANANANANA
10ICC167068521ICC1417611222ICC37665336ICC10002335ICC11507587NANANANANANANANANA
11ICC110468631ICC1607611325ICC96365323ICC12402322ICC513617NANANANANANANANANA
12ICC89508723ICC910011419ICC136965235ICC67932224ICC342627NANANANANANANANANA
13ICC85568716ICC22811420ICCV957055122ICCL821082224NANANANANANANANANANANANA
14ICC10528920ICC1109111436ICCL821084924ICC14022020NANANANANANANANANANANANA
15ICC104579022ICCV9570511422ICC41684927ICC155402026NANANANANANANANANANANANA
16ICC160769025ICC1450711627ICC18174826ICC31641928NANANANANANANANANANANANA
17NANANAICC1227311619ICC143854825ICC15601924NANANANANANANANANANANANA
18NANANAICC1095311642ICC12404822ICC169031931NANANANANANANANANANANANA
19NANANAICC407411734ICC83664827ICC143851825NANANANANANANANANANANANA
20NANANAICC836611727ICC164004827ICCV957051822NANANANANANANANANANANANA
1Annigeri (C) 8417Annigeri (C) 12317Annigeri (C) 4217Annigeri (C) 1817Annigeri (C) 607Annigeri (C) 1117Annigeri (C) 317Annigeri (C) 197
2G130 (C) 8916G130 (C) 12016G130 (C) 4616G130 (C) 1216G130 (C) 656G130 (C) 1116G130 (C) 366G130 (C) 146
3ICCV10 (C) 8416ICCV10 (C) 11916ICCV10 (C) 4816ICCV10 (C) 1716ICCV10 (C) 637ICCV10 (C) 1107ICCV10 (C) 367ICCV10 (C) 197
4JG11 (C)8316JG11 (C)11916JG11 (C)4816JG11 (C)2316JG11 (C)568JG11 (C)1128JG11 (C)408JG11 (C)248
Kabuli type chickpea accessions tested in the year 2014–15Kabuli type chickpea accessions tested in the year 2015–16
1ICC118797532ICC1664411220ICC166596421ICC84833916IG704365011IG71993986IG73294498ICC10778307
2IG733318722IG7187811520IG720216018ICC63553316IG7732518IG64011016ICC6140479ICC85272911
3ICC155188730ICC683111819ICC118795532IG708153226IG10569536ICC158231078ICC85274611ICC6246268
4ICC166598821IG7324212218IG732425218IG732863215IG71993536IG77321078IG6401446IG71993246
5IG101878925ICC1242812320ICC24965128IG60783124ICC6140549ICC852710711ICC8510436NANANA
6ICC76769016ICC1581212322IG93125018IG720213018IG6401546IG718781076IG10569436NANANA
7ICC124289020IG966812421ICC141905018ICC76762916ICC10778567ICC61401089ICC48994117NANANA
8IG718789320ICCV212717ICC84834816IG733312922IG71946578IG732421098NANANANANANA
9NANANANANANANANANAICCV22717NANANAIG105691106NANANANANANA
10NANANANANANANANANAIG707462616NANANANANANANANANANANANA
1KAK2 (C)7916KAK2 (C)11916KAK2 (C)5016KAK2 (C)3516KAK2 (C)559KAK2 (C)1119KAK2 (C)389KAK2 (C)379
2L550 (C) 9016L550 (C) 13016L550 (C) 4716L550 (C) 2116L550 (C) 656L550 (C) 1156L550 (C) 376L550 (C) 206
Intermediate type chickpea accessions tested in the year 2014–15Intermediate type chickpea accessions tested in the year 2015–16
1ICC59557822ICC595511522ICC75745420ICC75743320ICC5879566ICC58791106NANANANANANA
2ICC59808332ICC572713141ICC56165128ICC124312043NANANANANANANANANANANANA
3IG75558722NANANAICC121184527NANANANANANANANANANANANANANANA
1Annigeri (C) 8417Annigeri (C) 12317Annigeri (C) 4217Annigeri (C) 1817Annigeri (C) 607Annigeri (C) 1117Annigeri (C) 317Annigeri (C) 197
2G130 (C) 8916G130 (C) 12016G130 (C) 4616G130 (C) 1216G130 (C) 656G130 (C) 1116G130 (C) 366G130 (C) 146
3ICCV10 (C) 8416ICCV10 (C) 11916ICCV10 (C) 4816ICCV10 (C) 1716ICCV10 (C) 637ICCV10 (C) 1107ICCV10 (C) 367ICCV10 (C) 197
4JG11 (C) 8316JG11 (C) 11916JG11 (C) 4816JG11 (C) 2316JG11 (C) 568JG11 (C) 1128JG11 (C) 408JG11 (C) 248
5KAK2 (C)7916KAK2 (C)11916KAK2 (C)5016KAK2 (C)3516KAK2 (C)559KAK2 (C)1119KAK2 (C)389KAK2 (C)379
6L550 (C) 9016L550 (C) 13016L550 (C) 4716L550 (C) 2116L550 (C) 656L550 (C) 1156L550 (C) 376L550 (C) 206
The check cultivars are highlighted in bold.
Table
Table 4. Shortlisted germplasm accessions based on ranking biplot for five traits across two years for Patancheru, Telangana.
Table 4. Shortlisted germplasm accessions based on ranking biplot for five traits across two years for Patancheru, Telangana.
Ranking of AccessionsDesi Type Chickpea Accessions Tested in the Year 2014–15Desi Type Chickpea Accessions Tested in the Year 2015–16
Accession NameDFSYAccession NameDMSYAccession NamePLHTSYAccession Name100 SWSYAccession NameDFSYAccession NameDMSYAccession NamePLHTSYAccession Name100 SWSY
1ICCV925033515ICC35399914ICC91395615ICC5003LN3220ICC84743728ICCV882029116ICC93076424ICC121593017
2ICC83483823ICC29910017ICC6435117ICC5003HN2926ICC121594117ICC83189715ICC129936120ICC84742928
3ICC59344115ICC27310017ICC44185115ICCV939582918ICC168414219ICC4918NN9916ICC54725517ICC157622516
4ICC150654119ICC834810023ICC153764815ICC91392515ICCL852224516ICC1215910217ICC162345222ICC154272318
5ICC55934220ICC1215910015ICC5003HN4726ICC13382419ICC4918NN4516ICC571010320ICC18175116ICC154452227
6ICC35394314ICC1104010117ICC130424619ICC75542319ICC109424917ICC1094210417ICC57225019ICC4918NN2116
7ICC121594315ICC593410215ICC83484523ICC150652319ICC26645417ICC1094510515ICC23564927ICC152131921
8ICC143564515ICC747010317ICC155854316ICC153762115ICCL821085420ICC293810717ICC101974925ICCV882021916
9ICC155854616ICC5003LN10420ICC50094114ICC110402017NANANAICC109710819ICC124634820IG704471816
10ICC166824714ICC559310620ICC115044018ICC15601917NANANAICC1233710916IG703534621ICC151861823
11ICC5003LN4820ICC1226710614ICC2994017ICC55931820NANANAICC895011015ICCL821084620ICC15601818
12ICC110404817ICC139210719ICC11244018ICC35391814NANANAICC156011018ICC154274518IG703531721
13ICC2734917ICC140210718ICC13384019ICCV925031815NANANAICC657111216ICC12014023ICC26641617
14ICC18965021ICC5003HN10826NANANAICCV956051620NANANAICC1449511716ICC84743628ICCV957051632
15ICC3425216ICC1094510915NANANAICC14021618NANANAICC949911816NANANAICC12011523
16NANANAICC112410918NANANANANANANANANAICC159412115NANANAICC34401520
17NANANAICC207211021NANANANANANANANANAICC27312124NANANAICCV956051518
18NANANANANANANANANANANANANANANAICC51312219NANANAICCL821081520
19NANANANANANANANANANANANANANANANANANANANANANANANA
20NANANANANANANANANANANANANANANANANANANANANANANANA
1Annigeri (C) 4514Annigeri (C) 10214Annigeri (C) 3914Annigeri (C) 2314Annigeri (C) 4015Annigeri (C) 10315Annigeri (C) 3715Annigeri (C) 2215
2G130 (C) 5715G130 (C) 11015G130 (C) 4115G130 (C) 1115G130 (C) 6817G130 (C) 12317G130 (C) 4317G130 (C) 1117
3ICCV10 (C) 4914ICCV10 (C) 10214ICCV10 (C) 4114ICCV10 (C) 1914ICCV10 (C) 5418ICCV10 (C) 10618ICCV10 (C) 3918ICCV10 (C) 1718
4JG11 (C)4115JG11 (C)10015JG11 (C)4215JG11 (C)2515JG11 (C)3815JG11 (C)10115JG11 (C)3915JG11 (C)2415
Kabuli type chickpea accessions tested in the year 2014–15Kabuli type chickpea accessions tested in the year 2015–16
1ICC58114815ICC1296110014ICC93306315ICC158123323ICC58115313ICCV2NN8514IG720707626ICC142204510
2ICC63555015ICC1491310214ICC24966316ICC158233113ICC88645815IG1036010917IG103706716IG704663823
3ICC162065315IG586810818ICC61405614ICC72593119ICC58995923ICC1491311112ICC166376224ICC62393526
4ICC129615314ICC1620611015ICC25035513ICC107783114IG74585914IG742711112IG704296213ICC107493321
5ICC61405414ICC1443611216ICC107785514IG109562917ICC158345918IG7172811519ICC117386130ICC85273319
6IG732945418ICC1581211423IG732865521IG732862921ICC107496221ICC1583411918ICC85276019IG719503216
7ICC144365616ICC1582311413IG105695421IG60782923IG719466213IG7194612113ICC80275915ICC154063212
8IG105695821ICC1074711514ICC63555415ICC93302315ICC85276219IG7187812214ICC131875925ICC76543111
9ICC158125923NANANAICC107475414ICC62462115IG717286319ICC886412215IG696925715IG720703026
10NANANANANANANANANANANANAICC51226320IG745812314IG102405721ICC166372724
1KAK2 (C)3713KAK2 (C)9313KAK2 (C)4013KAK2 (C)3713KAK2 (C)3910KAK2 (C)9010KAK2 (C)3610KAK2 (C)3510
2L550 (C) 6115L550 (C) 11415L550 (C) 4015L550 (C) 2015L550 (C) 7021L550 (C) 12721L550 (C) 4621L550 (C) 1921
Intermediate type chickpea accessions tested in the year 2014–15Intermediate type chickpea accessions tested in the year 2015–16
1ICC59234814ICC590110420ICC97785026ICC89212216ICC58793914ICC487810226ICC75746030ICC48782326
2ICC59554914ICC592310914NANANANANANAICC48785426ICC572710726ICC89305621ICC124311928
3ICC97785126ICC977811126NANANANANANANANANAICC1523411914ICC56165518ICC89301821
1Annigeri (C) 4514Annigeri (C) 10214Annigeri (C) 3914Annigeri (C) 2314Annigeri (C) 4015Annigeri (C) 10315Annigeri (C) 3715Annigeri (C) 2215
2G130 (C) 5715G130 (C) 11015G130 (C) 4115G130 (C) 1115G130 (C) 6817G130 (C) 12317G130 (C) 4317G130 (C) 1117
3ICCV10 (C) 4914ICCV10 (C) 10214ICCV10 (C) 4114ICCV10 (C) 1914ICCV10 (C) 5418ICCV10 (C) 10618ICCV10 (C) 3918ICCV10 (C) 1718
4JG11 (C)4115JG11 (C)10015JG11 (C)4215JG11 (C)2515JG11 (C)3815JG11 (C)10115JG11 (C)3915JG11 (C)2415
5KAK2 (C) 3713KAK2 (C) 9313KAK2 (C) 4013KAK2 (C) 3713KAK2 (C) 3910KAK2 (C) 9010KAK2 (C) 3610KAK2 (C) 3510
6L550 (C) 6115L550 (C) 11415L550 (C) 4015L550 (C) 2015L550 (C) 7021L550 (C) 12721L550 (C) 4621L550 (C) 1921
The check cultivars are highlighted in bold.
Table
Table 5. Shortlisted germplasm accessions based on ranking biplot for five traits across two years for Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh.
Table 5. Shortlisted germplasm accessions based on ranking biplot for five traits across two years for Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh.
Ranking of AccessionsDesi Type Chickpea Accessions Tested in the Year 2015–16Desi Type Chickpea Accessions Tested in the Year 2016–17
Accession NameDFSYAccession NameDMSYAccession NamePLHTSYAccession Name100 SWSYAccession NameDFSYAccession NameDMSYAccession NamePLHTSYAccession Name100 SWSY
1ICCV925035420ICC1471011219ICC27666731ICC150653121ICCV919027023ICC1287811227ICC31646816ICCV919022823
2ICC121595617ICC1508111220ICC6436017ICC91392931ICC109637319ICC120511617ICC44186820ICC155102420
3ICC83485719ICC903011216ICC42505718ICC156102341ICC4037417ICC1321911823ICC11026618ICC13382223
4ICCV885036021ICC29911228ICC37765716ICCV925032220ICC150817430ICC1409811820ICC40366516ICC31642016
5ICC110096223ICC1137211219ICC168415516ICC16342120ICC59517520ICC9511820ICC13386023ICC151862016
6ICC150816220ICC895011218ICC91395531ICC152132018ICC18967622ICC1095311917ICC42335917ICC109631919
7ICC167346224ICC1104011320ICC43335316ICC55931915ICC148817819ICC1096311919ICC149765819ICC75931916
8ICC110406520ICC1408311319ICC28785343ICC110401920ICCV911067820ICC159411927ICC141765723ICC55931821
9ICC150656821ICC207211419ICC54914920ICC54911820ICC155957923ICC447811925ICC154275728ICC20861824
10ICC108986818ICC954111420ICC83484519ICC108981818ICC20237918ICC559311921ICC136965622ICC15101826
11ICC42507018ICCL8314911423ICC65694415ICC19131515NANANAICC1226712118ICC31265628ICC435NN1816
12ICC457115ICC1194412018NANANAICCV956051520NANANAICC1497612119ICCL821085626ICC148521720
13ICC4037222ICC1276812016NANANAICC74411218NANANAICC644512118ICC70545524ICC12051717
14ICC168417416NANANANANANANANANANANANAICC1227312227ICC7965525ICC103931624
15NANANANANANANANANANANANANANANAICC1369612222ICC955320ICC124581516
16NANANANANANANANANANANANANANANANANANAICC96765017ICC154271528
17NANANANANANANANANANANANANANANANANANAICCV893145017IG703531521
18NANANANANANANANANANANANANANANANANANAICC140984720NANANA
19NANANANANANANANANANANANANANANANANANAICC40244519NANANA
20NANANANANANANANANANANANANANANANANANANANANANANANA
1Annigeri (C) 6715Annigeri (C) 11615Annigeri (C) 4315Annigeri (C) 1315Annigeri (C) 7716Annigeri (C) 11816Annigeri (C) 4916Annigeri (C) 1316
2G130 (C) 7016G130 (C) 12016G130 (C) 4516G130 (C) 1216G130 (C) 8016G130 (C) 12216G130 (C) 5116G130 (C) 1316
3ICCV10 (C) 6717ICCV10 (C) 11717ICCV10 (C) 4417ICCV10 (C) 1917ICCV10 (C) 7718ICCV10 (C) 11818ICCV10 (C) 4518ICCV10 (C) 1818
4JG11 (C)6416JG11 (C)11716JG11 (C)4516JG11 (C)2416JG11 (C)7616JG11 (C)12016JG11 (C)5116JG11 (C)2416
Kabuli type chickpea accessions tested in the year 2015–16Kabuli type chickpea accessions tested in the year 2016–17
1ICCV2NN5617ICC727211114ICC166377124IG708723816IG708727419ICC1419011016IG720737813IG708725219
2IG708725916ICCV2NN11517IG703216016IG63253714ICC124967520ICC1335711714IG756376613IG63253618
3ICC124976115ICC683111614ICC141905517ICC166373124IG756377713IG7038911719ICC162066216ICC103533615
4IG740186516ICC1506011715ICC94644717IG60783023ICC103537815ICC1077811820IG64486115ICC63553414
5ICC150606515IG7187812116IG703216016IG704362922ICC76767815ICC249611917ICC76766015ICC107783420
6IG74466517NANANANANANAIG708152820ICC150608025IG1116111914IG694415815IG756373413
7ICC162067214NANANANANANAICC138162517ICC63558114IG7328611917ICC120315727IG58723314
8ICC68317314NANANANANANANANANAIG58728114IG7563711913ICC48535418ICC76763115
9IG718787316NANANANANANANANANAIG694418315IG933012022ICC107785420IG707463017
10NANANANANANANANANANANANANANANAIG632512118ICC133575414IG732862817
1KAK2 (C)5915KAK2 (C)11615KAK2 (C)4415KAK2 (C)3715KAK2 (C)8514KAK2 (C)11914KAK2 (C)5114KAK2 (C)3714
2L550 (C) 7414L550 (C) 12014L550 (C) 4414L550 (C) 2014L550 (C) 8012L550 (C) 12012L550 (C) 4712L550 (C) 2112
Intermediate type chickpea accessions tested in the year 2015–16Intermediate type chickpea accessions tested in the year 2016–17
1NANANAICC592312226ICC89305514ICC89302214ICC152347917ICC1523411717ICC75746127ICC75743027
2NANANAICC587912417ICC98214121NANANAICC84078120ICC757411727IG75554513ICC89302229
3NANANANANANANANANANANANANANANANANANANANANANANANA
1Annigeri (C) 6715Annigeri (C) 11615Annigeri (C) 4315Annigeri (C) 1315Annigeri (C) 7716Annigeri (C) 11816Annigeri (C) 4916Annigeri (C) 1316
2G130 (C) 7016G130 (C) 12016G130 (C) 4516G130 (C) 1216G130 (C) 8016G130 (C) 12216G130 (C) 5116G130 (C) 1316
3ICCV10 (C) 6717ICCV10 (C) 11717ICCV10 (C) 4417ICCV10 (C) 1917ICCV10 (C) 7718ICCV10 (C) 11818ICCV10 (C) 4518ICCV10 (C) 1818
4JG11 (C)6416JG11 (C)11716JG11 (C)4516JG11 (C)2416JG11 (C)7616JG11 (C)12016JG11 (C)5116JG11 (C)2416
5KAK2 (C) 5915KAK2 (C) 11615KAK2 (C) 4415KAK2 (C) 3715KAK2 (C) 8514KAK2 (C) 11914KAK2 (C) 5114KAK2 (C) 3714
6L550 (C) 7414L550 (C) 12014L550 (C) 4414L550 (C) 2014L550 (C) 8012L550 (C) 12012L550 (C) 4712L550 (C) 2112
The check cultivars are highlighted in bold.
Table
Table 6. Shortlisted germplasm accessions based on ranking biplot for five traits across two years for Junagadh, Gujarat.
Table 6. Shortlisted germplasm accessions based on ranking biplot for five traits across two years for Junagadh, Gujarat.
Ranking of AccessionsDesi Type Chickpea Accessions Tested in the Year 2014–15Desi Type Chickpea Accessions Tested in the Year 2015–16
Accession NameDFSYAccession NameDMSYAccession NamePLHTSYAccession Name100 SWSYAccession NameDFSYAccession NameDMSYAccession NamePLHTSYAccession Name100 SWSY
1ICC150654622ICC15608225ICC155855919ICC5003HN3022ICC83484723ICC59348632ICC93077623ICC103013317
2ICC155854919ICC83668419ICC137265719ICCV939582824ICC59344832ICCV882029924ICC54916523ICC157622918
3ICCL852225019ICC89508621ICC38905320ICC157622721ICC106294824ICC1104010129ICC35586025ICC5003LN2734
4ICC150815022ICC89318821ICC93075222ICC137262219ICCV885034820ICC834810123ICC92615726ICC153762617
5ICC2735722ICC63848825ICC54914823ICC155402221ICC145504947ICC1449510222ICC28785728ICC91392632
6ICC16296324ICC45268924ICC37764529ICC150652122ICCV882024924ICC1062910224ICC128885522ICC5003HN2422
7ICC106296327ICC959324ICC141764221IG704472028ICC61204922ICC293810347ICC66175437ICC92612426
8ICC152216523ICC155859319ICC163204123ICC54911923ICC49845121ICC139210326ICC69005423ICC13382321
9NANANAICC159549319ICC117074121ICC56391719ICCL852225525ICCL8522210425ICC43335424ICCV925032220
10NANANAICC168419631ICC5003HN3922ICC15601725GG25621ICC1065110523ICC113005328ICC23562223
11NANANAICC144959629ICC953724ICCV956051636ICC106515723ICC189110623ICC95415232ICCV939582218
12NANANAICC20729720ICC168413731ICC115101627ICCV925035820ICC5003LN10634ICC77445030ICC15052124
13NANANAICC85569919NANANAICC16291524ICC20725828ICC207210628ICC25004927ICCV882022024
14NANANAICC113229928NANANAICCV893141519ICC455927ICC49410637ICC5003HN4922ICC152132029
15NANANAICC5003HN10122NANANAICC106291427ICC46806021ICC1094510721ICC91394932ICC110401929
16NANANAICC1451911026NANANANANANAICC4946037ICC109710725ICC6434722ICC16341921
17NANANANANANANANANANANANAICC3426125ICC954110732ICC2994722ICC54911823
18NANANANANANANANANANANANAICC56136123ICC4510827ICC143854724ICC83181823
19NANANANANANANANANANANANAICC2736230ICC5003HN10822ICC454427ICC9461718
20NANANANANANANANANANANANAICC121596223ICC1455010847NANANAICC67931719
1Annigeri (C)5423Annigeri (C)10423Annigeri (C)4123Annigeri (C)2223Annigeri (C)5017Annigeri (C)10217Annigeri (C)4717Annigeri (C)2117
2G130 (C) 6420G130 (C) 10520G130 (C) 3720G130 (C) 1120G130 (C) 6517G130 (C) 10717G130 (C) 4917G130 (C) 1117
3ICCV10 (C) 5622ICCV10 (C) 9122ICCV10 (C) 3722ICCV10 (C) 1822ICCV10 (C) 5922ICCV10 (C) 10522ICCV10 (C) 4922ICCV10 (C) 1722
4JG11 (C) 5119JG11 (C) 8919JG11 (C) 3819JG11 (C) 2119JG11 (C) 4918JG11 (C) 9718JG11 (C) 4918JG11 (C) 2318
Kabuli type chickpea accessions tested in the year 2014–15Kabuli type chickpea accessions tested in the year 2015–16
1ICC166445123ICC166448123IG64015746ICC84833823ICC142205816ICCV2NN9116IG697466128ICC84834018
2IG74465523ICC1620610119ICC166595624IG60983519IG100006027IG742710521ICC131875819ICC142204016
3ICC68315922ICC564410225IG96685622ICC72593331ICC76686137IG7187810615IG60445729ICC76543717
4ICC72595931IG586810531ICC93305624IG704363219IG102406219ICC1074710716ICC76545717ICC107473516
5ICCV913026124IG966810822IG58685431ICC63553022IG74276521ICC1422010716IG694465723ICC107493414
6IG72536226ICC727210921ICC85275321ICC85272821ICC84836618IG745810716IG696925719ICC166373314
7ICC85276521ICCV9130211024IG732945224IG96682822ICC61406722ICC886410815IG721405518ICC154063213
8ICC129616632ICC1443611023ICC129615132ICC158232824IG719936818ICC766810837IG719175518IG720703017
9ICC56446725NANANAICC63555122NANANAICC107406829IG7191710818IG74275321IG696922919
10ICC144366723NANANAIG732425123NANANAICC147396824IG636710814ICC61405322IG704362918
1KAK2 (C)4823KAK2 (C)8623KAK2 (C)4223KAK2 (C)3623KAK2 (C)5010KAK2 (C)9610KAK2 (C)5010KAK2 (C)3710
2L550 (C) 6619L550 (C) 11019L550 (C) 4119L550 (C) 2019L550 (C) 6916L550 (C) 11016L550 (C) 5016L550 (C) 1916
Intermediate type chickpea accessions tested in the year 2014–15Intermediate type chickpea accessions tested in the year 2015–16
1ICC58795317ICC152348523ICC56164221ICC84072223ICC59235916ICC1523410818ICC56166119ICC89302314
2ICC84076623ICC84078823NANANANANANAIG75556022ICC587910618ICC89305614NANANA
3NANANANANANANANANANANANANANANANANANANANANANANANA
1Annigeri (C) 5423Annigeri (C) 10423Annigeri (C) 4123Annigeri (C) 2223Annigeri (C) 5017Annigeri (C) 10217Annigeri (C) 4717Annigeri (C) 2117
2G130 (C) 6420G130 (C) 10520G130 (C) 3720G130 (C) 1120G130 (C) 6517G130 (C) 10717G130 (C) 4917G130 (C) 1117
3ICCV10 (C) 5622ICCV10 (C) 9122ICCV10 (C) 3722ICCV10 (C) 1822ICCV10 (C) 5922ICCV10 (C) 10522ICCV10 (C) 4922ICCV10 (C) 1722
4JG11 (C) 5119JG11 (C) 8919JG11 (C) 3819JG11 (C) 2119JG11 (C) 4918JG11 (C) 9718JG11 (C) 4918JG11 (C) 2218
5KAK2 (C)4823KAK2 (C)8623KAK2 (C)4223KAK2 (C)3623KAK2 (C)5010KAK2 (C)9610KAK2 (C)5010KAK2 (C)3710
6L550 (C) 6619L550 (C) 11019L550 (C) 4119L550 (C) 2019L550 (C) 6916L550 (C) 11016L550 (C) 5016L550 (C) 1916
The check cultivars are highlighted in bold.
Table
Table 7. Shortlisted germplasm accessions based on ranking biplot for five traits across two years for Sehore, Madhya Pradesh.
Table 7. Shortlisted germplasm accessions based on ranking biplot for five traits across two years for Sehore, Madhya Pradesh.
Ranking of AccessionsDesi Type Chickpea Accessions Tested in the Year 2014–15Desi Type Chickpea Accessions Tested in the Year 2015–16
Accession NameDFSYAccession NameDMSYAccession NamePLHTSYAccession Name100 SWSYAccession NameDFSYAccession NameDMSYAccession NamePLHTSYAccession Name100 SWSY
1ICC150656720ICCV8820210911ICC42335715ICCV956054118ICCV92503479ICC10971036ICC2500528ICC15762295
2ICC145646915ICC571011510ICC55415413ICCV882022611ICC8332636ICC110401046ICC4233495ICCV88202225
3ICCV882027011ICC1104011513ICC44594712ICC5003HN2410ICC4984639ICC57101076ICC1817438ICCV92503199
4ICC155627310ICC1508111710ICC44184710ICC124582410ICC10651646ICC110461075ICC10197436ICC8318196
5ICC55937312ICC1438511810ICC96364324ICC75542117ICC7470656ICC109421076ICC13895437ICC435NN185
6ICC150817410ICC1389011814ICC138954315ICC83182024ICC15081655ICC150811075ICC26434ICC14390184
7ICCL852227513ICC1215911937ICC9914214ICC66711815ICC16841658ICCV882021085ICC16841428ICC10898165
8ICC73027514ICC29911910ICC35584113ICC150651820ICC14391655ICC122731095ICC3558415ICC11040166
9ICC89317617ICC222011916ICC75544117ICC15601813ICC10018659ICC22201094ICC1122415ICC1634164
10ICC106297611ICC1684111919ICC69004112ICC35391611ICC10386666ICC1094710913ICC14385394ICC3331156
11ICC2577729ICC189611922ICC5003HN4010ICC110401613ICC16076666ICC85561095ICC643396ICC7277154
12ICC84747710ICC1062912011ICC50094011ICC16341614ICC10629674ICC559310913ICC5472397ICC15080155
13ICC16297825ICCL8522212013ICC83484016ICC12011616ICC8474676ICC113221097ICC4418385ICC12273155
14ICC141767811ICC109712012ICC143853910ICC12051514ICCV96970676ICC13151098ICC9636375ICC56391511
15ICC35397811ICC1225912010ICCV893143815ICC150801512ICC121596810ICC143911105ICCV95705358ICC16076146
16ICC34067913ICC836612020ICC43593814ICC56391315ICC95689ICC1215911110ICC1272354ICC26144
17ICC166827917ICC1449512110ICC168413819ICC106291311ICC15080695ICC74701116ICC7541354ICC10629134
18ICC108987913ICC189112111ICC162693819ICC55931312ICC34067012ICC145071116ICC6900355ICC1272134
19ICC20237919ICC207212214ICC83143610ICC73021214ICC11040706ICC167331115ICC95349ICC55931213
20ICC26647923ICC120112216ICC53913613ICC12721211ICC55937113ICCL821081115ICC455335NANANA
1Annigeri (C) 7710Annigeri (C) 12110Annigeri (C) 3510Annigeri (C) 1710Annigeri (C) 685Annigeri (C) 1115Annigeri (C) 325Annigeri (C) 155
2G130 (C) 789G130 (C) 1229G130 (C) 379G130 (C) 119G130 (C) 714G130 (C) 1134G130 (C) 364G130 (C) 114
3ICCV10 (C) 7511ICCV10 (C) 11911ICCV10 (C) 3811ICCV10 (C) 1611ICCV10 (C) 675ICCV10 (C) 1105ICCV10 (C) 355ICCV10 (C) 165
4JG11 (C)7512JG11 (C)12012JG11 (C)3812JG11 (C)2012JG11 (C)666JG11 (C)1096JG11 (C)356JG11 (C)196
Kabuli type chickpea accessions tested in the year 2014–15Kabuli type chickpea accessions tested in the year 2015–16
1ICC166445818ICC1664412018ICC84835211ICC124973320IG7446654IG732421026IG72070538ICC14220337
2ICCV26513IG586812113ICC107785117ICC107783117ICC5811678IG74461074ICC10778515ICC10747329
3ICCV923117123ICC512212217IG732865116ICC166373112IG71993685IG719931085IG73294517ICC10778305
4ICC85847418ICC1620612316ICC48994917ICC84833111ICC6831685ICC24891114ICC13690504IG72070298
5ICC85277614ICCV212313ICC118794823IG707462812ICC14220697IG720701128IG73242506ICCV89509245
6ICC68317712ICC858412318ICC24964712ICCV22813IG71728694IG74581138ICC15545505ICC6246228
7ICC51227817ICCV9231112323IG58684613IG109562610IG7458698ICC142201137ICC16659495IG71993225
8ICC162067916ICC852712314ICC158024517IG720212614ICC6140704ICC68311145ICC4899495ICC4928204
9ICC155187917ICC1443612312ICC85274414ICC158232418ICC2489704ICC1582311410ICC14220437ICC158232010
10ICC144367912IG7214012321ICC162064416IG719932212ICC6246748IG719801155ICC15306405NANANA
1KAK2 (C)6412KAK2 (C)12212KAK2 (C)3812KAK2 (C)3612KAK2 (C)577KAK2 (C)1167KAK2 (C)357KAK2 (C)347
2L550 (C) 8010L550 (C) 12310L550 (C) 3710L550 (C) 1910L550 (C) 724L550 (C) 1184L550 (C) 364L550 (C) 184
Intermediate type chickpea accessions tested in the year 2014–15Intermediate type chickpea accessions tested in the year 2015–16
1ICC58797511ICC840711816ICC75745013ICC124312213IG7555655ICC84071104ICC8930425ICC8407214
2ICC48787918ICC1243112113ICC56164019ICC84072016ICC5923696ICC59231136IG7555375ICC8930155
3NANANAICC561612319ICC89303714ICC89301814NANANANANANANANANANANANA
1Annigeri (C) 7710Annigeri (C) 12110Annigeri (C) 3510Annigeri (C) 1710Annigeri (C) 685Annigeri (C) 1115Annigeri (C) 325Annigeri (C) 155
2G130 (C) 789G130 (C) 1229G130 (C) 379G130 (C) 119G130 (C) 714G130 (C) 1134G130 (C) 364G130 (C) 114
3ICCV10 (C) 7511ICCV10 (C) 11911ICCV10 (C) 3811ICCV10 (C) 1611ICCV10 (C) 675ICCV10 (C) 1105ICCV10 (C) 355ICCV10 (C) 165
4JG11 (C) 7512JG11 (C) 12012JG11 (C) 3812JG11 (C) 2012JG11 (C) 666JG11 (C) 1096JG11 (C) 356JG11 (C) 196
5KAK2 (C)6412KAK2 (C)12212KAK2 (C)3812KAK2 (C)3612KAK2 (C)577KAK2 (C)1167KAK2 (C)357KAK2 (C)347
6L550 (C) 8010L550 (C) 12310L550 (C) 3710L550 (C) 1910L550 (C) 724L550 (C) 1184L550 (C) 364L550 (C) 184
The check cultivars are highlighted in bold.
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Singh, M.K.; Roorkiwal, M.; Rathore, A.; Soren, K.R.; Pithia, M.S.; Yasin, M.; Barpete, S.; Singh, S.; Barmukh, R.; Das, R.R.; et al. Evaluation of Global Composite Collection Reveals Agronomically Superior Germplasm Accessions for Chickpea Improvement. Agronomy 2022, 12, 2013. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy12092013

AMA Style

Singh MK, Roorkiwal M, Rathore A, Soren KR, Pithia MS, Yasin M, Barpete S, Singh S, Barmukh R, Das RR, et al. Evaluation of Global Composite Collection Reveals Agronomically Superior Germplasm Accessions for Chickpea Improvement. Agronomy. 2022; 12(9):2013. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy12092013

Chicago/Turabian Style

Singh, Muneendra K., Manish Roorkiwal, Abhishek Rathore, Khela Ram Soren, Motisagar S. Pithia, Mohammad Yasin, Surendra Barpete, Servejeet Singh, Rutwik Barmukh, Roma Rani Das, and et al. 2022. "Evaluation of Global Composite Collection Reveals Agronomically Superior Germplasm Accessions for Chickpea Improvement" Agronomy 12, no. 9: 2013. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy12092013

APA Style

Singh, M. K., Roorkiwal, M., Rathore, A., Soren, K. R., Pithia, M. S., Yasin, M., Barpete, S., Singh, S., Barmukh, R., Das, R. R., Gangwar, P., Chetariya, C. P., Joshi, P., Chaturvedi, S. K., Javia, R. M., Ramani, V. V., Hamwieh, A., Kumar, S., Bharadwaj, C., ... Varshney, R. K. (2022). Evaluation of Global Composite Collection Reveals Agronomically Superior Germplasm Accessions for Chickpea Improvement. Agronomy, 12(9), 2013. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy12092013

Note that from the first issue of 2016, this journal uses article numbers instead of page numbers. See further details here.

Article Metrics

Back to TopTop