Genetic Divergence and Trait Contributions for Mechanization‑Friendly Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) Genotypes Using Mahalanobis’ D² Analysis

Abstract

Genetic diversity is a key factor in chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) breeding, enabling the selection of superior parents for hybridization to develop high-yielding and climate-resilient varieties. The present study assessed genetic divergence among 60 chickpea genotypes using Mahalanobis’ D² statistics based on sixteen yield-contributing traits, including phenological, morphological and yield-related characters. Analysis of variance revealed significant variability across all traits, highlighting the presence of substantial genetic differences. The genotypes were grouped into thirteen clusters using Tocher’s method, with Cluster I being the largest (25 genotypes) and Clusters IX–XIII comprising single genotypes, reflecting high heterogeneity. Reproductive phase duration (19.20%), hundred-seed weight (13.20%), plant height (11.60%) and height of first pod (10.90%) were identified as the major contributors to genetic divergence. Inter-cluster distances indicated maximum divergence between Clusters VI and X, suggesting that crosses between these clusters could maximize heterosis and genetic variability. Cluster mean analysis highlighted Cluster XI as superior for yield traits, Cluster X for seed size and Cluster VII for plant height and pod height, traits important for mechanical harvesting. Among the evaluated material, genotype C-24514 (Cluster VI) and ICCX 140010-B-B-B-B-38-B-B (Cluster X) represented one of the most divergent combinations (D² = 412.35). Similarly, C-24551 × ICCX 140010-B-B-B-B-38-B-B and C-24525 × ICCX 140010-B-B-B-B-38-B-B may serve as promising parental combinations for generating broad variability. The results provide useful insights into genetic relationships and trait contributions, offering a basis for selecting genetically diverse parents with complementary traits for chickpea improvement programmes. These findings could be useful in the development of high-yielding, early-maturing and mechanization-suitable chickpea cultivars.