GENETIC VARIABILITY AND ASSOCIATIONS AMONG YIELD AND YIELD RELATED TRAITS OF CHICKPEA (Cicer arietinum L.) GENOTYPES AT WEST BADEWACHO DISTRICT, HADDIYA ZONE, SOUTH REGIONAL STATE OF ETHIO

Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is a mulit important legumes in Ethiopia; however, despite of all the multi benefits of chickpea, its productivity has remained low in Ethiopian agriculture than the attainable yield (5 tons/ha) under improved and good management condition. Reasonable seed yield in chickpea could be achieved by using improved genotypes with appropriate agronomic practices. The investigation of improved genotypes requires a good breeding program, which usually depends on the genetic variability present in the breeding material. However, spatial and temporal studying on the nature and magnitude of variability as well as genetic relationship on traits of chickpea genotype are not efficiently exploited. The present study was designed to evaluate the nature and magnitude of genetic variability, their associations, and the relationship between seed yield and yield related traits for improvement of seed yield of 28 chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) genotype at West Badewacho district in South Regional State of Ethiopia during 2019/20 main cropping season. A randomized complete block design with the help of suitable parameters (genotypic and phenotypic coefficient of variability, heritability, genetic advance, correlation coefficient and path coefficient) analysis was used. The data were recorded for days to 50 percent flowering, days to physiological maturity, seed filling period, plant height (cm), number of primary branches per plant, number of secondary branches per plant, number of pods per plant, number of seeds per pod, number of seeds per plant, 100 seed weight (g) and seed yield (kg/ha). The data were subjected to analysis of variance using the GLM procedure of SAS software (SAS, 2004). The variability in the examined genotypes was highly significant for all the studied traits. The highest estimates of genotypic and phenotypic coefficient of variation were exhibited by seeds per plant followed by number of secondary branches per plant, number of pods per plant and hundred seed weight. The highest broad sense heritability coupled with high genetic advance were observed for seed per plant, number of pods per plant, hundred seed weight and days to grain filing. Positive significant genotypic and phenotypic correlation with positive direct and indirect effect recorded for traits, such as number of seeds per plant, number of secondary branches per plant and number of pod per plant. From studied eleven traits seeds per plant, pods per plant, hundred seed weight and secondary branches showed high GCV and PCV, high heritability coupled with high genetic advance, positive significance genotypic and phenotypic correlation with positive direct and indirect effect. It provides better opportunity for plant breeders to select simply by giving due attention for these traits on parental materials to use for crossing in the breeding program. Therefore selection of genotypes for seed yield based on these traits is effective. However, the study has to be repeated over years, in mulit-location by increasing number of genotypes and parameters to confirm the consistency of existing genotypic variability for the future breeding programs