Variability in Relation to Geographical Distribution in Chickpea

The chickpea germpiasm collection, comprising 329 entries from 6 geographical regions (groups), was studied for 13 agronomic characters for group means, variability and correlations. Entries from Middle East, Indian sub-continent, North Africa and America showed high group means for branches, pods, grain yield, biological yield and harvest index, while European and- Russian entries were characterised by lower group mean values for these characters. Russian varieties differed significantly in group means from those of Indian subcontinent, Middle East and North Africa for as many as nine characters. Group mean values for days to flower, plant spread, branches and biological yield showed significant differences between majority of the group pairs. It was concluded that region-specific adaptations are responsible for development of contrasting characters in different eco-geographical regions. Differential association of some of the characters in different regions further confirms this observation.