Genetic and phyto-morphological diversity analysis in the advanced breeding lines of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) for pod borer resistance

The pod borer Helicoverpa armigera is a major constraint to chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) production worldwide, affecting the crop most severely during the pod formation stage, leading to reduced crop yield by approximately upto 90 to 95%. The present study was conducted to find characteristics associated with resistance to pod borer infestation by analyzing several morphological and phytochemical attributes in 200 advanced breeding lines of chickpeas and four checks. ANOVA elucidated the presence of significant differences among genotypes for all quantitative as well as qualitative traits. The number of pods per plant, plant height, total antioxidant activity and presence of trichomes were identified as key contributors to resistance against pod borer. Cluster analysis based on Euclidean Distance revealed the categorization of genotypes into distinct groups based on their traits, recommending the specific groups for targeted breeding efforts. The study also emphasized the significance of phytochemical features in improving resistance to pod borer, such as trichome density, flavonoid concentration and tannin content. The present findings advocate exploring the wild progenitors and advanced progeny that may help in increasing the diversity among cultivated chickpeas and help in developing resistant varieties in the future.