Improvement of morpho-physiological traits in 'F₄' generation of Chickpea for increasing productivity

Abstract

India occupies first rank in the world by producing more than 25% of world food legume and largest producer

of chickpea (<i>Cicer arietinum </i>L.) in the world. Chickpea is the third most important pulse among pulses in the

world. Contribution of India is 64% in global chickpea production and productivity rank of the India is 29th. In

India, chickpea crop ranks in the first position among pulses, occupying about 30% at total cultivated area of

pulses and its contribution is 40% of the total pulse production. Observation were recorded on various morphophysiological

traits in six parents and their six (F₄) crosses. The results indicated that crosses between Pusa

256×F6-936 and Pusa 362 × Saki 9516 showed significantly lower membrane injury index (MII) i.e. 33.9 and

28.5% which were significantly less than their parents. Pusa 256 (47.9%), F6-936 (56.8%), Pusa 362 (34.1%) and

Saki 9516 (55.9%). On the basis of results obtained, it is emphasized that parental lines having desirable

physiological traits like relative water content (RWC), chlorophyll content and MII might have contributed

directly for increasing productivity of new varieties under rainfed conditions.