The salinity tolerance in chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) genotypes underwent scrutiny in saline and nonsaline conditions, as this study’s aim. In the first experiment, 20 genotypes cultivated in pots sustained screening for salt tolerance. The second experiment involved a field study conducted on 10 selected genotypes planted under non-saline (Ismailia) and saline (El-Arish) soil conditions for two crop seasons (2022–2023 and 2023–2024). The results revealed a substantial variation among the genotypes under both salt stress conditions. Despite a considerable reduction in growth, yield, and biochemical traits in the saline condition, the chickpea genotypes Azad, Giza-1, FLIP-03-27C, and ICCV-10306 exhibited tolerance and demonstrated superior performance in most growth, yield, and biochemical traits. Genetic measures for seed weight, branch, filled pods, and total pod count demonstrated the highest phenotypic (PCV) and genotypic coefficient of variation (GCV) under both environments. The genetic gain demonstrated significance for relative water content, chlorophyll content, plant height, pod count, whole pod count, and seed weight under both environments. The heritability of most traits suggested that additive genetic action was significant in their determination, indicating the selection based on these traits could be helpful in breeding programs to improve the chickpea yield.
Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.), genotypes, salinity tolerance, genetic parameters, ISSR analysis, GCV and PCV, heritability, growth, and yield traits
In screening of 20 chickpeas (C. arietinum L.) genotypes, Azad, Giza-1, FLIP-03-27C, and ICCV-10306 appeared as the most resilient to salinity. The results indicated substantial genetic diversity in genotypes, heritability, and genetic gain for key traits, suggesting potential improvement in chickpea under saline environments.