Genetic estimates and path coefficient analysis in chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) under normal and late sown environments

The research was carried out to determine selection criteria using correlation and path coefficient analysis in 25 chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) genotypes under two different environments during rabi 2008-09 at Palampur location. The genotypes showed highly significant differences for all the characters studied in both environments. Environment I (normal sowing) exhibited its excellent potential for the traits viz., seed yield per plant, biological yield per plant, pods per plant, primary branches per plant, days to 50% flowering, days to maturity and plant height, whereas environment II (late sowing) exhibited it for harvest index, per cent crude protein and 100-seed weight. High heritability coupled with high genetic advance was observed for seed yield per plant, pods per plant and 100-seed weight in environment I. Seed yield per plant was positively and significantly correlated with pods per plant (E1=0.767 and E2=0.647), harvest index (E1=0.767 and E2=0.745), biological yield per plant (E1=0.612 and E2=0.537) and primary branches per plant (E1=0.422 and E2=0.515) in both the environments. Path coefficient analysis revealed the high direct effect of biological yield and harvest index towards seed yield per plant, whereas primary branches per plant and pods per plant showed negligible direct effect, but their indirect contribution for it through biological yield and harvest index was high. The present study suggests that selection for high seed yield should be based on selecting high biological yield, pod per plant, high test weight and primary branches per plants in chickpea.