Inheritance of seed weight and growth habit in 10 intercross chickpea (Cicer arietinum) nested association mapping populations

Abstract

Objective of investigation Chickpea is a major global food legume for which seed weight and plant growth habit are important yield and harvestability components for plant breeding. This study tested seed weight and plant growth habit inheritance and identified quantitative trait loci (QTL). Experimental material A 10 nested association mapping (NAM) populations of chickpea were created from crosses between ‘Gokce’, a cultivar and wild crop relative accessions of Cicer reticulatum and Cicer echinospermum. Families were then developed to the F2:4 generation. Method of investigation A 10 families were grown at the Field Experiment Station, Harran University near Şanlıurfa, Turkey during 2019. Data collection A 100-seed weight and prostrate or erect growth habit was scored in the field. Two families were genotyped for 60 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP). Result and conclusions A 100-seed weight showed polygenic control, and three QTLs were found. Growth habit was controlled by one or two QTLs. The two traits were significantly correlated for five populations. The crop wild relatives of chickpea contain variations at novel loci affecting seed weight compared to the literature.