PLANT CELL BIOTECHNOLOGY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY

Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is an important pulse crop, and the identification of genetically divergent parents is useful for crop improvement through hybridization. The present investigation evaluated genetic diversity among 50 chickpea genotypes grown during Rabi 2024–25 at Dr. BRC Agricultural Research Station, Mandor, Jodhpur. The experiment was conducted in a randomized block design with three replications, and observations were recorded for 15 phenological, yield-related, physiological, and biochemical traits. Genetic divergence was assessed using Mahalanobis D statistics, and the genotypes were grouped into 11 clusters using Tocher’s method. The maximum intra-cluster distance was recorded in Cluster IX (167.27), followed by Clusters II, VI, and I, indicating comparatively greater variability within these groups. The highest inter-cluster distance was observed between Clusters III and IX (573.48), followed by Clusters V and XI (542.06) and Clusters VI and XI (511.71), suggesting substantial divergence among these cluster combinations. Protein content contributed most to total genetic divergence (29.80%), followed by chlorophyll content (24.41%), days to 50% flowering (20.16%), and relative water content (10.78%). Cluster means also revealed substantial variation among groups for yield-related, physiological, and biochemical traits. The findings indicate that genetically divergent genotypes, particularly those belonging to widely separated clusters, may be useful as parental material in chickpea breeding programmes aimed at generating variability and improving desirable traits.