Genetic Relationships among Yield and Component Traits in Chickpea Revealed Through Correlation and Path Coefficient Analysis

Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) yield stability in semi-arid regions is severely affected by terminal drought stress, necessitating the identification of key yield-determining traits for efficient selection across environments. The present study examined the association and causal relationships among seed yield and its component traits in advanced backcross introgression lines of chickpea evaluated under irrigated and rainfed conditions using phenotypic and genotypic correlation and path coefficient analysis. Seed yield per plant showed significant and positive correlations with pod yield per plant, pods per plant, seeds per plant, biological yield and harvest index under both environments. Under rainfed conditions, additional positive associations with plant height and hundred-seed weight highlighted the importance of biomass production and seed size under moisture stress. Path coefficient analysis revealed that biological yield per plant exerted the highest positive direct effect on seed yield, followed by harvest index and pod yield per plant in both environments. Traits exhibiting negative direct effects contributed positively to seed yield through substantial indirect effects via biological yield and pod yield per plant. Low residual effects indicated that the selected traits accounted for most of the variation in seed yield. The results identify biological yield, harvest index, pod yield per plant and seeds per plant as reliable selection indices for improving seed yield and drought resilience in chickpea.