Short communication. Genotype x environment interaction analysis in two chickpea RIL populations

In order to introduce new chickpea germplasm in Argentina, two recombinant inbred line (RIL) populations F-6.7 of twenty lines, each one derived from crosses between kabuli and desi types, were evaluated for yield components in different sites and years. Additive main effects and multiplicative interaction (AMMI) analysis was applied to study the performance of different genotypes in different environments. Genotype (G), environment (E) and GE interaction effects were highly significant in both populations for seeds/plant, yield/plant and seed size (100-seed weight). Large differences were observed between the two populations for seeds/plant and seed size. We recommend that some genotypes from these two populations with good performance in a range of environments could be used to introduce new germplasm to the Argentine chickpea breeding programme. The significant GE interactions seem to be related to differences between two geographical areas (Salta and Cordoba/San Luis), at different latitudes and altitudes. These results suggest that these regions should be considered as different macro-environments from the point of view of the chickpea breeding programme.