Two major genes for seed size in chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.)

Seed size as determined by seed weight, is an important trait for trade and component of yield and adaptation in chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.). Inheritance of seed size in chickpea was studied in a cross between ICC11255, a normal seed size parent (average 120 mg seed−1) and ICC 5002, a small seed size parent (average 50 mg seed−1). Seed weight observations on individual plants of parents, F1, F2, and backcross generations, along with reciprocal cross generations revealed that the normal seed size was dominant over small seed size. No maternal effect was detected for seed size. The numbers of individuals with normal, small and medium (average 150 mg seed−1) seed sizes in F2 population were 1237, 323 and 111 fitting well to the expected ratio of 12:3:1 (χ2 = 0.923, P = 0.630). The segregation data of backcross generations also indicated that seed size in chickpea was controlled by two genes with dominance epistasis. We designate the genotype of ICC 11255 as Sd1Sd1sd2sd2, and ICC 5002 as sd1sd1Sd2Sd2 wherein Sd1 is epistatic to Sd2 and sd2 alleles.