Genetic analysis and characterization of diverse pigeonpea genotypes for yield-enhancing traits

Developing improved pigeonpea varieties is vital to ensure food and nutritional security. However, understanding the nature and extent of genetic variability and trait association is crucial to design an appropriate breeding strategy. Hence, the present study aimed to ascertain the genetic variability through multivariate analysis in a diverse pigeonpea germplasm for yield-enhancing traits. Traits, number of primary branches per plant (NPB), secondary branches per plant (NSB), pods per plant (PP), and grain yield per plant (GY) possessed high variability. High heritability coupled with high genetic advance was recorded for days to 50% flowering (DFF), NPB, NSB, PP, test weight (TW), and GY. Trait association revealed grain yield is significantly and positively associated with PH, NPB, NSB, PP, SPP, and TW. Path analysis revealed that the highest direct positive effect of traits on grain yield was by PP followed by NSB, NPB, SPP, and TW. Principal component analysis revealed that the first two PCs accounted for maximum variability and explained 42.01% of the total variability. The traits, PP and SPP contributed the maximum to variance. Thus, the selection of genotypes with a higher number of PP and higher SPP would be rewarding. Cluster analysis grouped 106 genotypes into ten clusters. Selection of the genotypes from different clusters based on their performance would yield superior recombinants upon hybridization. Overall, the study revealed the pattern of genetic variability present in a set of pigeonpea genotypes for yield-enhancing traits and this scientific lead helps in designing appropriate breeding strategies for the genetic improvement of pigeonpea cultivars.