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Plant Science Today (PST)

Research Articles

Vol. 13 No. 3 (2026)

Unveiling genetic diversity and drought tolerance in chickpea genotypes using important indices and microsatellite markers

DOI
https://doi.org/10.14719/pst.13319
Submitted
23 December 2025
Published
24-07-2026 — Updated on 29-09-2026
Versions

Abstract

Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is a vital food legume worldwide, rich in proteins, minerals and vitamins. However, its production is significantly impacted by drought stress. Marker-assisted selection offers a promising approach to enhance chickpea resilience to abiotic stresses. This investigation aimed to assess the genetic diversity and putative drought tolerance ability among 78 chickpea genotypes using drought tolerance indices and 19 gene-specific microsatellite markers. A total of 15 microsatellite markers exhibited polymorphism with PIC values ranging from 0.2265 to 0.6744, indicating the presence of substantial genetic variation. Drought tolerance indices, including the relative drought index (RDI), geometric mean productivity, yield index and stress tolerance index, were calculated to evaluate putative genotypic response against drought. Results indicated significant variations in drought tolerance among genotypes, as some genotypes showed higher tolerance based on the indices. Genotype SAGL-162371 showed the highest yield under control (26.02 g/plant) and stress (23.68 g/plant) conditions, along with maximum value for YI (1.8571), STI (2.3941) and GMP (24.8216), while SAGL-22-112 displayed the highest RDI (1.2531). Population structure analysis revealed two subpopulations and AMOVA indicated that 91 % of genetic variation occurred within populations. Cluster analysis, principal coordinate analysis and population structure analysis were employed to assess genetic relationships among the genotypes. These results underscore the presence of substantial molecular and phenotypic diversity, providing valuable genetic resources to develop drought-tolerant chickpea cultivar(s).

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