Expanding the genetic diversity of chickpeas from the Ukrainian genebank to new agricultural systems

Enhancing crop resilience to abiotic factors in an increasingly unstable climate is a critical challenge, one that can be met by actively using the existing gene pool of the crops. A total of 26 new chickpea lines with diverse ancestry were selected from the Ukrainian genebank with the objective of widening the genetic base and creating varieties that are more adaptable to the prevailing climatic conditions in Ukraine. The research was conducted between 2019 and 2021 at four distinct locations: dry forest-steppe, Kharkiv region (Elitne); wet forest-steppe, Poltava region (Ustymivka) and hyper-humid Polissya, Vinnytsia region (Bokhonyky); and the extremely arid conditions of the Odesa region (Khlibodarske, 2020). A GGE-biplot analysis was utilized to assess the adaptability of the chickpea lines to diverse environmental conditions. New breeding lines with an elevated degree of adaptability to the Ukrainian forest-steppe zone were identified. Furthermore, three new sources with potential resistance to hyper-humidity were identified (genotypes 2072, 2067 and 2065). Genotypes 2068 and 2088 have been registered in the NCPGRU as sources of complex valuable traits, and genotype 2087 has been registered as a source of high adaptability. New and existing chickpea accessions from the genebank of Ukraine can serve as the basis for the development of new breeding materials, thus helping solve modern challenges facing breeders.