AGROECOLOGICAL VARIABILITY OF SEED PROTEIN CONTENT IN CHICKPEA (Cicer arietinum L.) GENETIC RESOURCES

Abstract

The study evaluated variation in seed protein content among 30 chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) genetic resources grown under three agroecological conditions of Uzbekistan: Andijan, Surkhandarya, and Tashkent. Field observations collected in 2025 were analyzed to compare protein concentration and selected yield-related traits. Mean seed protein content was 24.18%, 24.07%, and 23.93% in Andijan, Surkhandarya, and Tashkent, respectively, indicating relatively small environmental differences for this nutritional trait. Considerable genotypic variation was observed. K-1492 (Xosildor) had the highest mean protein content (27.72%), followed by K-1486 (Sahro-1) (26.78%) and K-16747 (25.91%). K-1492 also showed the highest mean grain yield (23.67 centners ha−1), indicating a favorable combination of productivity and nutritional value. Grain yield showed positive associations with seed protein content (r=0.294), seeds per plant (r=0.392), and pods per plant (r=0.390). These results demonstrate the value of chickpea genetic resources for identifying materials combining high yield and improved seed quality. The selected genotypes may be useful as parental or starting materials in breeding programs targeting productive and nutritionally valuable chickpea cultivars adapted to diverse environments