GENOTYPE BY ENVIRONMENT INTERACTION IN SELECTED CHICKPEA GENOTYPES: A FOCUS ON AMINO ACID COMPOSITION

Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is an important source of protein, amino acids, and other micronutrients, playing a significant role in sustainable agriculture and food security. However, understanding how different chickpea genotypes respond to diverse environmental conditions is crucial for breeding programs that enhance nutritional stability, particularly for protein content. This study evaluated 16 chickpea genotypes from the EMCAP panel grown across four different environments in 2019, 2020, and 2021in Italy and Romania to assess their Amino Acid content variability, genotype-by-environment interaction (GEI), and broad-sense heritability (H²). Using random effect models and variance component analysis, we estimated the contribution of genotype, environment, and GEI to total phenotypic variance. Results showed an appreciable mean concentration of essential amino acids such as Leucine(0.45mg/100mg) and lysine(0.42mg/100mg). Also, our analysis revealed no significant effect for genotype and genotype-by-environment interaction (GEI) for all amino acids except cysteine and Methionine while the environmental effect was significant in most cases. Residual variance explained the largest proportion of variance in all amino acids, suggesting substantial environmental variation within each trial. Broad-sense heritability for Amino acid content was negligible for all but Tyrosine, Cysteine, and Methionine, indicating that while genetic factors may contribute to amino acid levels, environmental effects are equally impactful. Additionally, a stability analysis identified genotypes with consistent amino acid levels across environments, promising candidates for breeding programs focused on enhancing their stability in chickpeas. This study highlights the importance of accounting for environmental variability in chickpea breeding and offers insights into selecting genotypes with high amino acid content and stability across different environments. These findings are crucial for developing resilient chickpea varieties adapted to diverse growing conditions, which will support global food security goals.