Genetic Progress over 36 Years of Chickpea Breeding in Ethiopia

Evaluation of varieties from different eras in a common environment is the most direct of the several methods that have been used to estimate breeding progress. Two sets of experiments comprising ten Desi type chickpea and nine Kabuli type chickpea varieties were conducted at Debre Zeit and Akaki to estimate the amount of genetic gain made over time in grain yield potential and changes in morphological characters associated with genetic yield potential improvement of Desi and Kabuli type chickpea varieties. The varieties were laid down in a randomized complete block design with three replications in 2010 cropping season.