genetic analysis of podding and pod characteristics in chickpea (cicer arietinum l.)

five genotypes of chickpea as a half diallel crossed with each other, in 2008, 5 parents and 10 progenies were planted as randomized complete block design and some traits including days to podding, basal pod height, number of pods per plant, number of double seed pods per plant, number of single seed pods per plant, number of empty pods per plant, seeds per plant and seed yield per plant were evaluated. according to diallel variance analysis, for the traits the basal pod height and number of empty pods per plant, only additive genetic effects was significant. for number of double seed pods per plant only non-additive genetic effects were significant and for other traits, both of additive and non-additive genetic effects were significant. the degree of dominance average for the basal pod height was lower than one and for other traits was more than one. narrow sense heritability exception of basal pod height (0.47) that relatively high, in the other traits was low, which shows the inheritance of these traits is quantitative and complex. therefore, probably of successful selection these traits in early generations are low. direction of dominance were negative for days to podding, number of double seed pods per plant, seed number and seed yield per plant that indicating amplifier effects of dominant genes for these traits, while the positive direction of dominance for basal pod height, number of pod, number of single seed pods per plant and number of empty pods per plant illustrates the effect of reducing dominant genes.