Leaf shape × sowing density interaction affects chickpea grain yield

Modifying plant architecture is considered a promising breeding option to enhance crop productivity. Modern chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) cultivars with either compound (wild-type) or simple leaf shapes are commercially grown but the relationships between leaf shape and yield are not well understood. In this study, a random sample of 'Kabuli' type progeny lines of both leaf types, derived from two crosses between modern American simple leaf cultivars and early-flowering wild-type breeding lines, were planted at different sowing densities. Leaf area development and final grain yield in genotypes of the two leaf types responded differently to changes in sowing densities. Compound leaf lines attained higher leaf area indices and higher grain yields at both low and high sowing densities. Yield responses of the simple leaf lines to increasing sowing density were significantly higher compared to compound leaf genotypes in two of three field experiments. The prospects for utilizing the simple leaf trait as a breeding target for short-season growing areas are discussed.