Characterization of Italian Chickpea (Cicer Arietinum L.) Germplasm by Multidisciplinary Approach.

Characterization of 15 chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) accessions (6 cultivars, 3 selected lines and 6 landraces) was performed using morphological, agronomic, and technological traits, together with biochemical (seed storage proteins) and molecular markers. Field trials, performed in two different geographical areas of Southern Italy, one in a plain area near Tyrrhenian sea and one in an hilly internal area, revealed a high influence of field location on yield. A wide variation was also registered for technological traits and molecular markers. Microsatellite (SSR) markers grouped chickpea accessions in different clusters, providing useful information on genetic variation and relationships among them, with polymorphic fragments useful to discriminate among all accessions. On the contrary, seed storage protein pattern showed scarce variation resulting very similar among all the accessions considered.