Wide range of genetic variation lentil diversity panel for agronomic and yield component traits in multi-location trial.in lentil diversity panel under diverse environments

Abstract

Lentil (Lens culinaris) is a nutritionally and agronomically important legume crop, valued for its protein-rich seeds and its contribution to sustainable farming systems. To better exploit natural genetic variation, identify key agronomic and yield-related traits, accelerate genetic improvement, and address major challenges such as climate change, disease resistance, and yield stability, the development of a well-phenotyped diversity panel is essential. In this study, a total of 294 lentil accessions were evaluated at two ICARDA research stations: Terbol, Lebanon, and Marchouch, Morocco, during the 2023–24 growing season. The experiments were laid out in an alpha lattice design with two replications at each location. Several agronomic and yield component traits were recorded at both sites. Spatial row and column analysis of variance revealed highly significant differences among accessions for all measured traits in both environments (p < 0.001), indicating substantial phenotypic variability. Cluster analysis grouped the accessions into six clusters at Marchouch and four clusters at Terbol, reflecting differences in trait expression across environments. Principal component analysis (PCA) showed that the first three principal components (PC1, PC2, and PC3) explained 73.68% and 61.9% of the total variation at Marchouch and Terbol, respectively. Grain yield per plant (GYPO) and biomass per plant (BYPO) contributed the largest share of variation at both locations. At Terbol, PC1 (33.3%) was strongly associated with GYPO and BYPO, while at Marchouch, PC1 (26.48%) also showed strong associations with these traits. These results demonstrate considerable phenotypic diversity within the evaluated lentil panel and provide a valuable foundation for genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and marker-assisted selection in lentil breeding programs.