Genetic variability for protein, zinc, and iron content in a chickpea collection under no-tillage system conditions

The development of nutrient-dense chickpea cultivars is a promising way to cope with nutrient deficiency. No-tillage is a sustainable agricultural practice that can help mitigate the adverse effects of climate change on crop productivity. Developing biofortified chickpea cultivars under no-tillage system could optimize the benefits of this agricultural practice, enhancing both productivity and the grain nutritional quality. In this study, the genetic variability for protein, zinc, and iron content was assessed in a chickpea collection grown under no-tillage system in Morocco in order to select accessions with superior quality traits. Substantial genetic variation was recorded for protein (8.08–29.58%), zinc (11.04–35.02 mg/kg), and iron (17.04–86.58 mg/kg) contents. High heritability value was obtained for zinc content (65.83%) compared to protein (15.38%) and iron (10.7%) content, suggesting high potential selection gain for this trait. Conventional tillage yielded higher protein and iron contents, while no-tillage showed the higher zinc content. MGIDI allowed the selection of 22 chickpea accessions that could be used as donors for protein, zinc, and iron biofortification under no-tillage conditions.