The moth bean (Vigna aconitifolia (Jacq.) Maréchal) is a pulse crop of significant economic value in the arid regions of India, known for their harsh drought conditions and extremely hot summers. In a comprehensive evaluation of phenotypic diversity, this study analyzed 300 moth bean accessions, taking into account seven qualitative and eight quantitative traits. The study uncovered extensive variability within the quantitative traits, in contrast to the qualitative traits which presented limited diversity. Analysis of variance demonstrated highly significant differences among the accessions for all measured quantitative traits, with the exception of plant height. The traits displayed a strong correlation between phenotypic and genotypic coefficients of variation, suggesting minimal environmental influence on trait expression. Notably, most traits showed high heritability with significant genetic advance potential, a pattern not observed for plant height and the number of seeds per pod, indicating these traits may be more complex and influenced by environmental factors. This research underlines the vast phenotypic diversity present in moth bean accessions and suggests a promising direction for future breeding programs aimed at enhancing crop resilience and productivity in arid environments.

Drought, moth bean, quantitative traits, heritability and phenotypic diversity

This study revealed that moth bean accessions comprised a wide range of variability for yield and yield attributing traits, which could be utilised to improve this valuable but neglected pulse crop. However, qualitative traits showed limited variability, but contrasting forms of some qualitative traits can be used to cross desirable parents and identify hybrid progeny. Accessions dominated the collection, with the semi-erect plant growth habit contributing 56.19 % of the total collection. Almost all the traits exhibited a close relationship between phenotypic and genotypic coefficients of variation, indicating that environment had little effect on their expression and direct selection can be done for improvement.

Monika Punia, Lalit Kumar Rolaniya, Ram Lal Jat, Ashok Kumar Parihar and Sudheer Kumar (2023). Phenotypic Variability Analysis of Moth Bean (Vigna aconitifolia) Accessions under Drought and Heat Stress Conditions. Biological Forum – An International Journal, 15(11): 483-488.