Identifying chickpea genotypes with superior agronomic traits for intercropping with flax

Intercropping is a cropping system that cultivates multiple crop species concurrently. An intercropping system is most productive when there is minimal competition and maximum facilitation between crop components. The objectives of this study were to (i) evaluate the growth and yield of chickpea (Cicer arietinum) genotypes/cultivars in sole crop and intercrop with flax (Linum usitatissimum), (ii) assess genotypic variability among chickpea genotypes when competing with flax in an intercrop, and (iii) identify superior chickpea genotypes and agronomic traits for intercropping. Sixteen chickpea genotypes were intercropped with one common flax cultivar in Sidney, MT, in 2021 and 2022. Land equivalent ratio (LER) and net effect ratio (NER) were calculated to determine whether intercropping was advantageous over sole cropping. Genotype plus genotype by environment interaction (GGE) biplots were used to identify chickpea genotypes adaptable to sole and intercropping systems. Finally, correlations among plant traits were examined. Intercropping chickpeas with flax significantly improved land-use efficiency, with LER values consistently exceeding 1.0. Notably, several chickpea genotypes displayed high LER and NER values, suggesting their suitability for intercropping systems. GGE biplot analysis identified a series of advanced breeding lines from North Dakota State University as superior genotypes across multiple parameters in both cropping systems. In particular, the NDC160138 genotype consistently outperformed other genotypes in the intercropping system and can be selected for intercropping with flax. Chickpea shoot length and pods per plant are the traits highly associated with the yield of chickpea in the intercropping, thereby they can be used to screen genotypes for intercropping.

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