Plant genetic resources are valuable source of desirable agronomic traits that can be used in croprnimprovement. These resources are constantly threatened by both natural and human-caused risks.rnChickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) germplasm is one of the crops affected by these factors. Regularrnchickpea diversity monitoring in farmers' fields, as well as characterization and evaluation ofrnEthiopian chickpea germplasm in ex-situ, are essential in order to build viable conservationrnstrategies and undertake breeding initiatives. However, in Ethiopia chickpea, the abovementionedrninformation is limited. As a result, this research began with the general objective ofrndetermining the diversity of Ethiopian chickpea germplasm and its potential for frost resistance,rnas well as determining the degree to which chickpea on-farm diversity has changed over time. Inrnthe study, molecular analysis was conducted to determine the genetic diversity, populationrnstructure, and relationships of 152 chickpea genotypes using simple sequence repeats (SSR)rnmarkers. There were 133 alleles observed using 23 polymorphic SSR markers, with a mean ofrn5.8 alleles per locus. Pairwise population Nei's genetic distance, heterozygosity (0.4), Shannon'srninformation index (1.2), Gene Diversity (0.67), polymorphic information content (0.63), andrnpercent polymorphism (99.5%) were among the genetic-based statistics used in the study. Thesernstudies demonstrated that there was high genetic variation within and among chickpearngenotypes. The 152 genotypes were divided into two groups on UPGMA tree developed basedrnon Nei's genetic distances. The exotic genotypes were all grouped together in one cluster,rnshowing that they are distinct from Ethiopian genotypes. However, seed exchange causedrninconsistencies in the patterns of grouping Ethiopian chickpea genotypes by geographic location.rnTwo separate populations were discovered using model-based population structure clustering.rnThese findings can be used to create efficient conservation approaches and breeding initiatives tornenhance the genetic diversity of chickpeas. To assess the potential of Ethiopian chickpea for frostrnresistance, a frost screening study was carried out in a natural field and in controlled conditions.rnSix hundred seventy-three genotypes were characterized for two years (2018/2019 to 2019/2020)rnusing an augmented design at Bakelo, Debre Birhan, Ethiopia, a place as national frost screeningrnsite. A significant (p