Plant water status, canopy temperature and chlorophyll fluorescence in relation to yield improvement in chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) under soil moisture stress environments

The chickpea genotypes alongwith F4 progeny lines differing in their behavior towards drought stress were evaluated for seed yield, yield attributes and physiological traits related to drought tolerance. Parental genotypes, HC 1 and ICC 4958 were grown under both irrigated and drought conditions and progenies were grown under drought conditions only. Plant water status, relative stress injury (RSI), canopy temperature depression (CTD) and chlorophyll fluorescence (Fv/Fm) were measured at 50% flowering stage under drought conditions. Drought stress decreased the leaf water potential (LWP), leaf osmotic potential (LOP) and relative water content (RWC) in the plants. The water potential, osmotic potential, relative water content and relative stress injury in HC 1 were -1.20 MPa, -1.31 MPa, 59.2% and 31.28% respectively and in ICC 4958 were -1.00 MPa, -1.74 MPa, 66.58% and 20.93% respectively, under drought condition. Increase in CTD was 0.9 0C in ICC 4958 as compared to 2.06 0C in HC 1. The ICC 4958 maintained higher Fv/Fm ratio than HC 1 in both irrigated and drought conditions. There is a significant positive correlation between water potential, osmotic potential and RWC with seed yield, whereas, RSI and seed yield were negatively correlated. CTD has a significant negative correlation with WP, OP, RWC and seed yield. The seed yield of HC 1 and ICC 4958 were decreased under drought condition but decrease in yield of genotype ICC 4958 (24.96%) was less than genotype HC 1 (37.32%).

Traits of significance for screening of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) genotypes under terminal drought stress

Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is mainly grown in rainfed area and terminal drought stress is one of the major constrain to chickpea production in India. The present study was undertaken to identify the traits of significance that contribute towards terminal drought tolerance in chickpea. The two chickpea genotypes HC-1 (drought sensitive) and RSG 931 (drought tolerant) and F3 progeny lines of cross HC-1 × RSG 931 were grown in drought microplots and data was recorded for root and physiological traits under terminal drought stress. The results showed wide variation for root and physiological traits in HC-1, RSG 931 and F3 progeny lines of chickpea. Significant positive correlation was recorded between seed yield and water potential; seed yield and RWC; seed yield and quantum yield of photosystem II,,whereas root traits were not positively correlated with seed yield. The results of present study showed that physiological parameters could be reliable tools for screening of terminal drought tolerance in chickpea