Impact of Osmotic Stress on Seed Germination and Seedling Growth in Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.)

Osmotic stress is one of the major constraints in the global production of economically important crops by adversely affecting their yield, quality and energy costs. Cicer arietinum L. commonly known as chickpea is an important pulse crop worldwide due to its high protein content and agronomic significance. Chickpea is susceptible to osmotic stress and effects its productivity on a large scale. The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of osmotic stress on seed germination and seedling growth.

Osmotic stress was induced using three different concentrations of PEG-6000 (5%, 10% and 15%). Distilled water treatment was used as control. Percentage of seed germination, seedling growth, enzymatic activity of amylase and protease and protein content of chickpea was evaluated after a week.

Osmotic stress considerably affected seed germination as well as all other allied traits. Studies showed that increase in osmotic stress decreased the percentage of seed germination. Seeds treated with 5% PEG considerably improved the length of the plumule and radicle, fresh and dry weight when compared to control in Cicer arietinum. The enzymatic activity of protease increased with increasing osmotic gradients. Seeds treated with 15% PEG showed maximum protein content. This study contributes to current knowledge of the physiological responses of chickpea to osmotic stress and may assist in the development of strategies to enhance crop resilience and productivity under adverse environment conditions.