Biochemical and phenological evaluation of chickpea genotypes differing in drought tolerance

Field experiment was conducted to study the mechanism of moisture stress tolerance during flowering and grain filling stages in chickpea genotypes, and its impact on seed yield. Eight chickpea genotypes (four tolerant and four susceptible) of different adaptations were taken for the study. Soil moisture extraction pattern showed that chickpea crop drew soil moisture from deeper root zone upto 90-cm depth. Greater accumulation of solutes like sugar, soluble proteins and proline content was observed under moisture stress condition at 105 DAS. However, at the later stage of crop growth (125 DAS) under rainfed condition, the soluble protein and soluble sugar contents decreased below the irrigatedcontrol plants, while proline content was slightly higher than control plants. Under rainfed condition greater accumulation of solutes occurred at comparatively higher osmotic potential at 105 DAS than at 125 DAS, when plants showed much lower osmotic potential. Susceptible chickpea genotypes showed reduced grain filling duration (11–14 days) and greater reduction in seed yield as compared to tolerant genotypes. Thus, it can be concluded that chickpea genotypes have osmoregulation as mechanism of drought tolerance at lower osmotic potential.