Effect of Drought Stress on Growth Analytical Parameters and Yield of Red Gram (Cajanus cajan L.) Genotypes

The present investigation was carried out to study the influence of drought stress on growth attributes and yield in a set of eighteen genotypes of pigeonpea which were subjected to drought stress in two of the phenophases of growth namely flowering and pod maturation stages. The results revealed that water deficit imposed at flowering and pod maturation stages resulted in significant reduction in leaf area (LA), leaf area duration(LAD), total dry matter accumulation (TDMA), net assimilation rate (NAR), crop growth rate (CGR) and relative growth rate (RGR). COPH 2, VRG 17 and VBN 2 showed minimal reductions in growth analytical parameters under water deficit ascompared to ICPL11375, ICPL4777 and ICPL 6997. High seed yield and harvest index were observed in COPH 2, ICPL 12755 and ICPL 12974 under moisture stress treatments, whereas, low yield and harvest index were noticed in CO 5, ICPL 4777 and ICPL 6997.