Differential Response of Seed Germination Frequency and Early Seedling Growth of Five Varieties of Chickpea (Cicer arietinum) Under Heat Stress

Cicer arietinum is an important pulse crop and grown as third most important legume in the world. Chickpea productivity is constrained by several abiotic stresses. Temperature is a critical determinant of crop growth over a range of environment and may limit the chickpea yield. The present work used five chickpea genotypes viz. RSG-888, GNG-1581, C-235, CSJD-884 and RSG-895 to study the effect of heat stress on germination and early seedling. On this basis, efficiency of thermotolerance among the genotypes used was predicted. Heat stress was imposed to 30°C, 35°C and 40°C temperature for 24 h. The control plates with chickpea seeds were showing only ~21 to 24% germination after 24 h while stressed treated seeds with 30°C and 35°C for 24 h showed the germination frequency of about ~90 to 96% in all the five genotypes. After 24 h treatment at 40°C temperature, seeds were showing good germination efficiency ~71 to 83% as compared to control but reduced germination efficiency with regard to 30°C and 35°C treated seeds. The screening of thermotolerant genotype was done at 40°C as there was no significant difference in seed germination among all the five varieties in response to both 30°C and 35°C temperature. Amongst the genotypes used, C-235 was the most sensitive variety with only ~56% germination frequency and unhealthy germinated seedlings. CSJD-884 and RSG-895 genotypes were more tolerant with ~81% and ~83% germination frequency and healthy seedlings, at 40°C. Taken together, our results indicate that all the three temperatures were showing positive affect on seed germination and germinating seedlings length.