A set of 520 chickpea germplasm lines was screened under laboratory conditions using blotter paper technique for reaction to dry root rot caused by Rhizoctonia bataticola (Taub.) Butler. The lines PG06102, BG2094 and IC552137 were identified as resistant for dry root rot. Phenotyping the mapping population consisting of 129 F2:3 progeny derived from the cross L550 × PG06102 during 2013 winter indicated monogenic inheritance of dry root rot resistance. Fifty‐two of 381 simple sequence repeat (SSR) primers polymorphic between the two parents were used to genotype F2 resistant and susceptible bulks prepared on the basis of reaction of F2:3 progeny. Four markers differentiated the resistant and susceptible bulks. All the four polymorphic markers were then assayed on the entire F2 population. Linkage analysis using 129 F2 plants revealed that two markers ICCM0299 and ICCM0120b were co‐segregating with resistance to dry root rot. These two markers appeared to have additive effects on resistance and could be potentially utilized in dry root resistance breeding programme.

Among the various biotic stresses, dry root rot caused by Rhizoctonia bataticola is becoming severe in most chickpea growing regions of India where the crop is grown under rain fed conditions causing 30-40 per cent yield loss. In this context, 520 chickpea genotypes were screened in the laboratory condition using Blotter Paper Technique to study the reaction of the genotypes to the Rhizoctonia bataticola and to identify resistance source for the disease. Among 520 genotypes, three were resistant viz., PG 06102, BG 2094 and IC 552137; 21 were moderate resistant viz., IC 15167, IC 2867, JAKI 9218, ICC 9023, ICC-14346, IC-269768, PG 01103, Pule 9801, KGD 120, NbeG 28, WR 315, IC-269488, IC 552198, IC 552178, IC 552132, IC 552320, IC 552214, IC 552232, CLH 29, IC 552102, IC 552224; 76 were moderate susceptible, 337 were susceptible and the rest eighty three were highly susceptible for dry root rot. The identified resistant genotypes may serve as potential donors in chickpea resistance breeding programme for dry root rot.

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Corn is one of the most important cereal crops in the world with highest yield potential. Nevertheless, its potential productivity is constrained by the occurrences of drought stress worldwide. Besides, in the era of climate change, frequent occurrences of severe droughts are predicted. The present investigation was carried out at Main Agricultural Research Station, University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad in split plot design to study response of twenty-eight new corn inbreds under drought free (well-watered) conditions and drought simulated by withholding irrigation from 40 to 75 DAS to create water stress. Significant differences among the corn inbreds, moisture treatments and interaction between inbreds were observed for morpho-physiological, yield and yield components indicating differential response of corn inbreds. The inbreds CAL 1426–2 (higher RWC, SLW& wax and lower ASI), PDM 4641(higher SLW, proline, & wax, and lower ASI) and GPM 114 (higher proline & wax, and lower ASI) were drought tolerant. These inbreds are having higher production potential (>5.0 t/ha) under moisture stress condition with less per cent reduction (<24.4%) over non-moisture stress condition and hence are putative candidates for developing drought tolerant hybrids suitable for rainfed ecosystem besides using them in population improvement program to combine different drought tolerant mechanisms to evolve highly potent drought tolerant inbreds. The results of the study suggested that proline content, wax content, anthesis silking interval, relative water content can be better surrogate traits to identify drought tolerant inbreds in corn.