Prioritization of Physio-Biochemical Selection Indices and Yield-Attributing Traits toward the Acquisition of Drought Tolerance in Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.)

Abstract

Chickpea is widely grown in rainfed areas of developing countries because of its nutritional abundance and adaptability. To overcome the environmental effect of drought on yield, a characteristic-linked selection strategy is proved as well-thought-out and advantageous for the development of drought-tolerant cultivars. To precisely understand the contribution of various physio-biochemical and yield-attributing traits toward drought tolerance in chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.), forty chickpea genotypes were evaluated in the years 2020–2021 and 2021–2022 under normal irrigated as well as drought-stressed conditions. Among the studied genotypes, genotype ICC4958 retained the highest chl content (0.55 mg g−1 FW), minimal electrolyte leakage, and superoxide dismutase (1.48 U/mg FW) and peroxidase (2.21 µmol/min/g FW) activities while cultivar JG11 maintained the maximum relative water content and proline accumulation. The principal-component-based biplots prioritized the physio-biochemical and yield-accrediting characteristics based on their association significance and contribution to terminal drought tolerance. Under drought stress, grain yield per plant was depicted to have a strongly positive association with canopy temperature depression, catalase, superoxide dismutase, and peroxidase activities as well as total soluble sugar, proline, and chlorophyll content, along with the numbers of pods and biological yield per plant. These identified physio-biochemical and yield-attributing traits can be further deployed to select drought-tolerant chickpea genotypes for the breeding of climate-smart chickpea genotypes.

Unveiling the Potential of Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) Varietal Performance Evaluation through Organic Nutrient Management

“…According to [20,21,22], a proper leaf area index (LAI) balances the growth of each crop organ and is a key indicator of high crop output by coordinating the link between the crop's source and sink. Moreover, dry matter is accumulated in leaves up to a leaf area index of 5; thereafter, further increases in dry matter were trans-located to the stem [23].…”

A Comparison of the Physiological Traits and Gene Expression of Brassinosteroids Signaling under Drought Conditions in Two Chickpea Cultivars

“…Drought stress during the flowering stage is the major cause of yield loss in chickpeas [3]. Among various factors limiting chickpea growth, drought stress, especially at the end of the growing season, can cause a 33 to 45 percent reduction in yield [4].…”

Screening of Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) Genotypes against Drought Stress Employing Polyethylene Glycol 6000 as Selecting Agent

“…The primary goal of modern India is to achieve selfsufficiency in pulse productivity. To accomplish this, the overall yield and area under chickpea are being increased, and non-irrigated locations are being targeted due to the difficulties of unexpected water scarcity conditions [11][12][13][14][15][16].…”