Biochemical Basis of Resistance in Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) against Wilt Complex

Abstract

Background: The chickpea wilt complex caused by several soil-borne pathogens, is the most destructive disease of chickpea that causes severe losses in yield worldwide. The development of a resistant variety is the most appropriate approach for managing the disease. Methods: The present investigation was aimed to find out the resistant sources against the wilt complex of chickpea under pot conditions and studies on biochemical characters responsible for disease resistance during rabi 2018-19 and 2019-20 at Anand Agricultural University, Anand, Gujarat. Result: Among the thirty-seven varieties/germplasm of chickpea, the final disease reaction of two years revealed that two varieties/germplasm viz., GJG-6 and GAG-0624 showed a resistant reaction and three varieties/germplasm (GJG-3, Dayadara and Khedbrahma) showed a moderately resistant reaction. The biochemical analysis of the resistant and susceptible varieties/germplasm revealed that healthy roots of resistant and susceptible germplasm showed higher moisture content (85.90-88.42%), while it was lower (74.71-80.22%) in diseased roots. Concerning protein content, the least (32.14%) decrease in protein content was recorded in resistant germplasm, whereas, the highest decrease of 41.79 per cent was recorded in susceptible germplasm. W.r.t. to phenol content, diseased roots of resistant and susceptible germplasm contained higher phenol content compared to healthy roots. Similarly, the minimum per cent decrease in total soluble sugars content (32.14%) was observed in resistant germplasm, while it was highest (41.82%) in susceptible germplasm.