Root-based Responses of Well-watered and Water-stressed Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) Genotypes Varying for Drought Tolerance and Biomass

Abstract

Background: Chickpea is a pivotal grain legume crop and is grown in rain-fed conditions where its production has been challenged by drought. Methods: To understand precisely the root-based responses to well-watered (WW) and water-stressed (WS) treatments, 14 chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) genotypes differing in drought tolerance and biomass were studied in 100-cm cylinders under glasshouse conditions. Result: The genotypes exhibited significant variations in rooting depths ranging from 84.5 to 100.3 cm and 78.7 to 121 cm in WW and WS treatments, respectively and root biomasses varied from 0.23 to 1.01 g and 0.38 to 0.91 g. The average root biomass of drought-tolerant genotypes was 61.3% in WS treatment and 64.4% in WW treatment higher than that of drought-sensitive genotypes. Moreover, genotype with high biomass revealed greater root biomass and deeper rooting than the genotype with low biomass in both treatments. The root biomass in the deeper soil profile differed between drought-tolerant and drought-sensitive genotypes and was generally greater in WS compared to WW treatment. Overall, screening the variability in root features of chickpea genotypes with varying levels of drought tolerance and biomass contributes to new insights for understanding drought adaptation mechanisms and the improvement of new cultivars with superior root traits in breeding programs.