Chickpea Production Research Articles

Seed priming with Aloe vera and Trichoderma asperellum improves germination in chickpea under osmotic and temperature stress

The productivity of chickpea is often hampered by drought and extreme temperatures, especially during the early growth stages, which are intensifying with climate change. Chickpea seeds were primed with Aloe vera leaf extract (AvLE), Trichoderma asperellum and their combination. Primed seeds were subjected to osmotic stress (0.0, -0.15 and -0.50 MPa) or temperature stress (high, 30°C; optimum, 20°C; and low, 15°C). Seed priming with AvLE and T. asperellum significantly improved chickpea performance under osmotic or temperature stress conditions in comparison to hydro-primed seeds. Under osmotic stress, AvLE seed priming increased germination, seedling length, seedling dry weight, vigour index I and vigour index II by 18.4%, 54%, 25.6%, 50.8% and 64.7%, respectively. Similarly, under temperature stress, AvLE enhanced the germination and vigour index I by 12% and 22.9%, respectively, while T. asperellum treatment resulted in a 15.8% increase in seedling length. The findings suggest that AvLE priming enhances the resilience chickpea seeds to adverse environmental conditions. Future investigations should focus on unravelling the physiological and molecular stress response mechanisms underlying the observed germination and growth improvements provided by AvLE.

Influence of plant growth regulators and nutrients on growth and productivity of chickpea under fluctuating environments

Influence of plant growth regulators and nutrients on growth and productivity of chickpea under fluctuating environments

Yield Response of Chick Pea (Cicer arietinum L.) Varieties to NPS Fertilizer

Low soil fertility status and reduced biological nitrogen fixation are some of the major constraints in limiting chickpea yield. Thus, an experiment was conducted with the objective of assessing the effect of blended NPS fertilizer rates on the yield and yield components and economic advantages of chickpea varieties. The experiment was done using randomized complete block design with five NPS rates (0, 50, 75, 100 and 125 kg ha-1) and three chick pea varieties (Arerty, Shasho and Teketay) in three replications. The result showed that the main effect of variety had significant effect on days to 50% flowering, days to maturity, plant height, population at harvest, number of secondary branches, number of pods per plant, number of seed per pod, 100 seed weight, biological yield, grain yield and harvest index. Application of NPS significantly influenced number of pod per plant, biological yield, grain yield and harvest index. In addition, the pooled effect of the two factors showed highly significant differences on days to 50% germination, population at emergence and primary plant branches. Hence, Arerty variety showed an increased yield throughout the applied rates and attained its highest yield (3166.70 kg) at 125 kg ha-1 NPS applied along with the highest profit gaining. Shasho variety also showed a positive yield response at all treated plots as compared to the control; but attained maximum yield (2861 kg ha-1) at 100 kg ha-1 NPS applied. However, maximum profit was attained at rate of 75 kg ha-1 NPS. Teketay variety attained highest yield (3138.70 kg ha-1) at 100 kg ha-1 NPS applied; however its highest benefit to cost ratio (1.73) with highest economic benefit was reached at 50 kg ha-1 NPS applied. Thus, based on results obtained from this study, it can be concluded that using 100kg, 75kg and 50kg of NPS fertilizer ha-1 application for Arerty, Shasho, and Teketay varieties respectively improved productivity of chickpea with economically significant amount at the vicinity of the research area.

Metabolite profiling of chickpea (Cicer arietinum) in response to necrotrophic fungus Ascochyta rabiei.

Ascochyta blight (AB) caused by the necrotrophic fungus Ascochyta rabiei is one of the most significant diseases that limit the production of chickpea. Understanding the metabolic mechanisms underlying chickpea-A.rabiei interactions will provide important clues to develop novel approaches to manage this disease. We performed metabolite profiling of the aerial tissue (leaf and stem) of two chickpea accessions comprising a moderately resistant breeding line (CICA1841) and a highly susceptible cultivar (Kyabra) in response to one of the highly aggressive Australian A. rabiei isolates TR9571 via non-targeted metabolomics analysis using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. The results revealed resistance and susceptibility-associated constitutive metabolites for example the moderately resistant breeding line had a higher mass abundance of ferulic acid while the levels of catechins, phthalic acid, and nicotinic acid were high in the susceptible cultivar. Further, the host-pathogen interaction resulted in the altered levels of various metabolites (induced and suppressed), especially in the susceptible cultivar revealing a possible reason for susceptibility against A.r abiei. Noticeably, the mass abundance of salicylic acid was induced in the aerial tissue of the susceptible cultivar after fungus colonization, while methyl jasmonate (MeJA) was suppressed, elucidating the key role of phytohormones in chickpea-A. rabiei interaction. Many differential metabolites in flavonoid biosynthesis, phenylalanine, Aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis, pentose and glucuronate interconversions, arginine biosynthesis, valine, leucine, and isoleucine biosynthesis, and alanine, aspartate, and glutamate metabolism pathways were up- and down-regulated showing the involvement of these metabolic pathways in chickpea-A. rabiei interaction. Taken together, this study highlights the chickpea - A. rabiei interaction at a metabolite level and shows how A. rabiei differentially alters the metabolite profile of moderately resistant and susceptible chickpea accessions and is probably exploiting the chickpea defense pathways in its favour.

Water consumption and crop productivity of chickpea depending on herbicide application in the conditions of the Southern Steppe of Ukraine

Water consumption and crop productivity of chickpea depending on herbicide application in the conditions of the Southern Steppe of Ukraine

Optimizing Chickpea Yield: GGE Biplot Analysis of Sowing Seasons

Maximizing chickpea production in varying environmental conditions is crucial for ensuring food security and agricultural sustainability. This study addresses this challenge by evaluating sixty-six chickpea genotypes across winter and spring sowing seasons over two years (2016-17 and 2017-18). Utilizing an Augmented Trial Design with three replications and six check varieties, the study reveals significant effects of genotype, sowing season, and their interaction on all examined traits (p≤0.01). Notably, winter sowing season led to a substantial increase in yield, demonstrating up to a 57.1% improvement compared to spring sowing season. The first two components of principal component analysis accounted for 67% of the total variation of chickpea genotypes. In the examined traits, the lowest variation was observed in 100 seed weight, followed by seed yield. Biplot analysis, Pearson’s correlation, and heatmap analysis indicated a positive association of seed yield with pod number of plant and seed number per plant, yet a negative association for plant height, first pod height and 100 seed weight. SMN56, SMN57, and SMN51 genotypes consistently performed well across both sowing and growing seasons for desired traits. Furthermore, genotypes SMN13, SMN20, SMN37, SMN38, and SMN54 excelled during spring sowing season, while Gülümser, İnci, Aydın 92, SMN14, SMN20, and SMN39 were superior in winter. This study not only underscores the advantage of winter sowing for improved yield and other traits but also demonstrates the effectiveness of GGE biplot analysis in genotype selection, offering valuable implications for future chickpea breeding efforts.

Constraints faced by beneficiary farmers in adoption of improved chickpea production technology in Malwa pleatue of Madhya Pradesh

Constraints faced by beneficiary farmers in adoption of improved chickpea production technology in Malwa pleatue of Madhya Pradesh

Effect of Integrated Nutrient Management on Chickpea Productivity and Soil Fertility Status under Rice – Chickpea Cropping System at Farmers Field of Balaghat District of Madhya Pradesh, India

Chickpea (Cicer aeritinum) is one of most important pulse crop which is grown in rabi season. The availability of nutrients in the soil for plant utilization is known to be affected not only by the inherent soil characteristics but also by the use of fertilizers and management practices followed for crop production. Therefore, a study on the effect of integrated application of inorganic fertilizers and organic manure (vermicompost) on rice productivity at farmer field was carried out at Balaghat district of Madhya Pradesh. In between the technology intervention, human resource development components were also included to improve the farmers understanding and skills about the demonstrated technology on nutrient management aspects. The demonstrations were conducted at different farmers' field at villages viz. Koppe, Chillod and Lendejhari on chickpea (variety JG 63) during rabi season 2018-19 and 2019-20 under Indian Council of Agricultural Research funded Project on Farmer FIRST, College of Agriculture, Balaghat (M.P.). Based on the basic soil properties of farmer’s field, the present experiment included four treatments viz., T1 = Farmer Practice (as Control), T2 = 100% NPK, T3 = 100% NPK + Zn, T4 = 75% NPK+ 5t/ha FYM ha and T5 = 75% NPK + 5t FYM ha-1+ Biofertilizers (BGA/Rhizobium& PSB). Results indicated that the highest average yield of chickpea was achieved in 75% NPK + 5t FYM ha-1+ Biofertilizers treatment, whereas, lowest yield was recorded in farmer’s practice. The highest increase in yield (50.7%) was observed with 75% NPK + 5t FYM ha-1+ Biofertilizers, followed by 75% NPK + 5t FYM ha-1 treatments (47.5%) over farmer’s practice.

Physiological, agro-morphological, and germination responses of a worldwide chickpea (Cicer arietinum) collection subjected to drought stress by applying polyethylene glycol (PEG) on germinating seeds and by exposure plants to water restriction at the vegetative stage

Given that agriculture uses considerable quantities of water to meet food requirements, the scarcity of rainfall and the drying up of water tables could compromise agricultural production. Faced with the urgency of a world undergoing demographic change and a current agro-climatic trend marked by low rainfall at the vegetative stage, the sustainability of chickpea production requires new varieties with resilience and adaptation to climatic change. The aim of this study is the selection genotypes that are tolerant to early drought stress and able to avoid terminal drought. To this end, a collection of 159 genotypes was evaluated, using an augmented-RCBD (Randomized Complete Block Designs), in two experiments (drought stress by water restriction and stress imposition by Polyethylene glycol (PEG) application) simulating the effect of drought. Our results show significant genetic variability and a fairly significant genotype effect in both trials. We noted an interesting positive correlation between germination percentage in the presence of PEG and pod and seed production under water stress at the vegetative stage, and these same traits showed strong heritability. 16 genotypes had a germination percentage ≥50% in the 20% PEG treatment. In addition, 18 Desi and 4 Kabuli genotypes performed well in both trials, with good germination percentage, pod and seed production, good canopy coverage, better normalized difference vegetation index, and low to medium wilting. It would therefore make sense to exploit these genotypes in hybridization programs for the creation of pure drought-tolerant lines, and also to evaluate them in different arid and semi-arid regions over several years.

Identifying Genetic Linkage Groups and Markers for Leaf Miner Resistance in Chickpea through QTL Analysis and Field Validation

Chickpea is a commonly grown crop, but it is vulnerable to biotic and abiotic stresses. Leaf miner (Liriomyza cicerina) is a pest that can cause severe yield losses of up to 40% if not properly controlled. This study was conducted at ICARDA (Aleppo, Syria) during the 20112012 growing seasons. Two recombinant inbred lines, ILC 5901 (LM resistant) and ILC 3397 (LM susceptible), were crossed to yield 350 F2 plants, which were then screened for pathogen tolerance. The resistance of the plants was screened using a scale of one to nine, with 1 indicating complete resistance and 9 indicating complete susceptibility. A set of 600 simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers were validated on both parents, and 51 of these markers showed variation and were used to construct a genetic linkage map. QTL analysis was performed to determine the linkage groups responsible for line variations. The QTL analysis found that linkage groups TA37, TA34, and H4F03 were responsible for 22% of line variations, while unmapped NCPRG48 and H1C092 revealed 55.3% and 26.8% of the LIS variance, respectively, and displayed a warped dominance toward the susceptible parent. The H1C092 marker, which is significantly associated with LM, is located on Chr3 near a gene encoding the glutathione S-transferase gene family enzyme, which protects cellular macromolecules from attack by reactive electrophiles. The highly associated markers were field tested for three years to confirm their connection with LM resistance in 200 chickpea genotypes. The study showed marker-associated selection, which could accelerate the conventional breeding of LM-resistant chickpea germplasm. The markers linked to LM resistance and the identification of the protective enzyme gene offer promising avenues for further research. This study represents a significant step forward in understanding the genetics of LM resistance in chickpea and provides valuable information for breeding programs aimed at improving chickpea production.

Unclenching the potentials of global core germplasm for root nodulation traits for increased biological nitrogen fixation and productivity in chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.)

Chickpea being an important food legume crop is able to fix the atmospheric nitrogen and form root nodules that support biologicalnitrogen fixation- a sustainable alternative for nitrogen supply to agriculture worldwide. In order to support findings on nodule formation in chickpeas, a diverse core set of 300 chickpea genotypes, including four checks, was evaluated for morphological and nodulation traits in four different environments. The maximum genotypic and phenotypic coefficient of variation was observed for a number of nodules, nodule fresh weight, shoot fresh weight, and number of seeds per plant. The heritability for most of the characters ranged from 26.56 for days to 50% flowering to 99.61 for a number of pods per plant. The genotypic and phenotypic correlation coefficient analysis revealed that the number of nodules was positively correlated with seed yield. Further, seed yield was partitioned into direct and indirect effects at genotypic and phenotypic levels through path coefficient analysis. Significant genotypic correlations and direct positive effects were exhibited by a number of nodules and number of pods per plant on grain yield. Based on the D2 statistics, the number of seeds per plant, number of pods per plant, shoot fresh weight and number of nodules have been identified as top-ranking yield contributing traits. The genotypes ICC1013 and ICC16569 for a number of nodules and ICC1049 for the trait number of seeds per plant were identified as potential stable donors for the respective traits with high mean yield, heritability and genetic advance across the locations and can be used as donors in the chickpea breeding programs for increasing biological nitrogen fixation and enhancement of the crop productivity.

Residual Effect of Organic and Inorganic Fertilizers on Growth Indices of Chickpea under Soybean-Chickpea System in Vertisol of Central India

A field experiment was conducted at ICAR-Indian Institute of Pulses Research, Regional Station, Bhopal to evaluate the residual effect of the fertilizer with organic manure on the growth indices of chickpea in soybean-chickpea system in Vertisol of central India. The experiment was laid out in a split-plot design comprising two levels of farm yard manure (5 t FYM ha-1 or No FYM) in the main plots and six micronutrient management levels (control, 25 kg ZnSO4 ha-1, 12.5 kg ZnSO4 ha-1 + zinc solubilizer, ammonium molybdate (AM) 1 g kg-1 seed treatment + 25 kg ZnSO4 ha-1, ammonium molybdate (AM) 1 kg ha-1 soil application + 25 kg ZnSO4 ha-1, and ammonium molybdate (AM) 1 g kg-1 seed treatment + 0.5% foliar spray of ZnSO4 at 30 and 60 days after sowing) in sub-plots with three replications. The results revealed that the application of 5 t FYM ha-1 resulted in significantly higher values of plant height, dry matter accumulation, branches plant-1, leaf area index, leaf area duration, absolute growth rate, crop growth rate, and relative growth rate than no application of FYM. Furthermore, ammonium molybdate (AM) at 1 kg ha-1 as a basal application with 25 kg ha-1 ZnSO4 significantly improved all the growth parameters, viz. plant height, dry matter accumulation (DMA), branches plant-1, leaf area index, leaf area duration, absolute growth rate, crop growth rate, and relative growth rate over the control, 25 kg ZnSO4 ha-1 and 12.5 kg ZnSO4 ha-1 + zinc solubilizer. However, it was statistically on par with the AM 1 g kg-1 seed treatment + 25 kg ZnSO4 ha-1 + 25 kg ZnSO4 ha-1 and AM 1 g kg-1 seed treatment + 0.5% foliar spray of ZnSO4 with respect to all growth parameters. Thus, the application of farmyard manure 5 t ha-1 with AM at 1 kg ha-1 as a basal application with 25 kg ha-1 ZnSO4 could be used to sustain chickpea production and maintain soil fertility. The results highlight the importance of using plant nutrients from various sources and methods of application for realizing high chickpea productivity.

ADOPTION OF IMPROVED CHICKPEA PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGY BY FLD AND NON-FLD BENEFICIARIES

A study was conducted in three districts of Saurashtra zone viz., Jamnagar, Amreli and Surendranagar. Two talukas from selected districts and two villages from selected talukas were selected purposively. Total twelve villages were selected from selected talukas. From each selected village, ten chickpea FLD beneficiaries and ten Non-FLD beneficiaries were randomly selected as respondents. Thus, a sample of total 120 FLD beneficiaries and 120 Non-FLD beneficiary chickpea growers from 12 villages were considered for the study. The result revealed that three-fifth (60.00%) of the FLD beneficiaries had medium extent of adoption regarding improved chickpea production technologies. Whereas, 21.67 per cent had high and 18.33 per cent had low extent of adoption. In case of Non-FLD beneficiaries, slightly less than two-third (65.00%) were found in medium extent of adoption regarding improved chickpea production technologies, whereas, 24.17 per cent had low and 10.83 per cent had high extent of adoption.

Effect of Sowing Time Induced Weather Regimes on Growth and Yield of Chickpea under Irrigated Condition

A field experiment conducted to study the effect to find out optimum time of sowing and suitable cultivar for sustainable chickpea production in the region. The study was undertaken to find yield variation with extended sowing date. Five different sowing dates viz., 30th October (44 MW), 15th November (46 MW), 30th November (48 MW), 15th December (50 MW) and 30th December (52 MW) with two chickpea cultivars viz., JAKI 9218 and Vijay were studied. The varieties selected dominated chickpea cultivation in the region. The results revealed that crop sown on 30th October produced higher but statistically equivalent number of pods/plant, number of seeds/plant and grain yield as compared to 15th November sowing. Crop sown on 30th October accumulated higher Growing Degree Days (GDD: 2012 day0C) and Heliothermal Units (HTU: 13515 0C day hr) closely followed by 15th November sown crop (GDD; 1975-day 0C, HTU: 13130 0C day hr) during cropping period from vegetative to pod-seed development phase. The number of pods/plant, weight of seed/plant and test weight was higher in cultivar JAKI 9218 than Vijay. Maximum GDD (1888 0C day) and HTU (12706 0C day hr) were accumulated by cultivar JAKI 9218 closely followed by Vijay (GDD: 1856 0C day; HTU: 12449 0C day hr).

Effects of intrinsic and extrinsic product characteristics related to protein source, health and environmental sustainability, on product choice and sensory evaluation of meatballs and plant-based alternatives

Health is cited as a major driver for substituting meat with plant-based meat alternatives (PBMAs). In contrast, many consumers are reportedly unaware of the difference in environmental impact between meat and PBMAs. This study determined relative effects of internal (protein source) and external (health/origin/sustainability) product attributes on product choice and (expected) liking of meat and PBMAs.Participants (n = 144) ranked ten sets of three product concepts from best to worst in a discrete choice experiment (DCE). Random combinations of four product attributes were presented on hypothetical product packages: i) protein source (beef/chickpea/soy protein); ii) health-star rating (1.5/4.5 stars); iii) ingredient origin (local/imported); iv) sustainability rating (green tick absent/present), and product worth, related to each of the 24 possible attribute combinations, was determined. Secondly, commercially-available beef, soy, and chickpea products were sensorially evaluated for expected/actual liking, both blindly and alongside combinations of internal/external product attributes used in the DCE.The DCE indicated all product attributes affected product worth. However, two consumer segments were established: i) a ‘Protein Cluster’ (47%) comprising consumers who chose ‘beef’ products regardless of the remaining attributes present, and ii) a ‘Health/Sustainability Cluster’ (53%) of consumers whose choices were driven by positive health/sustainability claims. Protein source drove both expected and actual liking of the samples (p < 0.001). Health/origin/sustainability also contributed to expected liking (p < 0.05), but only health consistently affected actual liking ratings (p < 0.05).In conclusion, half of consumers chose products based on health/origin/sustainability claims, whereas the other half selected products based on protein source. Origin/sustainability claims affected product choice, but minimally affected product experience of plant-based samples.

Rapid and High Throughput Hydroponics Phenotyping Method for Evaluating Chickpea Resistance to Phytophthora Root Rot

Phytophthora root rot (PRR) is a major constraint to chickpea production in Australia. Management options for controlling the disease are limited to crop rotation and avoiding high risk paddocks for planting. Current Australian cultivars have partial PRR resistance, and new sources of resistance are needed to breed cultivars with improved resistance. Field- and glasshouse-based PRR resistance phenotyping methods are labour intensive, time consuming, and provide seasonally variable results; hence, these methods limit breeding programs’ abilities to screen large numbers of genotypes. In this study, we developed a new space saving (400 plants/m2), rapid (&lt;12 days), and simplified hydroponics-based PRR phenotyping method, which eliminated seedling transplant requirements following germination and preparation of zoospore inoculum. The method also provided post-phenotyping propagation all the way through to seed production for selected high-resistance lines. A test of 11 diverse chickpea genotypes provided both qualitative (PRR symptoms) and quantitative (amount of pathogen DNA in roots) results demonstrating that the method successfully differentiated between genotypes with differing PRR resistance. Furthermore, PRR resistance hydroponic assessment results for 180 recombinant inbred lines (RILs) were correlated strongly with the field-based phenotyping, indicating the field phenotype relevance of this method. Finally, post-phenotyping high-resistance genotypes were selected. These were successfully transplanted and propagated all the way through to seed production; this demonstrated the utility of the rapid hydroponics method (RHM) for selection of individuals from segregating populations. The RHM will facilitate the rapid identification and propagation of new PRR resistance sources, especially in large breeding populations at early evaluation stages.

Investigating marine Bacillus as an effective growth promoter for chickpea

BackgroundMicroorganisms have characteristics that aid plant growth and raise the level of vital metabolites in plants for better growth including primary and secondary metabolites as well as several developmental enzymes. Marine bacteria must endure harsh environmental circumstances for their survival so it produces several secondary metabolites to protect themselves. Such metabolites might likewise be advantageous for a plant’s growth. However, the effectiveness of marine microbes on plant growth remains unexplored. In the present study, we aim to evaluate such marine microbe both in vitro and in vivo as a plant growth promoter. ResultMarine Bacillus licheniformis was found positive for vital plant growth-promoting traits like gibberellin and ammonia production, phosphate and potassium solubilization in vitro. Due to the presence of such traits, it was able to increase germination in chickpea. As it can colonize with the roots, it will be able to help plants absorb more nutrients. Additionally, in vivo study shows that B. licheniformis treatment caused rise in vital factors involved in plant growth and development like chlorophyll, POX, phenol, proline, carotenoid, flavonoid, total proteins and SOD which resulted in increase of chickpea height by 26.23% and increase in biomass by 33.85% in pot trials. ConclusionMarine B. licheniformis was able to promote plant growth and increased chickpea production in both number and weight for both in vitro and in vivo conditions.

Response of Kabuli Chickpea (Cicer kabulinum L.) Varieties to Seed Inoculation with Biofertilizers and Supplementation with Molybdenum

The present investigation was conducted during rabi season 2016-17 at ICARDA, Amlaha farm, Sehore to study the supplementation of Mo along with Rhizobium + PSB inoculation in chickpea cultivars on biological nitrogen fixation and productivity. Research title “Response of Kabuli Chickpea (Cicer kabulinum L.) Varieties to Seed Inoculation with Biofertilizers and Supplementation with Molybdenum”. Six inoculants, with two kabuli chickpea varieties evaluated in Factorial randomized block design (FRBD) with three replications. The results of present study revealed The seed inoculation, I6Rh.+ PSB + Mo@1 g AMkg-1 seed was found best among other inoculants with respect to productivity and profitability in chickpea, and Variety Phule G 0517 produced higher values of growth and yield attributing .

Resource Use and Economic Potential of Chickpea Cultivation in Haryana, India

The study was conducted in Bhiwani, Dadri and Mahendragarh districts of Haryana during the year 2021-22. Budgeting technique was employed to draw practical implications and production function was used for measure the extent of resource use in chickpea cultivation for taking policy decisions to encourage its cultivation in Haryana. The Negative growth rates of area and production of chickpea was observed in Haryana during last two decades (2000-01 to 2020-21). In same period owing large replacement of area towards mustard and wheat. The gross and net returns of Chickpea cultivation in Haryana worked out were Rs. 75842 ha-1 andRs. 21550 ha-1. The value of B:C ratio was 1.40 over total cost. The Marginal value productivity (MVP) Value of Chemical fertilizer, plant protection chemicals, machinery and irrigation was greater than unity for Bhiwani, Dadri, Mahendragarh and Haryana which indicates that these inputs were underutilized in the respective districts and Haryana. On the other side, the value of MVP were less than unity for Human Labour and seed in all districts indicating that these resources were over utilized, needs to be curtailed for higher returns. The major Constraints faced by Chickpea growers were unavailability of improved varieties in local market (85.83%), Price realization less than M.S.P./underpricing their produce (80.83%), Non-adoption of package of practice/ low input used (75.83%) and high incidence of insect-pest (64.17%).

Plant growth promoting rhizobacterium Bacillus sp. BSE01 alleviates salt toxicity in chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) by conserving ionic, osmotic, redox and hormonal homeostasis.

Soil salinity leading to sodium toxicity is developing into a massive challenge for agricultural productivity globally, inducing osmotic, ionic, and redox imbalances in plants. Considering the predicted increase in salinization risk with the ongoing climate change, applying plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) is an environmentally safe method for augmenting plant salinity tolerance. The present study examined the role of halotolerant Bacillus sp. BSE01 as a promising biostimulant for improving salt stress endurance in chickpea. Application of PGPR significantly increased the plant height, relative water content, and chlorophyll content of chickpea under both non-stressed and salt stress conditions. The PGPR-mediated tolerance towards salt stress was accomplished by the modulation of hormonal signaling and conservation of cellular ionic, osmotic, redox homeostasis. With salinity stress, the PGPR-treated plants significantly increased the indole-3-acetic acid and gibberellic acid contents more than the non-treated plants. Furthermore, the PGPR-inoculated plants maintained lower 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid and abscisic acid contents under salt treatment. The PGPR-inoculated chickpea plants also exhibited a decreased NADPH oxidase activity with reduced production of reactive oxygen species compared to the non-inoculated plants. Additionally, PGPR treatment led to increased antioxidant enzyme activities in chickpea under saline conditions, facilitating the reactive nitrogen and oxygen species detoxification, thereby limiting the nitro-oxidative damage. Following salinity stress, enhanced K+ /Na+ ratio and proline content were noted in the PGPR-inoculated chickpea plants. Therefore, Bacillus sp. BSE01, being an effective PGPR and salinity stress reducer, can further be considered to develop a bioinoculant for sustainable chickpea production under saline environments.