Chickpea Varieties Research Articles

Effect of Foliar Application of Zinc and Boron on Growth Attributes and Yield of Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) Varieties

A field experiment was conducted on loamy sandy soil during the winter season at Agricultural Farm of Palli Siksha Bhavana, Visva-Bharati, Sriniketan, Birbhum, West Bengal, India to evaluate the effect of foliar application of zinc and boron on growth attributes and yield of chickpea. In this experiment, 4 varieties of chickpea (Anuradha, ICPK, JSKB and RVSJ4-102) were applied with Zn and B ((Zinc 0.5%, Boron 0.1%, Zinc 0.5%+Boron 0.1% along with control) through foliar application at branching time and pre-flowering stage. The experiment findings revealed that the Variety RVSJ4-102 gave higher plant height (20.98cm), dry matter accumulation (114.49 g/m-2), leaf area index (1.27), chlorophyll content (2.25 mg/g fresh leaf) and yield (26.28 q/ha) of chickpea compared to other variety. However, foliar application of (zinc 0.5%+boron 0.1%) had significant effect in influencing the growth attributes and yield of chickpea followed by single application of zinc 0.5% and boron 0.1% as compared to control. Foliar application of (zinc 0.5%+boron 0.1%) produced 26.47 % higher seed yield than control. This experiment suggested that the combined single foliar application of (zinc 0.5% + boron 0.1%) prove best treatment as compared to individual application of zinc 0.5% and boron 0.1%.

Synthetic PGR's Modify Phenology, Stress Tolerance and Mean Productivity in Wilt and Cold Stressed Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.)

At the Experimental Field of Herbal Garden Department of Plant Physiology JNKVV Jabalpur, the experiments were conducted in the academic years 2020–20221 and 2021–2022. In a pot experiment, a comparison of the effects of four synthetic PGRs—Abscisic Acid (ABA), Naphthyl Acetic Acid (NAA), Salicylic Acid (SA), and Fusaric Acid (FA)—against four varieties of chickpeas that had been intentionally inoculated with the wilt pathogen Fusarium oxysporum and exposed to low temperatures. This study sought to determine the phenophasic response to reduce stress tolerance in order to achieve the highest possible mean production. The findings demonstrated that applying ABA to plants at concentrations of 5 and 2 ppm was successful in extending the vegetative development period by delaying flowering, allowing flowering to avoid the detrimental impacts of wilt and cold and so promoting stress tolerance. This resulted in reduced percentage of wilt and cold incidence as compared to all other treatments, leading to higher mean productivity. However, Fusaric acid (FA), a fungal toxin responsible for early in flowering that allowed flower to coincide with wilt and cold occurrence timing. Flowering is also very sensitive to cold stress therefor occurrence of wilt at seedling and cold at flowering accelerated the incidence of wilt and cold, which resulted in lower mean productivity after applying Fusaric acid (FA) @ 10 and 20 ppm.

Genetic mapping of quantitative trait loci associated with drought tolerance in chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.)

Elucidation of the genetic basis of drought tolerance is vital for genomics-assisted breeding of drought tolerant crop varieties. Here, we used genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) to identify single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in recombinant inbred lines (RILs) derived from a cross between a drought tolerant chickpea variety, Pusa 362 and a drought sensitive variety, SBD 377. The GBS identified a total of 35,502 SNPs and subsequent filtering of these resulted in 3237 high-quality SNPs included in the eight linkage groups. Fifty-one percent of these SNPs were located in the genic regions distributed throughout the genome. The high density linkage map has total map length of 1069 cm with an average marker interval of 0.33 cm. The linkage map was used to identify 9 robust and consistent QTLs for four drought related traits viz. membrane stability index, relative water content, seed weight and yield under drought, with percent variance explained within the range of 6.29%–90.68% and LOD scores of 2.64 to 6.38, which were located on five of the eight linkage groups. A genomic region on LG 7 harbors quantitative trait loci (QTLs) explaining > 90% phenotypic variance for membrane stability index, and > 10% PVE for yield. This study also provides the first report of major QTLs for physiological traits such as membrane stability index and relative water content for drought stress in chickpea. A total of 369 putative candidate genes were identified in the 6.6 Mb genomic region spanning these QTLs. In-silico expression profiling based on the available transcriptome data revealed that 326 of these genes were differentially expressed under drought stress. KEGG analysis resulted in reduction of candidate genes from 369 to 99, revealing enrichment in various signaling pathways. Haplotype analysis confirmed 5 QTLs among the initially identified 9 QTLs. Two QTLs, qRWC1.1 and qYLD7.1, were chosen based on high SNP density. Candidate gene-based analysis revealed distinct haplotypes in qYLD7.1 associated with significant phenotypic differences, potentially linked to pathways for secondary metabolite biosynthesis. These identified candidate genes bolster defenses through flavonoids and phenylalanine-derived compounds, aiding UV protection, pathogen resistance, and plant structure.The study provides novel genomic regions and candidate genes which can be utilized in genomics-assisted breeding of superior drought tolerant chickpea cultivars.

Effect of Different Weed Management Practices on Growth Characters of Chickpea in Mid-hills of Himachal Pradesh, India

Chickpea (Cicer arietinum) is one of the most important pulse legumes in many parts of the world. India is largest producer of chickpea in the world, sharing 65 and 70 % of the total global area and production, respectively. Different weed control practices use of herbicides were followed for better management. Application of herbicide at critical growth stages followed by one or two hand weeding at proper time or manipulation of row spacing for improving the weed suppressing effect of crops gives marginal improvement in crop yield. A field experiment titled “Effects of Different Weed Management Practices on Growth Characters of Chickpea in Mid-hills of Himachal Pradesh” was conducted during rabi season of 2022 at Chamelti Agriculture Farm, MS Swaminathan School of Agriculture, Shoolini University of Biotechnology and Management Sciences, Solan. The soil of the experimental field was sandy loam in texture, slightly alkaline in reaction with EC in a safer range, medium in organic carbon, available nitrogen, potassium, and high in available phosphorus. The experiment was laid out in randomized block design with three replications comprising ten weed management treatments viz. (T1) One hand weeding at 20 DAS, (T2) Two hand weeding at 20 and 40 DAS, (T3) Pendimethalin 30 EC @ 1.0 kg ha-1 (PE), (T4) Imazethapyr 10 SL @ 1.0 kg ha-1 (PoE) at 25 DAS, (T5) Pendimethalin 30 EC @ 1.0 kg ha-1 (PE) + One hand weeding at 30 DAS, (T6) Imazethapyr 10 SL @ 1.0 kg ha-1 (PoE) at 25 DAS + One hand weeding at 40 DAS, (T7) Fenoxaprop-p-ethyl 9.3 EC @ 60 g ha-1 (PoE) at 25 DAS + One hand weeding at 40 DAS, (T8) Pendimethalin 30 EC @ 1.0 kg ha-1 (PE) + Imazethapyr 10 SL @ 1.0 kg ha-1 (PoE) at 25 DAS, (T9) Weed free and (T10) Weedy Check. The recommended dose of fertilizer (30:60:30 kg ha-1) was applied through Urea, SSP, and MOP at the time of sowing. PBG-7 variety of chickpea was used for sowing. Weed management practices were done as per treatment. Other crop management practices were followed as per the recommendation of the area. Application of (T8) Pendimethalin 30 EC @ 1.0 kg ha-1 (PE) + Imazethapyr 10 SL @ 1.0 kg ha-1 (PoE) at 25 DAS registered higher growth parameters viz. plant height, number of branches plant-1, dry matter accumulation and crop growth rate. Thus, study suggest that chickpea can successfully grown under Mid-hills of Himachal Pradesh on (T8) Pendimethalin 30 EC @ 1.0 kg ha-1 (PE) + Imazethapyr 10 SL @ 1.0 kg ha-1 (PoE) at 25 DAS.

Effect of Sulphur and Vermicompost on Growth Parameters, Yield Attributes and Yield of Chickpea

A field experiment was conducted during Rabi season of 2022-2023 at Rajoula Agriculture farm, of Mahatma Gandhi Chitrakoot Gramodaya Vishwavidyalaya Chitrakoot, Satna (M.P.). The present experiment having 4 levels of sulphur and 3 levels of vermicompost of 9 treatment combination replicated thrice in factorial randomized block design. Chickpea variety GNG-1958 (Marudhar)” was grown with recommended agronomic practices. On the basis of the results emanated from present investigation, it could be concluded that application of graded dose of sulphur significantly increases growth parameters (plant height, number of branches and number of nodule plant-1), yield attributes (number of pod plant-1, number of seed plant-1 and seed index) and seed yield. All the growth and yield parameters were significantly higher S @ 25 kg ha-1 as compared to S @ 20 kg ha-1 and S @15 kg ha-1. Similarly different levels of vermicompost significantly increases growth parameters (plant height, number of branches and number of nodule plant-1), yield attributes (number of pod plant-1, number of seed plant-1 and seed index) and seed yield. However, it is clear from the information you've provided that the treatment with V @ 5 t ha-1 had a positive and statistically significant impact on the growth and yield parameters of the crop, and when combined with S @ 25 kg ha-1, it produced the best results among the treatments tested.

Comparative pathogenesis of Fusarium spp. obtained from diseased chickpea plants in Morocco

The pathogenicity of two isolates (FS1 and FS2) of the Fusarium solani isolated from diseased chickpea plants harvested from two different regions from Morocco, which were identified morphologically and molecular, was evaluated as the severity, incidence and index of the disease. The results show that the two isolates tested were able to induce symptoms in both parts of the plant (root and aerial), of the seven chickpea varieties (‘Garbanzo’, ‘Farihane’, ‘Moubarak’, ‘Douyet’, ‘Rizki’, ‘Arifi’ and ‘Zahour’), which were associated with a reduction in all measured agronomic parameters. However, the intensity of the symptoms depends on the combination of the variety and the isolate of Fusarium. It appears that the FS2 isolate affected the ‘Moubarak’ variety much more, while the pathogenicity of the FS2 isolate was more pronounced on the ‘Rizki’ variety. The increase in the leaf damage index as a function of time is due to the evolution of leaf yellowing through several physiological stages (necrosis, stunting, wilting, leaf fall), before causing plant death. At the end of the experiment, the re-isolation of the two Fusarium isolates from the four vegetative parts of all inoculated varieties was positive.

Enhancing Growth and Yield of Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) Varieties through Foliar Application of Micronutrients under Field Condition

Extensively, it is imperative to address the pervasive issue of nutrient deficiencies among humans and animals in numerous underdeveloped regions. To tackle this challenge, a field experiment was conducted to investigate the impact of foliar applications of Zinc, Boron, and Iron on the growth, yield attributes, and overall yield of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) varieties during the Rabi seasons of both 2018-19 and 2019-20. The field experiment was meticulously designed using a Split Plot Design, wherein three distinct chickpea varieties (V1-KGD-1168, V2-Radhey, and V3-KWR-108) were assigned to the main plots. The subplots were dedicated to seven micronutrient treatment combinations, namely (M1-Control), (M2-Zinc @ 0.5%), (M3-Boron @ 0.2%), (M4-Iron @ 0.1%), (M5-Zinc @ 0.5% + Boron @ 0.2%), (M6-Zinc @ 0.5% + Iron @ 0.1%), and (M7: Zinc @ 0.5% + Boron @ 0.2% + Iron @ 0.1%). Consequently, a total of 21 treatment combinations were meticulously replicated three times. The findings of the experiment unveiled that the Radhey variety significantly influenced various parameters, including plant height, the number of branches per plant, fresh plant weight, 100-seed weight (17.21, 17.25g), seed yield (2118, 2228 kg ha-1), gross return (112396, 113628 INR ha-1), net return (83154, 83616 INR ha-1), and the benefit-to-cost ratio (B: C ratio) (2.84, 2.79) of chickpea for both the years 2018-19 and 2019-20, respectively. Regarding the micronutrient treatments, the foliar application of Zinc @ 0.5% + Boron @ 0.2% + Iron @ 0.1% exhibited a notably positive impact on plant height, the number of branches per plant, fresh plant weight, 100-seed weight (16.94, 16.97g), seed yield (2162, 2276 kg ha-1), gross return (114634, 116076 INR ha-1), net return (85041, 85712 INR ha-1), and B: C ratio (2.87, 2.82) of chickpea during both the years 2018-19 and 2019-20, respectively. Based on these compelling results, farmers are strongly advised to cultivate the Radhey variety of chickpea while implementing foliar applications of Zinc @ 0.5% + Boron @ 0.2% + Iron @ 0.1% for enhanced growth and higher yields.

Effect of Organic Manure on Growth and Yield of Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) Varieties

The field experiment was conducted during Rabi 2022, at Crop Research Farm, Department of Agronomy, SHUATS, Prayagraj (U.P). The experiment was laid out in Randomized Block Design with ten treatments and three replications viz. T1: Radhey + Panchgavya 3%, T2: Radhya + vermicompost 2.5 t/ha, T3: Radhya + Panchgavya 3% + Vermicompost 2.5 t/ha , T4: Pragati + Panchagavya 3%, T5: Pragati +Vermicompost 2.5 t/ha, T6: Pragati + Panchagavya 3% + Vermicompost 2.5 t/ha, T7: Avrodhi + Panchgavya 3%, T8: Avrodhi + Vermicompost 2.5 t/ha, T9: Avrodhi + Panchgavya 3% + Vermicompost 2.5 t/ha and T10: Control: 100% RDF. The results of the experiment obtained that application of Panchgavya and Vermicompost along on the Pragati variety significantly increased the growth parameters viz. plant height (58.24 cm), number of nodules (62.60), plant dry weight (65.60 g/plant) and yield parameters viz. number of pods per plant (35.05), seed index (22.71 g), seed yield (3.41 t/ha) and stover yield (4.83t/ha). This treatment also showed higher gross returns (1,70,500 INR/ha), higher net returns (1,15,102 INR/ha) and B:C (2.08).

Drought priming modulates ABF, GRFs, related microRNAs and induce metabolic adjustment during heat stress in chickpea

Drought and high temperature stress may occur concomitantly or individually in succession causing cellular dysfunctions. Abscisic acid (ABA) is a key stress regulator, and its responsive genes are controlled by ABRE (Abscisic acid Responsive Element)-binding factors (ABFs)and G-Box Regulatory factors (GRFs). Here, we identify ABFs, GRFs and targeting miRNAs in desi and kabuli chickpea. To validate their role after drought priming and subsequent high temperature stress, two contrasting chickpea varieties (PBG1 and PBG5) were primed and exposed to 32 °C, 35 °C and 38 °C for 12, 6 and 2 h respectively and analyzed for Physio-biochemical, expression of ABFs, GRFs and MiRNAs, and GC-MS based metabolite analysis. To ascertain the ABF-GRF protein-protein interactions, docking studies were carried out between the ABF3 and GRF14. Genome-wide analysis identified total 9 & 11 ABFs, and 11 GRFsin desi and kabuli respectively. Their gene structure, and motif composition were conserved in all subfamilies and only 10 and 12 genes have undergone duplication in both desi and kabuli chickpea respectively. These genes were differentially expressed in-silico. MiR172 and miR396 were identified to target ABFs and GRFs respectively. Protein-protein interaction (ABF3 and GRF14) might be successful only when the ABF3 was phosphorylated. Drought priming downregulated miR172 and miR396 and eventually upregulated targeting ABFs, and GRFs. Metabolite profiling (GC-MS) revealed the accumulation of 87 metabolites in Primed (P) and Non-Primed (NP) Chickpea plants. Tolerant cultivar (PBG5) responded better in all respects however both severity of stress and exposure are important factors and can produce broadly similar cellular response.

Amelioration of Abiotic Stress and Climate Change Resilience in Chickpea

Chickpea, an important legume crop high in protein mostly grown under rainfed circumstances in arid and semi-arid climates, where it is extremely subject to abiotic stresses like drought, terminal stress, temperature, water logging at different growth stages throughout the season linked to severe yield losses, particularly when the crop is subjected to unfavorable conditions during the reproductive period, leading to instability in chickpea production around the world. This review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the strategies employed for ameliorating abiotic stress and enhancing climate change resilience in chickpea. It examines the physiological, biochemical, and molecular responses of chickpea plants to abiotic stress and explores the underlying mechanisms involved in stress tolerance. The review highlights the importance of understanding the genetic basis of stress tolerance traits and emphasizes the potential for genetic improvement through breeding and genetic engineering approaches. It examines the physiological, biochemical, and molecular responses of chickpea plants to abiotic stress and explores the underlying mechanisms involved in stress tolerance. It discusses the identification of stress-responsive genes, proteins, and metabolites, which can serve as potential targets for crop improvement and the development of stress-tolerant chickpea varieties. In conclusion, this comprehensive review provides valuable insights into the amelioration of abiotic stress and climate change resilience in chickpea. It synthesizes current knowledge, identifies research gaps, and offers practical recommendations for sustainable chickpea production under challenging environmental conditions.

Adoption of improved chickpea technologies for productivity enhancement in the North Western Ethiopian highlands

Efforts have been made on promoting improved chickpea technologies. However, the result is not that much impressive. This study aimed to analyze drivers of technology adoption. 224 respondents were used for this study. Multivariate Probit (MVP) and Seemingly Unrelated Regression (SUR) models were employed. The results from MVP model, marginal success probability of adoption decision were 60%, 19%, and 17% for a variety, bio-inoculant, and chemical fertilizer, respectively. Distance from farmers' training center, farm income, livestock holding, and field day participation have significantly affected for adoption of chickpea varieties. A social network, market information, and field day participation have significantly influenced the adoption of bio-inoculant fertilizer. In addition, household size, asset owned, and field day participation has significantly influenced the adoption of chemical fertilizer. Field day participation was the most important variable for the adoption decision of chickpea technologies as a package. The results from SUR model, farmers' training center distance, farm income, livestock holding, social network and agricultural training have significantly influenced adoption intensity of improved varieties. Age, farming experience, livestock holding, social network, education status, and field day and training participation have significantly influenced the intensity of bio-inoculant adoption. In addition, Age, education status, radio owned, training participation, asset owned and farmer's perception have significantly influenced the intensity of chemical fertilizer adoption. Training participation is the most determinant factor for adoption intensity of improved technologies. Hence, government should emphasize on improving of extension services, provision of education, encouraging livestock rearing, strengthening credit access for farmers, strengthening rural infrastructure, and considering community social network for adoption of chickpea technologies.

Phytochemical Profile and Composition of Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.): Varietal Differences and Effect of Germination under Elicited Conditions.

Germination is a simple process that improves the nutritional and medicinal values of seeds such as chickpeas. However, the detailed analysis of the phytochemical profile after chemical elicitation during chickpea germination is indispensable when making inferences about its biological properties. Therefore, an evaluation was made of the effect of the chemical inducers salicylic acid (SA, 1 and 2 mM), chitosan (CH, 3.3 and 7 μM), and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2, 20 and 30 mM) during germination at 25 °C with 70% RH for 4 days on the content of antinutritional and bioactive compounds, including phenolics, sterols, and saponins, in three Mexican chickpea varieties (Blanoro, Patron, and San Antonio) using UPLC-ELSD-ESI-QqQ-MS/MS, UPLC-DAD-ESI-QqQ-MS/MS, and HPLC-DAD-sQ-MS. The highest increase in phenolics and saponins was found in the Blanoro sprouts induced with SA 2 mM, whereas the highest phytosterol content was detected in San Antonio sprouts induced with CH 7 μM. In addition, significant increases in mono-, di-, and oligosaccharides and decreases in antinutritional contents were achieved after germination with most of the elicitation conditions. More importantly, we identified new compounds in chickpea sprouts, such as the lignans matairesinol and secoisolariciresinol, the phenolic compounds epicatechin gallate and methyl gallate, some phytosterols, and the saponin phaseoside 1, which further increased after chemical elicitation.

Effect of Dates of Sowing on Growth and Yield of Chickpea Varieties

The field experiment was titled “Effect of dates of sowing on growth and yield of Chickpea varieties” was conducted during rabi 2022-23, at Crop Research Farm, Department of Agronomy, SHUATS, Prayagraj (UP). The soil of the experimental plot was sandy loam in texture. The experiment consists of three varieties (Himmat, Shulabh-45 and Chirag) and three different dates of sowing November 5th, November 15th and November 25th including control i.e., blanket application of 20-60-20 kg/ha of NPK (farmer's practice) which were replicated thrice. The experiment was laid out in Randomized Block Design with ten treatments viz., T1: Himmat + November 5, T2: Himmat + November 15, T3: Himmat + November 25, T4: Shulabh-45 + November 5, T5: Shulabh-45 + November 15, T6: Shulabh-45 + November 25, T7: Chirag + November 5, T8: Chirag + November 15, T9: Chirag + November 25, and control plot. The results of the experiment concluded that the variety Shulabh-45 with the date of sowing on November 25th significantly increased the growth parameters viz., plant height (45.54 cm), Number of nodules per plant (31.87), Plant dry weight (20.45 g/plant), and yield parameters viz., pods per plant (35.53), seeds per pod (1.35), seed yield (3.37 t/ha) and stover yield (4.90 t/ha). This treatment also showed its positive effect on economics viz., gross returns (1,71,870 INR/ha), net returns (1,19,475 INR/ha), B:C (2.28).

Genome wide association study of genes controlling resistance to Didymella rabiei Pathotype IV through genotyping by sequencing in chickpeas (Cicer arietinum)

Ascochyta blight (AB) is a major disease in chickpeas (Cicer arietinum L.) that can cause a yield loss of up to 100%. Chickpea germplasm collections at the center of origin offer great potential to discover novel sources of resistance to pests and diseases. Herein, 189 Cicer arietinum samples were genotyped via genotyping by sequencing. This chickpea collection was phenotyped for resistance to an aggressive Turkish Didymella rabiei Pathotype IV isolate. Genome-wide association studies based on different models revealed 19 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) associations on chromosomes 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, and 8. Although eight of these SNPs have been previously reported, to the best of our knowledge, the remaining ten were associated with AB resistance for the first time. The regions identified in this study can be addressed in future studies to reveal the genetic mechanism underlying AB resistance and can also be utilized in chickpea breeding programs to improve AB resistance in new chickpea varieties.

The Response of Micronutrients on Crop Growth Indices, Chlorophyll Content, Relative Water Content and Yield of Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) Varieties

Chickpeas are prized legume crops that are frequently eaten in developing countries. Hence, a field experiment was conducted to study the Impact of Foliar Applied Zinc, Boron and Iron on plant Growth, Chlorophyll content, Yield attributes and Yield of Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) Varieties during the Rabi season of 2018-19 and 2019-20. The field experiment was laid out in Split Plot Design assigning three varieties in main plots (KGD-1168, Radhey and KWR-108) and seven micronutrients combined in subplots. The results revealed that the variety Radhey showed significantly higher in growth indices and yield viz., dry weight of plant (21.06, 21.56g at maturity), crop growth rate (0.230, 0.236 g plant-1 day-1 at 75-100DAS), relative growth rate (0.177, 0.177 g g-1 day-1 at 75-100DAS) and net assimilation rate (0.0303, 0.0335 g plant-1 day-1 at 100 to maturity), chlorophyll content, relative water content, seed yield plant-1 and seed yield (2118, 2228 kg ha-1) of chickpea during both the years, respectively. Among various micronutrients, the foliar application of Zinc @ 0.5% + Boron @ 0.2 % + Iron @ 0.1 % exerted significantly higher in growth indices and yield viz., dry weight of plant (21.26, 21.74g at maturity), crop growth rate (0.212, 0.224g plant-1 day-1 at 75-100DAS), relative growth rate (0.207, 0.195 g g-1 day-1 at 75-100DAS), net assimilation rate (0.0305, 0.0342 g plant-1 day-1 at 100 to maturity), chlorophyll content, relative water content, seed yield plant-1 and seed yield (2162, 2276 kg ha-1) of chickpea both the years 2018-19 and 2019-20, respectively. The interaction effect of varieties and micronutrients was found to be non-significant. On the basis of observed results, instructed to grow chickpea variety Radhey with foliar applications of Zinc @ 0.5% + Boron @ 0.2% + Iron @ 0.1% for higher growth and yield.

Capturing genetic variability in chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) germplasm, released varieties, and advanced breeding lines under heat stress environment in North Indian climatic condition

Temperatures beyond optimal level are detrimental to growth and production in chickpeas. Aiming at capturing genetic variabilityand identifying potential heat-tolerant chickpea genotype, a panel of 110 chickpea lines were evaluated in field under normal sown(non-stress) and late sown (heat-stress) environments for various phenological, yield and yield-related traits over two consecutive yearsunder field conditions. Significant genetic variability for the phenological and yield related) was recorded under both non-stress andheat-stress conditions for both years. Seed yield/plant had strong positive correlations with number of pods/plant and harvest indexunder heat stress, indicating selection of plants with high pods/plant and seed yield/plant could help develop a heat-tolerant chickpealine. Based on the yield and yield-related traits, JG74, JAKI9218, Pusa 547, GNG1958, RVG202, RSG11, RSG931, RSG10, GG2, and Pusa240genotypes were classified as promising lines under heat stress environment. The identified diverse heat-tolerant genotypes may beused as a potential source in chickpea breeding programme for enhancing heat tolerance and useful genetic variability.

Drought priming evokes essential regulation of Hsp gene families, Hsfs and their related miRNAs and induces heat stress tolerance in chickpea

Optimum temperature is crucial for plant's survival. During high temperature stress, heat shock proteins (Hsps) are expressed many folds essentially controlled by explicit heat shock factors (Hsfs).We have narrowed key HSPs, related HSFs and miRNAs regulated after priming with drought stress and consequent heat stress in chickpea. Firstly, we identified Hsf and Hsp gene families in desi and kabuli chickpea using Genome-wide analysis. Thereafter, selected Hsfs, Hsps and related miRNAs were analyzed using qRT-PCR in contrasting chickpea varieties (PBG1 and PBG5) after drought priming and exposing at 32 °C 24 hrs, 35 °C 12 hrs, and 38 °C 6 hrs. An interaction network between Hsfs and Hsps was generated. 18 & 17 Hsfs and 42 & 34 Hsps were identified in the desi and kabuli, respectively. The gene structure and motif composition of the genes were found to be conserved in all subfamilies. A total of 32 heat shock genes were found to have undergone duplication. Most of the CaHsf and CaHsp genes were differentially expressed on exposure to a combination of drought priming and heat stress in both in-silico and qPCR analysis. Targeted miRNAs expression was coordinated with the respective genes. miR156, miR166, miR319, miR171, and miR5213 were identified to be targets of sHsps, Hsfs, and Hsps. The protein-protein interaction revealed that CaHsp18.2 and CaHsp70 might be controlled by CaHsfsA1. Drought priming strongly correlated with less membrane damage and better leaf water content. Higher harvest index and root shoot ratio significantly indicated effectiveness of priming and essential role of Hsf and Hsp and related miRNAs in heat stress tolerance.

Rapid and non-destructive detection of hard to cook chickpeas using NIR hyperspectral imaging and machine learning

Identification of Hard to Cook (HTC) chickpeas in a rapid, non-destructive manner is crucial for the pulse processing industry. This study investigated the potential of near infrared (NIR) hyperspectral imaging (HSI) system to classify chickpeas into HTC and Easy to Cook (ETC) (control) categories. Two types of HTC chickpeas were created using eight different varieties of chickpeas: the first type was created by storing under suboptimal conditions, while the second type was created with chemical treatment. A total of eight hundred sixty-four chickpea seeds ({control- 36; physically hardened-36 seeds; chemically hardened-36 seeds} × 8 varieties) were used in this study. The chickpeas were imaged using a NIR-HSI system in the spectral range of 900–2500 nm. The cooking time of individual chickpea seed was measured using an automated Mattson cooker and the spectral data was correlated with the measured reference cooking time of chickpeas to develop the calibration model. Partial Least Square Discriminant Analysis (PLSDA), Support Vector Classifier (SVC) and Convolutional Neural Network-Attention (CNN-ATT) models was used for model development based on full spectrum and significant wavelengths. The optimal models were obtained using the SVC and CNN-ATT which demonstrated 100% accuracy in classifying the chickpeas into HTC and ETC. Besides, the cooking time of control (ETC) and HTC chickpeas were predicted using One Dimensional Convolutional Neural Network (1D-CNN) with Correlation Coefficient of Prediction (R2p) and Root Mean Square Error of Prediction (RMSEP) values of 0.880 and 0.662 respectively indicating the potential of this approach in developing robust model for cooking time prediction in other pulses.

Morphobiological and Qualitative Features of Chickpeas in Rainfed Farming Conditions of Mountainous Shirvan

The article presents 63 chickpea varieties introduced from 5 nurseries of ICARDA, where the yield, structural elements of production, grain quality and surface temperature in rainfed farming conditions were evaluated and compared with the Sultan variety taken as a standard. The research was carried out at the Gobustan Regional Experimental Station of the Research Institute of Agriculture under rainfed farming conditions of Mountainous Shirvan in 2017-2018. The difference between the surface temperature and the air temperature varied in different varieties and depended on the biological features of the variety. Surface temperature in chickpea varieties from nurseries varied in the range of 20.1-23.1°C in the noon hours, and in the noon — in the range of 21.7-23.7°C. The difference between the temperature of the vegetation cover and the air temperature in the daytime decreased and varied in the range of 8.1-10.7°C. This difference in comparison with the morning hours was 0.5-0.9°C. The temperature regime in the daytime of the studied varieties F.97.706, ILC 487, F.07-100, F.07-292, and F.09-210 was better regulated under drought conditions. In chickpea varieties selected for economically important traits, taken from various international nurseries, yield indicators were 265-385 g/m2. The average yield values of these variety accessions were above the standard and this difference was 50 g/m. Here, the maximum yields were obtained in accessions F.09-304 (380 g/m2) and F.09-294 (385 g/m2). The yield of protein per hectare varied in the range of 7.38-10.4 cwt/ha, the highest rates were obtained in varieties with a total growing season of 207 days — F.09-304 (9.88 cwt/ha) from the CIEN nursery — W, F.07-292 (9.01 cwt/ha) from the CIEN-DT nursery and F.09-294 (10.4 cwt/ha) from the CIABN nursery.

Host resistance by sowing date interaction reduced Fusarium wilt pressure and improved grain yield of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) in North Shoa, Ethiopia

AbstractChickpea Fusarium wilt is seriously damaging chickpea productivity. To determine the integrated effects of three sowing dates and four chickpea varieties on epidemics of Chickpea Fusarium wilt and grain yield, field experiments were conducted in naturally infested soils at Alem Ketema and Enewari, Ethiopia, during 2018. Treatments were factorial arranged in a randomized complete block design with three replications. Results showed that variety Mastewal recorded relatively low mean Fusarium wilt incidence at Alem Ketema (15.344%) and Enewari (38.19%) compared with the other test varieties. Variety Mastewal also produced high grain yield over others at Alem Ketema (1155.14 kg ha−1) and Enewari (1120.91 kg ha−1). Related trends were observed for infection rate, area under disease progress curve (AUDPC), and yield components at both locations. Late August sowing resulted in higher stand count at harvest (132.08 and 102.08), number of pods (50.28 and 40.62), grain yield (1030.86 and 1122.08 kg ha−1), and lower AUDPC value (321.30%‐days and 540.34%‐days) than early August sowing in that order at Alem Ketema and Enewari. Interaction of variety Mastewal by late August sowing gave relatively high grain yield (1341.36 and 1331.85 kg ha−1), and it had low AUDPC (196.58%‐days and 483.36%‐days) at Alem Ketema and Enewari, respectively. Conversely, early planting caused up to 25.32% (Alem Ketema) and 193.67% (Enewari) yield reductions in chickpea varieties over late planting. Therefore, delaying sowing date and growing variety Mastewal found to maximize chickpea yield and minimize effect and progression of Fusarium wilt, and hence, recommended for the study areas.