Comparative responses of Cicer species to drought tolerance
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Date
2018
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Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana
Abstract
The present study was conducted on 14 genotypes+6 wild Cicer species during Rabi 2015-16 and 2016-17. Two consecutive i.e. lysimetric (control, 50 and 75% reduction in water levels) and field (irrigated and rainfed) trials were carried out against moisture stress conditions to record root and morpho-physiological traits. Root weight recorded at 70 days after sowing positively correlated with the plant height (r=0.643), leaves (0.614), membrane permeability index (r=-0.531) and root area (r=0.556) depicting the role of former in imparting drought tolerance. Field trials assessed morpho-physiological traits at flower initiation and yield attributes at maturity. Ten accessions shortlisted on the basis of two experiments and bifurcated into tolerant and sensitive categories. Increase in mean peroxidase (32.42 and 50.71%), superoxide dismutase (1.19 and 2.40 folds), catalase (1.43 and 2.84 folds) and ascorbate peroxidase (3.27 and 1.33 folds) activities and proline content in tolerant accessions ultimately maintained low malonidialdehyde and hydrogen peroxide in the leaves at flower initiation stage evaluating the strong antioxidative defense system against receding moisture (50 and 75% respectively). Amongst the semi-quantitative RNA expression, P6 of LEA 6 gene showed differential banding pattern in ICC 4958 and CSJ 513. ICC4958 consistently expressed the P6 primer at control and 75% reduction level that signifies its importance in resisting any change under water deficit conditions (expansion of root area by 2.7 folds) and maintaining high yield. Anatomical changes in roots (increase in metaxylem) and leaves (decrease in parenchymatous layer) contributed towards drought tolerance in ICC4958 at 75% reduction level. The combined crosstalk between various attributes ultimately led to drought tolerance irrespective of the proportion of contribution functioning at a particular stage of plant‟s life cycle.
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