Assessment of Cold Tolerance of Chickpea at Rainfed Highlands of Iran

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1 American-Eurasian J. Agric. & Environ. Sci., 5 (2): , 29 ISSN IDOSI Publications, 29 Assessment of Cold Tolerance of Chickpea at Rainfed Highlands of Iran 2 3 Homayoun Kanouni, Marouf Khalily and Rajinder Singh Malhotra Agricultural and Natural Resources Research Center of Kurdistan, P.O. Box 74, Sanandaj, Iran 2 PNU, Payame Noor University of Mahabad, P.O. Box 438, Mahabad, Iran 3 ICARDA, International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas, P.O. Box 5466, Aleppo, Syria Abstract: Work on cold tolerance in chickpea was initiated when the advantages of advancing its sowing date from traditional spring sowing to winter were established. In order to identify and select high-yielding and cold tolerance varieties in high altitude and cool regions, genetic variation of forty accessions of chickpea as well as one susceptible check (ILC 533) was studied in a RCB design with two replications at rainfed autumn sowing of Kurdistan province, west of Iran. In this nursery the susceptible check (ILC 533) repeated after every two test entries and different characteristics and variables such as seed yield, days from sowing to flowering, - seed weight, plant height, number of pods per plant, number of seeds per pod, number of primary branches and number of secondary branches were recorded. Annual and combined analysis of variance revealed that there were significant differences between genotypes for seed yield, number of secondary branches, -seed weight and cold tolerance score (P<.5).The correlation coefficient of seed yield with seeds weight and cold tolerance rate were found negative and significant at % probability level and secondary branches number positive and significant at % probability level. Sixteen entries showed a desirable reaction (3 on to 9 scale, where = free, 9= killed due to frost). The highly cold tolerant entries (FLIP C, FLIP 93-26C and Sel95TH76) are derived from hybrids of cultivated varieties with ILWC 82 (C. reticulatum) a wild relation of cultigen (C. arietinum L.). Key words: Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) Abiotic stresses Genetic variation Cold tolerance Autumn sowing INTRODUCTION for cold tolerance is the integral part of the chickpea improvement works. Chickpea is the third important food legume crop in Chickpea is the least cold tolerant crop among the the world, grown in m ha with 9 million-ton production cool-season food legumes. After the studies []. It provides a high quality protein to people in demonstrated a major gain in yield by advancing the developing countries [2]. Chickpea is grown as a winter sowing date from spring to early winter, the need for crop in the subtropics and tropics and as a spring-sown improving cold tolerance in chickpea has become crop in Mediterranean and temperate climates because the obvious. The winter chickpea technology requires conventional cultivars tolerate only mild cold. Chickpea is cultivars to tolerate low temperature down to - C for a the main important food legume crop in Iran, where it is period of 6 days [6, 7]. Three important requirements in grown as a rain-fed crop on an area of 7, ha, mostly the development of cold-tolerant lines are characterization in spring season. Spring-sown rain-fed chickpea yield of stress, identification of genetic variation and, ranges from.33 to.65 t ha whereas irrigated yield availability simple screening methods. Singh and Saxena ranges from.7 to.5 [3,4]. [] have developed a field technique for screening Cold tolerance is one of the most important chickpea for cold tolerance which involves: (a) Sowing pre-requisites for winter or fall-sown chickpea. Even the germplasm and breeding materials in early October for spring-sown crop cold tolerance at early seedling with supplemental irrigation o allow the crop to achieve a stage is important [5]. Efforts have been under way late vegetative growth stage before the onset of sever since the initiation of chickpea project and breeding winter conditions in late December; (b) Planting of a Coressponding Author: Dr. Homayoun Kanouni, Agricultural and Natural Resources Research Center of Kurdistan, P.O. Box 74, Sanandaj, Iran 25

2 Rainfall(mm) Tempreature(C) Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep max min Fig. : Variation in rainfall and temperature by means of months during cropping seasons at the Saral experimental station, west of Iran susceptible check after every 2- test lines; and (c) Observations of five randomly selected plants from Evaluating the materials on a -9 scale after the each plot were recorded on eight characters, namely days susceptible check is killed. from sowing to flowering, -seeds weight, plant height, Three key elements in characterization of an abiotic number of pods per plant, number of seeds per pod, stress are intensity and duration of stress, rate of stress number of primary branches, number of secondary development and phenological timing of stress [8]. branches and seed yield. The objectives of this study were to characterize Simple and combined analysis of variance was stress experienced by chickpea and its relation to the performed for each character measured in the experiment. seed yield and assess genetic variation for cold tolerance The relationship between the characters was determined in the field, for advancing sowing date from spring to by regression analysis. autumn. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION MATERIALS AND METHODS With respect to meteorological data (Fig.), in these This study was carried out during two successive cropping seasons, cold stress was severe in January and growing seasons (23-25) at the Saral Agricultural February. The severity of stress experienced by cultivars Research Station, 35 43' N, 48 8' E and 2 m. altitude, /lines varied with their date of germination each year. in the province of Kurdistan, west of Iran. Climatic Susceptible check (ILC 533) was killed due to frost both conditions including rainfall and atmospheric temperature years and other genotypes experienced -7 C, slightly. during experiment are shown in Figure. Plant materials Number of days with snow cover at first year was 28 days consisted of 4 accessions of chickpea (Table 2), forty and at second year 36 days, with 7 and 6 cm in height, lines received from ICARDA and a local check Jam. respectively. There were more cold days in 23/4 than Those were planted in two years at early October. in 24/5, but the days on which minimum temperature Experiments were conducted in rain-fed plots with two fell below - C was more in the latter. replications using randomized complete block design. Combined analysis of variance for recorded traits Each plot consisted of two rows, m in length. The inter showed that, year effect is significant for cold tolerance row and interplant spacing were 3 cm and cm, rate, number of pods per plant and seed yield (data have respectively. The land was fallow in the previous year and not shown). 65kg ha urea fertilizer was added to the soil before Mean, standard error, range and coefficient of planting. Plots were maintained weed free and sprayed variation for different traits have been showed in Table. with SEVIN against pod borer (Helicoverpa armigera) Range of seed yield of genotypes revealed an interesting prior to the pod formation. point. In spring-sown rainfed experiments, the best 25

3 Table : Mean ± Standard error, range and coefficient of variation of recorded traits for fall- sown chickpea genotypes during cropping seasons Trait Mean±Standard Error Range Coefficient of variation (%) CTR 4.4± YLD (g/m ) 83.5± DF 93.± PHT (cm) 22.4± P/P 6.9± S/P ± PBN 3± SBN 9± SW (g) 33.6± Abbreviations: CTR = cold tolerance rate, DF= days to flowering, PHT = plant height, P/P = pod per plant, S/P = seed per pod, PBN = primary branches number, SBN = secondary branches number, SW = seeds weight, YLD = seed yield Table 2: Average of seed yield and other characteristics of chickpea entries No entry name CTR DF PHT P/P (cm) S/P PBN SBN SW (g) YLD (g/m ) ILC FLIP93-255C FLIP93-26C FLIP C FLIP96-9C FLIP97-28C FLIP97-8C FLIP97-83C FLIP97-95C FLIP97-2C FLIP97-5C FLIP97-6C FLIP97-2C FLIP97-26C FLIP97-35C FLIP97-36C FLIP97-49C FLIP97-5C FLIP97-98C FLIP97-73C FLIP97-79C FLIP97-82C FLIP97-89C FLIP97-92C FLIP97-22C FLIP97-23C FLIP97-23C FLIP97-232C FLIP97-239C FLIP98-6C FLIP98-5C FLIP98-8C Sel96TH Sel93TH Sel93TH Sel93TH Sel93TH Sel95TH Sel95TH Sel95TH ILC Mean LSD (5%) For abbreviations see table 252

4 Table 3: Correlation coefficients (phenotypic) for agronomic attributes (n=4) Traits YLD SW SBN PBN S/P P/P PHT DF SW -.438** SBN.643** -.473** PBN S/P P/P PHT DF CTR -.6**.569** -.5** **: Significant at % level For abbreviations see table Seed Yield(g/m^2) y = -9.3x R 2 = Cold Tolerance Score cold tolerance score had more secondary branch number and correlation between these two attributes has been significant. Investigators believe that, cold tolerant chickpea varieties after effects of cold damage on their primary branches will compensate cold damage via more secondary branches production [, 2]. According to the results sixteen entries showed a desirable reaction (3 on to 9 scale, where = free and 9= killed). The most cold tolerance entries were FLIP C, FLIP 93-26C and Sel 95TH 76 with an average reaction of equal or less than 3. All the aforementioned lines are derived from hybrids with ILWC 82 (C.reticulatum), a wild relative of cultivated genotype. Useful genes for cold tolerance could be transferred from Fig. 2: Correlation between seed yield and cold tolerance alien chromosomes of wild relatives to cultigene [3]. scores of chickpea genotypes The implication of the results for development of chickpeas for cold prone climates is clear. It is emphasized chickpea genotypes yield ranges from.8 to. t ha, that breeding strategies must seek to develop lines with whereas in this trial cold tolerant lines yielded more than a greater degree of adaptability to cold conditions. 2. t ha. Towards this end, the physiological and biochemical Mean yield for all genotypes over two years has basis for cold tolerance must be clarified further. been.8 t ha and this shows that accessions using adequate moisture during growth stages and due to long ACKNOWLEDGMENTS period from germination to maturity have produced considerable seed yield. Mean and least significant We thank the AREO (Agricultural Research and differences for characteristics of chickpea entries are Education Organization), Iran for financial support. The shown in Table 2. FLIP 98-8C is produced the highest assistance with field experiment provides by Mr. A. seed yield and, apart from ILC 533(susceptible check), Behzadi is gratefully acknowledged. which killed by cold both years, the lowest yield is produced by FLIP 97-36C. REFERENCES Results obtained from association among traits (Table 3) indicated that seed yield has positive and. Singh, K.B. and M.C. Saxena, 999.Chickpeas, the significant correlation with number of secondary branches Tropical Agriculturalist. Mac Millan Education. and have negative and significant correlation with - London and Basington. seeds weight and cold tolerance rate (Fig. 2). Correlation 2. Acikgoz, N., M. Karaca, C. Er and K. Meyveci, 994. between seeds weight and cold tolerance rate was Chickpea and Lentil Production in Turkey. In positive and significant (P<.). Malhotra and Saxena [9] Expanding the production and use of cool season and Hadjichristodoulou [], also have grouped cold food legumes, Eds., F.J. Muehlbauer F. J. and W.J. tolerant varieties in small / medium seed size category of Kaiser. Kluwer Academic Publ., Dordrecht, the chickpeas. In other hand, most of genotypes with high Netherlands, pp:

5 3. Kanouni, H., M. Kh. Ahmadi, S.H. Sabaghpour, 8. ICARDA, 26. Food Legume Improvement Program: R.S. Malhotra and H. Ketat, 23. Evaluation of Annual Report 25. Aleppo. Syria: ICARDA. Spring Sown Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) Varieties 9. Malhotra, R.S. and M.C. Saxena, 993. Screening for for Drought Tolerance. In the Proceedings of the cold and heat tolerance in cool-season food legumes. International Chickpea Conference, Chickpea In Breeding for stress tolerance in cool-season food Research for the Millennium, Raipour, Chhattisgarh, legumes, Eds., K.B. Singh and M.C. Saxena. John India. January 2-22, 23, pp: Wiley and Sons, Chichester, UK, pp: Saxena, M.C., 984. Agronomic Studies on Winter. Hadjichristodoulou, A., 984. New chickpea varieties Chickpea. In Ascochyta blight and winter sowing for winter sowing and mechanical harvesting. of chickpeas, Eds., M.C. Saxena and K.B. Singh. Technical Bulletin, Agricultural Research Institute, Martinus Nijhoff, The Hague, the Netherlands, Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources, pp: Cyprus No Saxena, N.P. and C. Johnson, 99. Chickpea. Kumar, L. and P.P. Arora, 99. Basis of Ideotypes for Genetic Enhancement of Yield and selection in chickpea. International Chickpea Yield Stability in South Asia. In the Proceedings of Newsletter, 24: 4-5. second International Workshop on Chickpea 2. Singh, K.B., 993. Problems and Prospects of Stress Improvement: Chickpea in nineties. 4-8 Dec Resistance Breeding in Chickpea In Breeding for ICRISAT, pp: stress tolerance in cool- season food legumes, Eds., 6. Baker, R.J., 994. Breeding Methods and Selection K.B. Singh and M.C. Saxena. John Wiley and Sons, Indices for Improved Tolerance to Biotic and Abiotic Chichester, U.K, pp: Stresses in Cool Season Food Legumes. Euphytica, 3. Rosielle, A.A. and J. Hamblin, 98. Theoretical 73: Aspects of Selection for Yield in Stress and non- 7. Malhotra, R.S. and K.B. Singh, 99. Gene action for Stress Environments. Crop Sci., 2: cold tolerance in chickpea. Theoretical and Applied Genetics, 82: