Effect of terminal drought stress on water use, growth and yield of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.)

Subject Areas : Journal of Plant Ecophysiology

علیرضا نه بندانی ¹ (دانشگاه کشاورزی و منابع طبیعی گرگان)
افشین سلطانی ² (استاد دانشگاه علوم کشاورزی و منابع طبیعی گرگان)
پریسا درویشی راد ³ (دانش آموخته دانشگاه علوم کشاورزی و منابع طبیعی گرگان)

Received: 2014-11-17 Accepted : 2015-01-05 Published : 2016-01-01

Keywords: Sowing date, water stress, Area leaf, Total dry matter,

Abstract :

Most producing countries chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.), including Iran, are located in arid and semi-arid environments and terminal drought, drought stress in during pod formation and grain filling of the most important factors limiting the yield of the plant is considered. In order to examine the effect of the time of beginning terminal drought of chickpea, a factorial experiment based on randomized complete blocks design with four replication was conducted under greenhouse conditions at the Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Gorgan, Iran. Treatments consisted of two planting dates (5 Jan and 16 Feb 2004) and the time of beginning of terminal drought (at flowering and 10 and 20 days after flowering and a well-watered treatment (control). Occurrence of terminal drought at flowering and 10 and 20 days later reduced water use by 36, 24 and 15%, respectively, and dry matter production by 31, 23 and 10%, respectively. In the first sowing date, beginning terminal drought at flowering and 10 and 20 days later resulted in 79, 71 and 7% reduction in grain yield, respectively. In the second sowing date, the reductions were 57, 57 and 42%, respectively. So, optimal sowing date and supplementary irrigation at reproductive stages could be a great management option to decrease the negative aspects terminal drought stress.