Evaluation of Kabuli Chickpea Genotypes for Tropical Adaptation in Northern Australia

Megha Subedi (), Mani Naiker, Ryan du Preez, Dante L. Adorada and Surya Bhattarai
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Megha Subedi: School of Health, Medical and Applied Sciences, Central Queensland University, Rockhampton, QLD 4701, Australia
Mani Naiker: School of Health, Medical and Applied Sciences, Central Queensland University, Rockhampton, QLD 4701, Australia
Ryan du Preez: School of Health, Medical and Applied Sciences, Central Queensland University, Rockhampton, QLD 4701, Australia
Dante L. Adorada: Centre for Crop Health, Institute for Life Science and the Environment, University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba, QLD 4350, Australia
Surya Bhattarai: School of Health, Medical and Applied Sciences, Central Queensland University, Rockhampton, QLD 4701, Australia

Agriculture, 2024, vol. 14, issue 10, 1-27

Abstract: Chickpea is one of the economically important legume crops adapted for winter season production in tropical climates. This study evaluated the physiological, morphological, and biochemical traits of eight Kabuli chickpea genotypes in an Australian tropical environment. The result revealed significant differences between genotypes for seed emergence, plant height, primary shoots, leaf number, leaf area index, gas-exchange parameters, seed yield, carbon discrimination (Δ 13 C), and natural abundance for nitrogen fixation. Among the tested genotypes, AVTCPK#6 and AVTCPK#19 exhibited late flowering (60–66 days) and late maturity (105–107 days), and had higher leaf photosynthetic rate (A sat ) (28.4–31.2 µmol m −2 s −1 ), lower stomatal conductance (gsw) (516–756 mmol m −2 s −1 ), were associated with reduced transpiration rate (T) (12.3–14.5 mmol m −2 s −1 ), offered greater intrinsic water-use efficiency (iWUE) (2.1–2.3 µmol m −2 s −1 /mmol m −2 s −1 ), and contributed a higher seed yield (626–746 g/m 2 ) compared to other genotypes. However, a larger seed test weight (>60 g/100 seed) was observed for AVTCPK#24, AVTCPK#8, and AVTCPK#3. Similarly, a high proportion (45%) of larger seeds (>10–11 mm) was recorded for AVTCPK#24. Furthermore, a higher %Ndfa in AVTCPK#6 (71%) followed by AVTCPK#19 (63%) indicated greater symbiotic nitrogen fixation in high-yielding genotypes. Positive correlation was observed between %Ndfa and seed protein, as well as between seed yield and plant height, primary shoots, leaf count, leaf area index, leaf photosynthesis, stomatal conductance, transpiration rate at pod filling stage, biomass, and harvest index. An inverse correlation between (Δ 13 C) and iWUE, particularly in AVTCPK#6 and AVTCPK#19, indicates greater heat and drought tolerance, required for high-yielding Kabuli chickpea production in northern Australia.

Keywords: chickpea; water-use efficiency; carbon discrimination; heat tolerance (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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