Foliar nitrogen applications increase the seed yield and protein content in chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) subject to terminal drought

2005 ◽  
Vol 56 (2) ◽  
pp. 105 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jairo A. Palta ◽  
Ajit S. Nandwal ◽  
Sunita Kumari ◽  
Neil C. Turner

The effect of foliar application of isotopically labelled nitrogen (15N-urea) at 4 stages during flowering and podding on the uptake and utilisation of nitrogen by chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) under conditions of terminal drought was investigated in a glasshouse study. Five treatments were used to investigate the effect of timing of foliar application of urea, equivalent to 30 kg N/ha, on the uptake and utilisation of nitrogen for biomass, yield, seed protein content, and seed size: foliar application at (i) first flower, (ii) 50% flowering, (iii) 50% pod set, and (iv) the end of podding, and (v) an unsprayed control treatment. Terminal drought was induced from pod set onward, resulting in a rapid development of plant water deficits (–0.14 MPa/day) and a decrease in leaf photosynthesis irrespective of the timing of foliar urea application. Foliar applications of urea at first flower and at 50% flowering, before terminal drought was induced, increased yield and seed protein content. The increase in yield resulted from an increase in the number of pods with more than one seed rather than from increased pod number per plant or increased seed size, indicating greater seed survival under terminal drought. Also, the increase in the seed protein content resulted from increased nitrogen availability for seed filling. Foliar application of urea during flowering, before terminal drought was induced, resulted in 20% more biomass at maturity, suggesting that growth prior to the development of water shortage increased the carbon resources for sustained seed filling under conditions of terminal drought. Foliar applications of urea at 50% pod set and at the end of podding did not affect the yield or seed protein content, primarily because the uptake of nitrogen was limited by the leaf senescence that occurred with the development of terminal drought. The results indicate the potential to increase yields of chickpea by application of foliar nitrogen near flowering in environments in which terminal droughts reduce yield.

2011 ◽  
Vol 62 (6) ◽  
pp. 481 ◽  
Author(s):  
X.-W. Fang ◽  
N. C. Turner ◽  
F.-M. Li ◽  
K. H. M. Siddique

Terminal drought is known to decrease flower production, increase flower and pod abortion, and decrease yield of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.), but the effects of early-season drought have not been evaluated. The influence of an early transient water deficit on flower and pod production and abortion, and seed yield and its components was evaluated in two chickpea cultivars, Rupali, a desi type, and Almaz, a kabuli type. Thirty-six-day-old plants were subjected to: (i) a transient water deficit by withholding water for 35 days, and then rewatered (WS), and (ii) kept well watered (WW) throughout. In the WS treatment the soil water content, leaf relative water content and leaf photosynthetic rate decreased after water was withheld and, following rewatering, recovered to the WW level. Despite the WS treatment being imposed at different phenological stages in the two cultivars, WS reduced flower number per plant by ~50% in Rupali and Almaz, respectively, compared with the WW plants. In WW plants, ~15% of flowers aborted in both cultivars, and 42 and 67% of the pods aborted in Rupali and Almaz, respectively, whereas in WS plants, 18 and 23% of flowers aborted and 27 and 67% of pods aborted in Rupali and Almaz, respectively. While seed growth in WS plants of Rupali and Almaz occurred primarily after the plants were rewatered, the duration of seed growth decreased by 17 and 36 days, the maximum rate of seed filling increased by 3 times and 5 times, and seed size increased by 26 and 16%, respectively, compared with the WW plants. Seed yield per plant in WS plants decreased by 31% in Rupali and 38% in Almaz compared with the WW controls. The early transient water deficit decreased flower production, but improved flower and pod development; increased the rate of seed growth and increased final seed size; and had a smaller effect on seed yield compared with chickpea subjected to terminal drought.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhijuan Chen ◽  
Vanessa Lancon-Verdier ◽  
Christine Le Signor ◽  
Yi-Min She ◽  
Yun Kang ◽  
...  

AbstractGrain legumes are highly valuable plant species, as they produce seeds with high protein content. Increasing seed protein production and improving seed nutritional quality represent an agronomical challenge in order to promote plant protein consumption of a growing population. In this study, we used the genetic diversity, naturally present in Medicago truncatula, a model plant for legumes, to identify genes/loci regulating seed traits. Indeed, using sequencing data of 162 accessions from the Medicago HAPMAP collection, we performed genome-wide association study for 32 seed traits related to seed size and seed composition such as seed protein content/concentration, sulfur content/concentration. Using different GWAS and postGWAS methods, we identified 79 quantitative trait nucleotides (QTNs) as regulating seed size, 41 QTNs for seed composition related to nitrogen (i.e. storage protein) and sulfur (i.e. sulfur-containing amino acid) concentrations/contents. Furthermore, a strong positive correlation between seed size and protein content was revealed within the selected Medicago HAPMAP collection. In addition, several QTNs showed highly significant associations in different seed phenotypes for further functional validation studies, including one near an RNA-Binding Domain protein, which represents a valuable candidate as central regulator determining both seed size and composition. Finally, our findings in M. truncatula represent valuable resources to be exploitable in many legume crop species such as pea, common bean, and soybean due to its high synteny, which enable rapid transfer of these results into breeding programs and eventually help the improvement of legume grain production.


2018 ◽  
Vol 36 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
R.M. IKRAM ◽  
A. TANVEER ◽  
R. MAQBOOL ◽  
M.A. NADEEN

ABSTRACT: Brown chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is one of the two chickpea types grown in Pakistan and other countries. The critical period for weed removal in a rainfed chickpea system is an important consideration in devising weed management strategies. Field experiments were conducted in the winter season of 2011 and 2012 to determine the extent of yield loss with different periods of weed crop competition. Seven weed crop competition periods (0, 45, 60, 75, 90, 105 and 160 days after sowing - DAS) were used to identify the critical period for weed removal in rainfed chickpea. Experimental plots were naturally infested with Euphorbia dracunculoides and Astragalus sp. in both years. Individual, composite density and dry weights of E. dracunculoides and Astragalussp. increased significantly with an increase in the competition period. However, yield and yield-contributing traits of chickpea significantly decreased with an increase in the competition period. Chickpea seed yield loss was 11-53% in different weed crop competition periods. Euphorbia dracunculoides and Astragalus sp. removed 39.9 and 36.9 kg ha-1 of N, 9.61 and 7.27 kg ha-1 of P and 38.3 and 36.9 kg ha-1 of K, respectively. Season long weed competition (160 days after sowing) resulted in 19.5% seed protein content compared with 24.5% seed protein content in weed-free chickpea. A Logistic equation was fitted to yield data in response to increasing periods of weed crop competition. The critical timing of weed removal at 5 and 10% acceptable yield losses were 26 and 39 DAS, respectively. The observed critical period suggests that in rainfed chickpea, a carefully timed weed removal could prevent grain yield losses.


2017 ◽  
Vol 08 (10) ◽  
pp. 2387-2396 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuejin Weng ◽  
Ainong Shi ◽  
Waltram Second Ravelombola ◽  
Wei Yang ◽  
Jun Qin ◽  
...  

Crop Science ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 57 (3) ◽  
pp. 1325-1337 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandra Duhnen ◽  
Amandine Gras ◽  
Simon Teyssèdre ◽  
Michel Romestant ◽  
Bruno Claustres ◽  
...  

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