Chickpeas are well adapted to rainfed conditions, but a lack of moisture during the reproductive phase can result in lower pod setting and ultimately reduced grain yield. The exact reasons for this reduction are not fully understood, partly because of the lack of information on soil moisture content (SMC) and water use during podding. This study aimed to address this knowledge gap by quantifying the impact of gradual drought on various yield components of desi‐type genotypes using the fraction of transpirable soil water (FTSW) method. Two water treatments were applied at the start of anthesis: well‐watered (WW) and drought‐stressed (DS). The WW was maintained at 24% SMC, whereas the DS was dried to 3% SMC. The results showed that DS caused early podding (3.3 days less), with reductions in plant height (11.4 cm), leaf area (1249.5 cm2), flowers (18.6), pods (27.4), seeds (37.0), grain yield (0.2 g), aboveground dry biomass (11.4 g) and harvest index (0.2 g), while increasing flower abortion (14.6) and seed biomass (1.5 g). However, diverse genotypic responses were observed to treatments, as well as water usage, FTSW and SMC that triggered pods which ranged from 1.12 to 1.89 L, 0.05 to 0.43 and 4.0% to 12.2%, respectively. A positive association between days taken and the amount of water used to terminate pods indicated that quicker‐triggering genotypes, such as Rupali and Genesis 836, consumed less water to develop pods than Flipper, ICCV_06109 and PBA Slasher did. Conversely, the negative association between the amount of water used and the number of pods triggered, seeds and grain yield explained the superior performance of Rupali and Genesis 836. These genotypes extracted less water (FTSW = 0.36 and 0.43; SMC = 10.3% and 12.2%, respectively) to develop pods and maintained favourable photosynthesis at lower transpiration rates for longer periods, allowing them to use residual moisture more efficiently. Our research offers crucial insights that can be beneficial to breeders and physiologists, paving the way for future studies aimed at developing drought‐tolerant genotypes.

中文翻译：

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土壤水分消耗对鹰嘴豆 (Cicer arietinum L.) Desi 基因型各种产量成分和触发豆荚的用水量的影响


鹰嘴豆很好地适应雨养条件，但在繁殖阶段缺乏水分会导致结荚率降低，最终降低谷物产量。这种减少的确切原因尚不完全清楚，部分原因是缺乏土壤水分含量（SMC）和结荚期间用水的信息。本研究旨在通过使用可蒸腾土壤水分数（FTSW）方法量化逐渐干旱对 desi-type 基因型的各种产量组成部分的影响来解决这一知识差距。在开花开始时进行两种水处理：充分浇水（WW）和干旱胁迫（DS）。 WW 维持在 24% SMC，而 DS 干燥至 3% SMC。结果表明，DS导致结荚提前（减少3.3天），株高（11.4厘米）、叶面积（1249.5平方厘米）、花（18.6）、豆荚（27.4）、种子（37.0）、籽粒产量（0.2）减少。 g)、地上干生物量(11.4 g)和收获指数(0.2 g)，同时增加花败育(14.6)和种子生物量(1.5 g)。然而，观察到对处理、用水量、FTSW 和 SMC 的不同基因型反应，触发豆荚的范围分别为 1.12 至 1.89 L、0.05 至 0.43 和 4.0% 至 12.2%。所用天数与用于终止结荚的水量之间存在正相关关系，表明更快触发的基因型（例如 Rupali 和 Genesis 836）比 Flipper、ICCV_06109 和 PBA Slasher 消耗更少的水来发育结荚。相反，用水量与触发的豆荚数量、种子和谷物产量之间的负相关解释了 Rupali 和 Genesis 836 的优越性能。这些基因型提取的水较少（FTSW = 0.36 和 0.43；SMC = 10.3% 和 12 。2%）来发育豆荚，并在较低的蒸腾速率下长时间保持有利的光合作用，从而使它们能够更有效地利用残留水分。我们的研究提供了对育种者和生理学家有益的重要见解，为未来旨在开发耐旱基因型的研究铺平了道路。