OPTIMIZING CHICKPEA GROWTH AND YIELD WITH ASSESSING FERTILIZER LEVELS AND MICROBIAL INOCULANTS IN RESPONSE TO MOISTURE STRESS CONDITION

Abstract

(Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is the largest produced food legume in South Asia and the third largest produced food legume globally, after common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) and field pea (Pisum sativum L.). Chickpea is grown in more than 50 countries (89.7% area in Asia, 4.3% in Africa, 2.6% in Oceania, 2.9% in Americas and 0.4% in Europe). Chickpea is a Rabi season crop it require cool climate during vegetative growth. Chickpea varieties vary with their rainfall requirements, plants will tolerate frosts during the vegetative stage, but once flowering, frosts, if severe enough can cause flower drop. Chickpeas prefer warmer growing conditions, average temperatures below 15º C will reduce pollen viability and can cause flower drop, and average temperatures over 35º C will lower the potential yield and cause possible flower abortion. Interactions between crop establishment, 
development and the environment should be considered at the whole plant biology level if plant stress response is to be understood. Various defense mechanisms control plant adaptation in high and low temperature stresses and subsequently determine crop yields. This chapter provides an overview of the status of chickpea temperature stress research and provides a perspective on strategies for breeding temperature stress tolerant chickpea. Chickpea is grown under 500-900 mm annual rainfall. India is the largest chickpea producer with 9.19 Mha and 8.22 Mt (65%) of global production. Other major producing countries: Pakistan, Turkey, Iran, Myanmar, Australia, Ethiopia, Canada, Mexico, and Iraq. In India pulses are cultivated on marginal lands under rain fed conditions. Only around 15% of the area under pulses has assured irrigation, because of the high level of fluctuations in pulse production andprices. India is the major chickpea (Gram/ Chana) producing country, while chickpea is basically grownin the dried region of India. The major chickpea producing states of India are Madhya Pradesh, followed by Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. Chickpeas are a nutrient-dense food, providing rich content (20% or higher) of protein, dietary fiber, folate, and certain dietary minerals such as iron and phosphorus per 100 gram. Compared to reference levels established by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization and World Health Organization, proteins in cooked and germinated chickpeas are rich in essential amino acids such as lysine, tryptophan, and total aromatic amino acids. A 100 g serving of cooked chickpeas provides 164 kilocalories energy. Chickpea is a highly nutritious grain legume crop. Chickpea/ Bengal gram is widely appreciated as health food. It is a protein-rich supplement to cereal-based diets, especially to the poor in developing countries, where people are vegetarians or cannot afford animal protein, chick pea an important source of protein (20-22%) in South Asia who are largely vegetarians. Rich in fiber, minerals, B-carotene, and lipid fraction is high in unsaturated fatty acids. Chick pea also improves soil fertility by fixing atmospheric N2 up to 140 kg/ha. The success of any inoculation program depends on many factors, including environmental conditions, rhizobia strain, inoculants carrier and inoculation method (Smith. 1992, Hynes et al., 1995). Most early research in the area of Rhizobium inoculants formulation focused on the carrier material, which included peat, coal, clay, and compost made from sawdust or rice husks. Ideally, the carrier material should support large numbers of viable Rhizobia for extended periods in a suitable physiological state to maintain the effectiveness of the Rhizobium and to facilitate the ready formation of a symbiotic association with the host seedling (Paau et al., 1990, Paau, 1991). The most common invocation method involves treating the seed with a peat based or liquid inoculants prior to planting. Although this practice is widely accepted, its efficiency is questionable under several situations. 
In recent years, microbial inoculants have gained attention as potential biotechnological tools to enhance plant resilience to environmental stresses, including moisture deficits. These inoculants, containing beneficial microorganisms such as rhizobia, mycorrhizal fungi, and plant growth-promoting bacteria, can establish symbiotic relationships with plants, improving nutrient uptake, water absorption, and stress tolerance.