RESPONSE OF CHICKPEA GENOTYPES TO DROUGHT STRESS IN PETRI DISH ENVIRONMENT

Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.), an important leguminous crop has a dwindling croparea everyday due to climate change, and the overall yield declined. In controlled conditionexperiment, four distinct levels of drought were applied ten different varieties chickpeas in petridish using polyethylene glycol (PEG) @ 0, 10, 20, 30%. As differentiating factors, germinationrate, plumule, radicle lengths used. The experiment's results showed that, at 0% PEG, KK-2and Punjab-2008 demonstrated highest germination rates (99%), while lowest (0%)germination (30% PEG) recorded for Chattan KK-1 genotypes. At polyethyleneglycol (PEG), had maximum plumule (0.70 cm) (7.47 cm)lengths, respectively with increasing they got reduced. Thus, it may be inferred thatdrought impacted negatively but its impact can lessened by adopting genotypes that are droughtresistant.