Screening for Adaptation to Drought: Case Studies With Chickpea and Pigeonpea
1987
Saxena, N P
Water deficits account for nearly 50% of the variation in chickpea and pigeonpea production caused by both biotic and abiotic stress factors. Irrigation is not always practicable to alleviate water deficits, and when it is not properly practiced, it may also lead to waterlogging and salinity. Better management and crop adaptation to drought can improve and stabilize yield in drought environments to some extent. They become essential approaches for areas where irrigation is not feasible. Prospects for adaptation of chickpea to drought in the peninsular Indian environment are encouraging, and they need to be explored further in other environments. The methodology and criteria used for selection need to be more thoroughly evaluated before initiating a breeding program for drought tolerance in this crop. In pigeonpea, very few attempts have been made to screen genotypes for adaptation to drought. The problem is more complex because of difficulties in reproducing the unpredictable and variable moisture environment that the crop experiences. However, pigeonpea is also exposed to terminal water deficits in a manner similar to chickpea, and screening methods developed for chickpea should be applicable to pigeonpea.
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