Physiological and Biochemical Adaptations in Lentil Genotypes under Drought Stress

Drought is a major restrictive factor for declining grain yield in lentil globally. Present investigation was conducted by taking microsperma (HUL-57) and macrosperma (IPL-406) genotypes of lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.) as information regarding physiological and biochemical basis of differences in drought resistance in macrosperma (bold-seeded) and microsperma (small-seeded) are not well understood. Pot grown plants were exposed to drought stress at specific phenophase viz. mid-vegetative, flower initiation and pod formation stage by withholding irrigation till the plants experienced one cycle of permanent wilting (PWP). Genotypes exhibited substantial differences for most of the measured traits under drought irrespective of the phenophase of stress imposed. Under drought HUL-57 had lower CMI, higher CSI, lower values of Delta C-13, maintained higher SLN, accumulated more N and efficiently remobilized accumulated N to developing seeds. Higher chlorophyll content, increased accumulation of osmotically active solutes viz. soluble sugars and proline under drought stress was evident in HUL-57. Drought induced H2O2 accumulation and lipid peroxidation in both genotypes, but increments were of lesser magnitudes in HUL-57. Drought stress of pod formation stage followed by flower initiation stage was most damaging than the stress imposed at mid-vegetative stage in both genotypes. HUL-57 showed a better drought resistance capacity than IPL-406. Drought indices viz. DSI, STI and MP are proposed as criterion to identify and breed lentil genotypes for drought conditions.