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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 57(8)

Physiological and seed yield responses to water deficits among lentil genotypes from diverse origins

R. Shrestha A B C , Neil C. Turner A D E , K. H. M. Siddique A and D. W. Turner B
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Centre for Legumes in Mediterranean Agriculture (CLIMA), M080, Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia.

B School of Plant Biology, Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia.

C Present address: Agronomy Division, Nepal Agricultural Research Council, Khumaltar, Kathmandu, Nepal.

D Previous address: CSIRO, Plant Industry, Private Bag No. 5, Wembley, WA 6913, Australia.

E Corresponding author. Email: ncturner@clima.uwa.edu.au

Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 57(8) 903-915 https://doi.org/10.1071/AR05204
Submitted: 14 June 2005  Accepted: 9 March 2006   Published: 9 August 2006

Abstract

The effect of water deficits at 2 growth stages on the physiology and growth of lentil (Lens culinaris Medikus subsp. culinaris) genotypes bred/selected for 3 regions was examined in a glasshouse experiment. The water regimes imposed were: (i) a well-watered control, (ii) water withheld at flowering, from 72 to 93 days after sowing (DAS), and (iii) water withheld from podding (93 DAS) to maturity. The genotypes were a West Asian genotype released in Australia (Cassab), 2 South Asian Nepali cultivars (Khajura 2 and Simal), and 3 crossbreds between West Asian and South Asian parents (ILL 6829, ILL 7979, and ILL 7982). ILL 7979 and Simal had significantly greater total dry matter, water use, seed yield, number of pods and seeds per plant, and harvest index (HI) than the other genotypes under well-watered conditions. Water deficits reduced seed yield by up to 60% in the crossbreds and the South Asian cultivar, Simal. However, seed yield was increased by the water deficit at flowering and the water deficit at podding in the West Asian genotype, Cassab, and the South Asian genotype, Khajura 2, respectively. In the other genotypes, withholding water at flowering or podding reduced leaf area (48–55%), total dry matter (32–50%), flower production (22–55%), and number of pods and seeds (27–66%), with significantly higher flower drop and empty pods when water was withheld. The higher seed yield in Cassab and Khajura 2 when water was withheld was related to the production of more flowers and the maintenance of pod and seed set when they were re-watered after the period of water deficit.

When water was withheld during flowering, the West Asian genotype Cassab and the crossbred ILL 6829 used less water and hence maintained a high leaf water potential (ψleaf), whereas ψleaf decreased earlier to lower values in the crossbred ILL 7979 and the South Asian genotypes Khajura 2 and Simal. There were no significant differences in leaf net photosynthesis (PN), or stomatal conductance (gS), among genotypes during flowering and early podding, but PN and gS were reduced by 22–38 and 19–67%, respectively, when water was withheld. The lower ψleaf in ILL 7979, Simal, and Khajura 2 induced greater osmotic adjustment (OA) during the drying cycle at flowering, whereas there was no or little OA when water was withheld at podding. Variation in physiological traits (PN, gS, OA) under both watering regimes was not directly related to seed yield, but seed number was related to seed yield under both well-watered and water-deficit conditions.

Additional keywords: drought, green area, flower initiation, seed number, water-use efficiency.


Acknowledgment

Ms R. Shrestha is grateful to the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) for providing a John Allwright Fellowship to undertake PhD studies. The glasshouse and laboratory facilities were provided for this work by CSIRO, Floreat Park, Perth. Christiane Ludwig and Renee Buck are thanked for technical assistance. We thank Dr Jens Berger for valuable assistance with statistical analysis, and Dr Jairo Palta for his advice on plant water relations. Thanks to Drs Steve Milroy, Jens Berger, and Jairo Palta for their valuable advice and comments on the manuscript.


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