Physiological Responses and Yield Stability of Cicer arietinum Genotypes Under Extreme Terminal Heat Stress

Advances in Agriculture and Agricultural Sciences | Vol. 12, No. 4, April 2026 | pp. 66–71

DOI: 10.46882/2026.AAAS.120401

Research Article

Title: Physiological Responses and Yield Stability of Cicer arietinum Genotypes Under Extreme Terminal Heat Stress

Names of Authors: Joshi, V. K.¹, Sharma, R. P.¹, and Reddy, M. S.²

Authors’ Affiliations: ¹International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Patancheru, India. ²Department of Genetics, Osmania University, Hyderabad, India.

Abstract: High ambient temperatures during reproductive growth phases accelerate flower abortion and reduce seed size in chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) varieties. This investigation tracked the physiological adaptations and yield configurations of 12 distinct chickpea genotypes subjected to terminal heat stress conditions (greater than 35 degrees Celsius) in a semi-arid zone. Stomatal conductance, membrane stability index (MSI), and pollen viability percentages were verified at peak anthesis. The heat-tolerant genotype 'ICCV-10512' maintained a high pollen germination capacity of 78.4% and an MSI value of 68.2% under stress conditions, contrasting with susceptible lines where pollen viability fell below 32.5%. Leaf temperature depression metrics revealed that tolerant lines utilized high transpiration-mediated cooling to offset ambient thermal spikes. Ultimate seed yield correlated positively with pod retention rates per plant (r = 0.76). Genotype 'ICCV-10512' achieved an overall yield performance of 1.84 ± 0.12 tons/ha, representing high yield stability across unpredictable environments. These validated biomarkers help accelerate targeted parental selection steps in climate-resilient food legume breeding pipelines.

Keywords: Pulses; Thermal tolerance; Pollen viability; Cell membrane integrity; Transpiration cooling; Legume physiology.

Manuscript Timeline: Received December 02, 2025; Revised February 05, 2026; Accepted March 10, 2026; Published April 14, 2026.

Citation: Joshi, V. K., Sharma, R. P., and Reddy, M. S. (2026). Physiological Responses and Yield Stability of Cicer arietinum Genotypes Under Extreme Terminal Heat Stress. Advances in Agriculture and Agricultural Sciences, 12(4), pp. 66–71.

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