Integrated Assessment of Cold Stress Tolerance in Cicer arietinum L. Genotypes-Insights From Biochemical and Molecular Characterisation in Jammu.

The impact of low temperatures (< 8°C) during the reproductive stage on chickpea genotypes was investigated, revealing significant reductions in crop yield due to flower abortion, sterile pods and undersized and shrivelled seeds. A comprehensive pot experiment, supplemented by field trials, evaluated 32 chickpea genotypes under cold stress (< 8 ≥ 5°C) during flowering, simulated manually in growth chambers. The activities of key antioxidant enzymes, such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POX) and catalase (CAT), were measured to analyse the oxidative stress response on the total soluble carbohydrates (TSCs) and proline content. The analyses revealed that genotypes resistant to cold stress exhibited elevated levels of these biochemical parameters compared to susceptible ones. All genotypes displayed increased TSCs and proline content during cold stress, with those exhibiting higher yields under such conditions demonstrating increased enzyme activity. Among three cold-specific simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers, the TAA58 SSR marker stood out with a maximum polymorphic information content value of 0.73, six alleles per locus, and a polymorphism percentage of 66.7%, showcasing its utility for assessing genetic diversity for cold tolerance. Utilising unweighted pair group method with arithmetic mean (UPGMA) clustering, genotypes were categorised into three main clusters (A, B and C), revealing high genetic similarity. Notably, chickpea genotypes ICCV 88506, followed by Pusa 362 and ICCV 96030, displayed greater tolerance to cold stress conditions, suggesting their potential for integration into breeding projects to create chickpea cultivars that can endure cold temperatures. Combining biochemical traits and molecular characterisation, this multi-dimensional approach provides valuable insights for enhancing chickpea resilience to cold stress. It underscores the significance of targeted breeding efforts to mitigate yield losses associated with adverse environmental conditions.