Loubana Al-Saleh ⁽¹⁾ Bashar Hyass ⁽²⁾ and Fadi Abbas*⁽³⁾

(1). Department of Field Crops, Faculty of Agriculture, Al Baath University, Homs, Syria.

(2). Agriculture Research Center of Homs, General Commission for Scientific Agricultural Research (GCSAR), Damascus, Syria.

(*Corresponding author: Dr. Fadi Abbas. E-Mail: fadiab77@gmail.com).

Received: 01/12/2018                                Accepted: 10/01/2019

Abstract

This experiment was conducted in the labs of Chemistry and Petroleum Engineering Faculty at AL-Baath University, Homs, during 2017. PEG₆₀₀₀ was applied to the germination media with low osmotic potentials (OP) i.e. 0, -3 and -6 bar, for screening 5 chickpea varieties under controlled conditions. Complete randomized design (CRD) with three replicates was used. The results exhibited a genetic difference between the varieties concerning the response to the application of PEG₆₀₀₀ in the media. The germination percent was decreased with the decline of osmotic potential 0, -3 and -6 bar. The percentages of germination were 100, 93.67 and 70.73 % respectively, as compared with the control. While the speed of germination was 6.70, 4.98 and 2.22 respectively. The length of epicotyl and radicle were estimated in all of tested osmotic potentials, and the results showed that with decreasing the osmotic potential the length decreased, and the decrement in epicotyl was more than radicle. The variety Ghab5 achieved the lowest scores in growth declaim compare to the other varieties. The differences between genotypes in the response to drought stress using PEG₆₀₀₀ during germination, and the z-distribution analysis whish classified the varieties to tolerant and sensitive. Ghab5 and Ghab4 were considered as tolerant genotypes for drought stress, and could be sown successfully under the most drought conditions, compare to other varieties.

Key words: Osmotic potential, Polyethylene Glycol PEG₆₀₀₀, Germination stage, Chickpea.

Full paper in Arabic: PDF