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Not AvailableGlobally, water deficit is one of the major constraints in chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) production due to substantial reduction in photosynthesis. Photorespiration often enhances under stress thereby protecting the photosynthetic apparatus from photoinhibition. Application of bioregulators is an alternative to counter adverse effects of water stress. Thus, in order to analyze the role of bioregulators in protecting the photosynthetic machinery under water stress, we performed an experiment with two contrasting chickpea varieties, i.e., Pusa 362 (Desi type) and Pusa 1108 (Kabuli type). Water deficit stress was imposed at the vegetative stage by withholding water. Just prior to exposure to water stress, plants were pretreated with thiourea (1,000 mg L−1), benzyladenine (40 mg L−1), and thidiazuron (10 mg L−1). Imposed water deficit decreased relative water content (RWC), photosynthetic rate (PN), quantum efficiency of PSII (Fv/Fm), and enhanced lipid peroxidation (LPO). However, bioregulator application maintained higher RWC, PN, Fv/Fm, and lowered LPO under water stress. Expression of Rubisco large subunit gene (RbcL) was low under water stress both in the Kabuli and Desi type. However, bioregulators strongly induced its expression. Although poor expression of two important photorespiratory genes, i.e., glycolate oxidase and glycine decarboxylase H subunit, was observed in Desi chickpea under imposed stress, bioregulators in general and cytokinins in particular strongly induced their expression. This depicts that the application of bioregulators protected the photosynthetic machinery by inducing the expression of RbcL and photorespiratory genes during water deficit stress.Not Availabl