Influence of supplemental irrigation and temperature on four kabuli type varieties of chickpea

The yield potential of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.), under Mediterranean conditions, is often limited by terminal drought stress due to the irregularity of rainfall and high temperatures during the flowering period. Irrigation, even with small amounts of water, might boost and stabilize yields along the years. Therefore, in order to evaluate the effect of supplemental irrigation and temperature on chickpea grain yield, the following treatments were tested: rainfed, 40% IR (irrigation requirements of the crop), 40% IR-C ( crop covered with plastic film), to evaluate the effect of temperature on crop growth, and 100% IR. Each treatment was applied to four chickpea varieties of the kabuli type: Elixir, Eldorado, ILC588, and FLIP03-046C. The field trial was carried out at Elvas (Southern Portugal), in 2011. The results showed that 100% and 40% IR treatments led to the highest grain (4756 and 4684 kg ha-1 ) and biomass (11657 and 10633 kg ha-1 ) yields. Since the differences between them were not significant, and being important to save water, the 40% IR treatment was the best option for a wet year like 2011. The 40% IR-C pointed out for the lowest yields due to the excess of temperature (up to 10ºC or more in some days) and very high relative humidity, under the cover, which negatively affected growth and development of the plants, with a large proportion of aborted flowers. The differences between varieties were not significant. Water productivity was quite high due to the high crop yields. For the irrigation treatments, no correlation between grain yield and predawn water potential was observed