Fetene, Masresha(Professor)W/mariam, Taddesse (PhD)Yemata, Getahun2018-06-292023-11-082018-06-292023-11-082007http://etd.aau.edu.et/handle/123456789/5138Water deficit and Phosphorus stresses are important limiting factors in agricultural production. The effects of moisture stress and phosphorus deficiency on growth, physiology, yield and yield components of three chickpea (Cicer arietinum L) accessions; Yaya Gulele, Legambo and Moretna Jiru were investigated under greenhouse condition. The study was conducted by inducing moisture stress at the vegetative; 28 days after planting (DAP) and flowering; 52 days after planting (DAP) stages of chickpea plants under two phosphorus (low and normal) levels. A general decrease in growth parameters was observed in almost all moisture stressed and phosphorus deficient chickpea plants of all accessions, which was mainly through lower total leaf area that further decreased light interception. In contrast, root relative growth rate (RGR) and dry weight were higher for phosphorus deficient plants except for plants of accession Moretna Jiru. For drought induced at vegetative stage, chickpea plants of accession Yaya Gulele grown under normal phosphorus-low water stress (NP-LWS) had the highest plant height and total leaf area. Moreover, plants of this accession treated with normal phosphorus-moderate water stress (NP-MWS) had the highest relative growth rate (RGR) as compared to plants of other accessions. The highest number of leaf/plant was recorded in plants of accession Moretna Jiru treated with NP-LWS. Similarly, plants of accessions Legambo and Moretna Jiru grown under NP-LWS had the highest leaf and stem dry weight. In addition, chickpea plants of accessions Yaya Gulele and Moretna Jiru were able to maintain relatively higher midday relative water content (RWC) mainly under normal phosphorus treatments than plants of accession Legambo, both for moisture stress induced at vegetative and flowering stages. This probably helped plants of these accessions to have a better photosynthetic performance that can be expressed by higher maximal quantum yield (Fv/Fm) and effective quantum yield (ΔF/Fm’) of PS II. Yield and yield components were reduced by drought and phosphorus deficiency both for drought imposed at vegetative and flowering stages. Statistically significant differences in yield and yield components were not observed among accessions across the various treatments for drought induced at vegetative stage. However, for drought induced at flowering stage, chickpea plants of accession Legambo grown under NP-LWS, NP-MWS and low phosphorus-low water stress (LP-LWS) had greater numbers of pods than plants of accession Moretna Jiru. Similarly, plants of accession Legambo treated with LP-LWS had greater numbers of pods than plants of accession Yaya Gulele. Plants of accession Yaya Gulele had higher pod weight than plants of accession Moretna Jiru under the various treatments. Moreover, plants of accession Yaya Gulele treated with NP-LWS and LP-LWS had higher seed weight than plants of accessions Legambo and Moretna Jiru, respectively. Generally, better root growth, leaf relative water content (RWC) and photosynthetic performance in chickpea plants of accession Yaya Gulele, early flowering and better root growth in plants of accession Legambo and lower total leaf area, leaf relative water content (RWC) and better photosynthetic performance in chickpea plants of accession Moretna Jiru were found to be adaptive mechanisms to drought and phosphorus deficiency.enBiologyThesis