RA 00015.pdf - OAR@ICRISAT

30
20
10
0
40
30
20
10
0
8
6
4
2
0
100-secd weight
Pods per plant
Y i e l d per plant
irrigated
non irrigated
irrigated
nonirrigated
irrigated
nonirrigated
D e f o l i a t i o n (%)
L.S.D.
(0.05),
L.S.D.
(0.05)
L.S.D.
(0.05)
0 20 40 60 80 100
Figure 38. Effect of different degrees of defoliation
throughout the reproductive
phase on yield and yield components of
chickpea cv 850-3/27 and Annigeri
(mean values shown) with and without
irrigation.
slightly by the treatments. Similar results with cv
JG-62 were obtained in a separate experiment.
These results suggest that leaf area was limiting
yield. This conclusion contrasts with the
results obtained this year in similar experiments
with pigeonpea (see p 89 of this report), and also
with results obtained last year (1975-1976) with
chickpea, when we found that up to 50 percent of
leaves could be removed without affecting the
yield significantly. Last year the experiments
were conducted with plants which were planted
late. It seems possible that the discrepancy
between the two sets of results may be explained
in terms of the effects of moisture and/or heat
stresses to which late-planted plants would be
more exposed.
Effects of flower removal. This year in experiments
with early sown plants at ICRISAT Center
we found that all the flowers could be
removed from the plants for up to 4 weeks after
onset of flowering without causing a decline in
yield, if the plants were irrigated. Nonirrigated
plants had a significantly reduced ability to
compensate for flower removal. Both irrigated
and nonirrigated plants were able to compensate
more or less completely for the removal of up to
50 percent of the flowers throughout the reproductive
period. These compensations involved
both an increase in the number of pod-bearing
nodes per plant and an increase in the number of
seeds per pod.
Last year (1975-1976) we found that flower
removal from late-sown plants resulted in a
decline in yield and also in total dry matter
production. The differences between the 2 years'
results might be because of the greater moisture
and heat stresses to which the later-sown plants
were exposed; these stresses would have limited
their ability to continue growing and setting
pods.
The "double-podded" Character
Although most chickpea cultivars produce a
single flower per node, some produce two flowers
and are capable of setting two pods per node.
Two pods are formed at only some of the nodes,
usually at the more-basal earlier-formed nodes.
We confirmed last year's observations that expression
of this "double-podded" character is
104