Characterization of recombinant inbred lines for physiological and yield traits under drought conditions in lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.53550/jfl.v39i1.2478Keywords:
Lentil, MSI, NDVI, SPAD, YieldAbstract
In the present study, 194 recombinant inbred lines (RILs) of lentil derived from the cross IPL 98/193 (long and profuse root system) × EC 208362 (short and poor root system) were evaluated for physiological and yield traits under drought conditions. Substantial variability was observed among RILs for relative water content (32.91–97.58%; mean 62.24%), membrane stability index (8.82– 70.80%), SPAD (19.85–46.88%), and NDVI (0.157–0.610%), with several lines showing transgressive segregation. Yield traits also exhibited wide variation, with biological yield ranging from 3.26 to 8.08 g, grain yield from 1.08 to 2.83 g, and harvest index from 28.21 to 45.07%, indicating differential assimilate partitioning under stress. Principal component analysis explained 48.72% of total variation, with major contributions from yield and physiological traits, showing a strong association between plant water status, chlorophyll stability, biomass, and grain yield under stress. Moderate to high coefficients of variation suggested good scope for phenotypic selection. Superior RILs such as RIL75, RIL109, RIL123, RIL58, RIL5, and RIL22 were identified as promising donors. The clustering pattern effectively distinguished droughttolerant lines, highlighting substantial genetic diversity and emphasizing the importance of physiological traits in drought tolerance breeding in lentil. The study demonstrates that integrating physiological traits with yieldbased selection is an effective strategy for developing drought-resilient lentil cultivars.
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