Assessment of ICCV 2 x JG 62 chickpea progenies shows sensitivity of reproduction to salt stress and reveals QTL for seed yield and yield components

Salinity is a complex abiotic stress and understanding the physiological and genetic basis of salinity tolerance is a prerequisite for improving existing crop cultivars. Experiments were undertaken using 126 recombinant inbred lines from a cross between JG 62 (tolerant) and ICCV 2 (sensitive) to characterize traits related to seed yield differences under saline conditions and to map quantitative trait loci (QTL). The population segregated for flowering time and entries were separated into 'early' and 'late' phenology groups to undertake the analysis. In both groups seed yield varied under salinity, with seed number being the most closely related trait to yield. In contrast, seed yield was not related to 100-seed weight or flowering time. Shoot dry weight was positively correlated with seed yield in the early entries only, but had no significant relationship with seed number. The higher sensitivity to salinity of the early entries was related both to a smaller biomass and lesser seed number under saline conditions. A QTL for seed yield under saline conditions was found in linkage group 3 in the late group, and a cluster of QTL for seed yield components in linkage group 6, including a QTL for seed number which explained 37% of the variation. In contrast, no QTL for seed yield was found in the early group, but a QTL for seed number under saline conditions was found. These data indicate that salinity tolerance traits are linked to the degree of earliness in chickpea. Tolerance is determined by the success of reproductive sites in both early and late entries, which relates in part to constitutive traits, and by the capacity of maintaining growth in early-flowering lines only. This is the first report of QTL for seed yield and seed number in chickpea exposed to salinity.