Growth responses of cool-season grain legumes to transient waterlogging

Abstract

Transient waterlogging reduces the yield of cool-season grain legumes in several parts of the world. The tolerance of grain legumes to waterlogging may vary between and within species. This study investigated the effects of 7 days of waterlogging and subsequent recovery (10 days) on plant growth to evaluate the variation in tolerance among 7 cool-season grain legume species, in sand culture in glasshouse experiments. Additionally waterlogging tolerance of 6 faba bean genotypes was also evaluated. Tolerance to waterlogging as indicated by root and shoot growth (as % of drained controls) was ranked as follows: faba bean > yellow lupin > grass pea > narrow-leafed lupin > chickpea > lentil > field pea. Faba bean produced adventitious roots and aerenchyma leading to increased root porosity (9% gas volume per unit root volume). Among the 6 faba bean genotypes screened, accession 794 showed the best waterlogging tolerance, but it was also the slowest growing accession, which might have contributed to apparent tolerance (i.e. growth as % drained control). It is concluded that waterlogging tolerance in grain legumes varied between and within species, with faba bean being the most tolerant. The variation in tolerance identified within the limited set of faba bean genotypes evaluated suggests scope for further genetic improvement of tolerance in this species.

Photosynthesis is Reduced, and Seeds Fail to Set and Fill at Similar Soil Water Contents in Grass Pea (Lathyrus sativus L.) Subjected to Terminal Drought

“…, Solaiman et al. ). However, grass pea is now mainly confined to the Indian subcontinent, Ethiopia and to a lesser extent to Europe, Australia, Asia and North Africa (Campbell et al.…”

Sensitivity of chickpea and faba bean to root‐zone hypoxia, elevated ethylene, and carbon dioxide

“…The substrate for respiration (i.e., total sugars) can, however, increase in the roots of waterlogged plants because sugar consumption decreases when growth and respiration are inhibited by the O 2 deficiency (e.g., in wheat; Herzog, Striker, Colmer, & Pedersen, ); forage pastures (Striker & Colmer, )]. Cool‐season grain legume crops such as narrow‐leafed lupin, chickpea, lentil and field pea are sensitive to waterlogging (Palta, Ganjeali, Turner, & Siddique, ; Siddique & Sykes, ; Siddique, Walton, & Seymour, ; Yu & Rengel, ), but faba bean is relatively more tolerant, attributed to development in the roots of higher gas‐filled porosity than in other grain legume species (Solaiman, Colmer, Loss, Thomson, & Siddique, ). In addition to previous work on adverse effects of low O 2 on the roots of cool‐season grain legumes, there is need to study whether high root‐zone CO 2 might also contribute to root growth restrictions and whether the adverse effect of high CO 2 is associated with reduced respiration and/or whether substrate limitation is involved, which in the present study was evaluated for chickpea and faba bean.…”

“…Previous studies of waterlogging responses in faba bean and chickpea have documented inhibition of root growth but did not evaluate root sensitivity to CO 2 or to ethylene (e.g., Palta et al, ; Solaiman et al, ). The present experiments assessed the responses to high root‐zone CO 2 and ethylene of the relatively waterlogging‐tolerant grain legume faba bean and sensitive chickpea, in aerated nutrient solution.…”

Lentil

“…This is the case for fall versus spring lentil sowing in cold areas. On the other hand, among cool season legumes, lentils seem to be the least tolerant to transient waterlogging in greenhouse experiments (Solaiman et al 2007 ;Singh et al 2013a ).…”