Determining the best indices of drought tolerance in chickpea genotypes

In order to determine the best identifying indices of drought tolerance on 20 lines of chickpea, two separate experiments were conducted in two regions of research field in Dryland agriculture institute(Sararod) and Islamic Azad University, Kermanshah Branch Research Station in 2007 and 2008 growing season. The 20 new released genotypes were tested using a randomized complete block design under two irrigated (non stress) and rainfed (stress) conditions. Quantitive drought tolerance and susceptibility indices such as Stress Tolerance Index (STI), Stress Susceptibility Index (SSI), Tolerance Index (TOL), Geometric Mean Productivity (GMP), Yield Stability Index(YSI), Mean Productivity (MP), Harmonic Mean (HM) and Superiority Measure (Pi) based on yield in stress and non stress conditions were calculated. Results showed that MP, MH, GMP, STI, are the most suitable criteria for screening drought resistant genotypes. Cluster analysis of genotypes based on the above characteristics, indicates that they are classified into three major groups, three genotypes 7, 8 and 11 (Azad, ILC.482 and ILC.1799) located in the same group which presented Drought-resistant genotypes.