Effect of Grafting to Improve Salt Tolerance in Chickpea (Cicer Arietinum L)

The influence of sodium chloride salinity on plant growth was studied in seven cultivars of chickpea. With increasing concentration of salinity level have simultaneously progressive absorption of Na+ in determinant of K+ , thereby increasing Na+ and K+ interaction causing an ionic disequilibrium which possibly suppressed plant growth. Genotype, K 850 showed maximum germination under 1.71 mMNaCl. Genotype CSG 8890 showed maximum reduction in radical as well as plumule length and minimum with Bio 201. Grafting high yielding but salt-susceptible chickpea cultivars onto salt resistant/tolerant root stocks is a sustainable strategy to overcome saline stress. The positive response of grafting exerted by tolerant rootstocks or scion-rootstock interactions on yield and pod characteristics of chickpea under saline conditions is attributed to several physiological and biochemical changes. In this paper, the importance of chickpea grafting, strategies to select appropriate rootstocks, scion-rootstock interaction for growth, yield and quality characteristics, as well as the tolerance mechanisms that (grafted) plants deploy to circumvent or minimize the effects of salt stress in root zones are discussed.