Chickpea(cicer arictium) is one of the extensive and fundamental legume crop for semi-arid tropical areas. India, China and USA is the largest producer of chickpea. The susceptibility of chickpea to biotic and abiotic stress is major constraint for reduce yield. Soil born disease of chickpea increases due to climate shift like dry root rot(rhizoctonia balaticola),fusarium wilt(furasium oxysporum f.) collar rot(sclerotium rolfsii) wet root rot etc. The collar rot disease of chickpea is reported to be influenced by soil moisture condition(SMC).
Influence of differential SMC upper optimum(100%),optimum(80%) lower optimum(60%) and limiting(40%) soil moisture condition on colonization and collar development over the course of infection in chickpea cultivar. 1- susceptible to collar rot. 2- moderately resistance to collar rot. Disease rate was found to be directly proportional to increase in soil moisture.
Maximum rate of disease was observed at 80% soil moisture condition. Expression of gene associated with host cell wall obligatory (lectin) and degradation. There are three main enzyme 1-endopolygalacturonase-2, endoglucosidase, and cellobiohydrolase during callor rot development in chickpea were relatively less at (40%) SMC as compare to(80%) SMC , which means the expression of defence response genes in chickpea seedling challenged with combined stress. It means that expression of defence related genes in chickpea during interaction with (S. rolfii) at low (40%)SMC was primarily responsible for delayed disease reaction.
Involvement of moisture and biotic stress-related gene in combined stress show tailored defence mechanism.
