CLIMATE-SMART PRODUCTION OF CHICKPEA: INTEGRATING DROUGHT-RESPONSIVE GENOMICS, RHIZOBIAL INOCULATION, SOIL FERTILITY, AND PRECISION WATER MANAGEMENT

Abstract

Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is a vital cool-season pulse crop sustaining nutritional security and ecological stability across semi-arid regions, yet terminal drought stress during reproductive and grain-filling phases causes annual yield reductions of 50–70%. This review synthesizes the physiological, molecular, and agronomic mechanisms underpinning climate-smart chickpea production through the integration of four core domains: drought-responsive genomics, rhizobial inoculation, integrated soil fertility management (ISFM), and precision water management. Genomic advances have identified the 'QTL-hotspot' on Linkage Group 04 (CaLG04), refined from 29 cM to 14 cM, harboring 49 diagnostic SNP markers and explaining up to 58.2% phenotypic variance for drought-adaptive traits. The validated candidate gene CaTIFY4b (superior haplotype CaTIFY4b-H2) confers enhanced seed weight and transpiration efficiency, while marker-assisted backcrossing has delivered commercial cultivars such as Pusa Chickpea 10216, exhibiting a 16% yield advantage under rainfed conditions. Symbiotic nitrogen fixation via Mesorhizobium spp. contributes 60–103 kg N ha⁻¹, but is highly sensitive to moisture deficit. Co-inoculation with phosphate-solubilizing bacteria and ACC-deaminase-producing PGPR enhances nodulation by over 270% and grain yield by 242% under nutrient-deficient dryland conditions. Biochar amendments (5–20 t ha⁻¹) increase available water capacity by 12–30% and reduce nitrate leaching by 26–32%, while strategic deficit irrigation and subsurface drip irrigation improve water use efficiency by 28–68%. Policy interventions, quality-controlled inoculant supply chains, and site-specific nutrient diagnostics are essential for scaling adoption among smallholder farmers.