The Effect of Plant Density and Mycorhizal Fungi on Yield, Yield Components and Grain Protein Percentage of Chickpea under Supplementary Irrigation Conditions

This study was carried out to investigate the effect of supplemental irrigation, application of mycorrhizal fungi and plant density on yield and yield components and grain protein percentage of chickpea under rainfed conditions in the Qalhar village of Delijan region, Iran during 2012, as a split- split plot experiment based on Randomized Complete Block Design with three replications. Four levels of irrigation management (as main plots) were rainfed without irrigation, irrigation at flowering stage, irrigation at seed filling stage and complete irrigation. two levels of inoculation (as sub plots) were inoculation with Glomus ineraradice and non-inoculation. Three plant densities (as  a sub-sub plots) were 20, 30 and 60 plant.m-2. Irrigation treatments had a significant effect on the number of pods per plant, the number of nodes per plant, grain yield and grain protein percentage and the highest grain yield was obtained at full irrigation. Inoculation with mycorrhiza fungus increased the number of nodes in the root and grain yield by 50% and 10.7%, respectively. Mycorrhiza inoculation in rainfed conditions resulted in the highest number of nodes in the root. The highest grain yield was obtained at a density of 60 plants.m-2. One stage of irrigation at the flowering stage and grain filling led to an increase in grain yield to 31.5% and 26.7% compared to rainfed, respectively. Therefore, according to the results of this study, by inoculation with mycorrhiza, the density of 60 plants.m-2 and a supplementary irrigation stage, a significant increase in grain yield compared to rainfed conditions at similar conditions to the present study can be achieved.