Rainfed chickpea (Cicer arietinum) response as affected by mycorrhiza fungi inoculation, anti-transpiration and growth regulator compounds in Kamyaran climate

Water shortage is the most important factor in reducing the yield of dryland chickpeas. Therefore, increasing access to available water resources and increasing water use efficiency through the use of microorganisms that improve water absorption, such as mycorrhiza and transpiration-reducing compounds such as Chitosan, as well as regulating the growth of cycocell is very important. This experiment carried out next to Kamyaran-synoptic meteorological site of Varmahang in northwest of Iran during two consecutive years (2016-2018). The experiment was conducted as split plot- factorial in a randomized complete block design at three replications .In this study the main plot consisted of mycorrhiza inoculation )un-inoculation: control and inoculation by Glomus intraradices and sub plot involved chitosan application (0, 0.5 and 1gr/lit) and sub-subplots were foliar application of cycocel (0, 0.5 and 1gr/lit). 10 days after foliar application of Cycocel and chitosan (60 days after sowing), physiological traits such as: photosynthetic pigments including chlorophyll a, b and carotenoids, relative leaf water content, canopy temperature, leaf proline, peroxidase enzyme and also grain yield in stage of full maturity, was measured.  The results showed that traits such as, leaf relative water content, chlorophyll a, b, carotenoid, proline, peroxidase and grain yield showed significant differences at 5 and 1% level by experimental treatments and their interactions. So that chlorophyll a in the first year and chlorophyll b in second year showed a significant increase under the influence of mycorrhiza × chitosan × cycocel interaction. The relative water content increased significantly under the influence of Cycocel and the interaction of chitosan × Cycocel in the first year and under the influence of inoculation with mycorrhiza in the second year. Mycorrhiza inoculation in the second year increased proline levels as 21.07%, while lowering the canopy temperature. Cycocel spraying also increased the peroxidase level by 13.43% in the second year and under the influence of mycorrhiza × chitosan × year interaction, the peroxidase level increased during both cropping years. Finally, in the first year, grain yield increased by 24.05% compared to the control under the interaction influence of mycorrhiza inoculation × Cycocel at 1 g / l concentration. Based on the results of this experiment, the use of mycorrhizal fungus Glomus intraradices before planting and spraying cycocel at a rate of 1 g/l in the pre-flowering stage of dryland chickpeas in Kamyaran region is recommended.