Dynamic yield responses of chickpea (Cicer arietinum) to terminal drought are accompanied by changes in grain composition

Chickpea is predominantly grown under rainfed conditions in regions where terminal drought limits yield, yet little is known about how this stress influences both vegetative allocation and reproductive dynamics leading to altered grain composition. We imposed a controlled terminal drought, with a rewatered treatment group, on three Desi cultivars (ICC4958, ICC1882 and CBA Captain) reported to have contrasting drought tolerance, quantifying vegetative biomass, reproductive node productivity across developmental regions and grain macronutrient composition. Under drought, vegetative responses reflected genotype-specific resource partitioning strategies particularly evident in severe root degradation and increase stem dry matter content that was only partially alleviated in rewatered plants. Reproductive outcomes were strongly influenced by developmental stage at the time of stress, with increased pod abortion observed particularly at nodes initiating seed development under drought treatment. Grain composition of seeds filled under drought was significantly altered by stress, with increased protein concentration and decreased starch content under both Drought and Recovery treatments independent of cultivar, likely due to water limitation at crucial filling stages. These findings demonstrate that the developmental timing of terminal drought interacts with cultivar growth strategy to influence pod production and grain nutritional quality in chickpea. HighlightThe developmental timing of terminal drought interacts with cultivar-dependent growth strategies to influence pod productivity and grain nutritional quality in chickpea.