Mycorrhiza in Improving Morpho-Physiological and Biochemical Parameters of Chickpea Genotypes (Cicer arietinum L.) Under Salinity Stress

Soil salinity is a serious environmental threat to agricultural crops causing a significant reduction in growth and yield. Two percent of dry land and twenty percent of irrigation land in the world are affected by salt problems, which are rising continuously. Chickpea is considered sensitive to salt stress. In saline soil, plant growth and tolerance to salt have been reported to be enhanced by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus (AMF). Experiments were designed to study the effect of mycorrhiza on three desi varieties of chickpea (HC‑3, CSG-8962, and C‑235) under various levels of salinity stress. The genotypes were subjected to three increasing levels of salinity (2 dSm⁻¹, 3 dSm⁻¹, and 4 dSm⁻¹) and compared with or without mycorrhizal inoculation. Significant genotypic variations were observed in salt tolerance. Morpho-physiological parameters studied were root-shoot length, dry weight of root and shoot, and the number of nodules per plant. Biochemical parameters included proline, glycine betaine (GB), flavonoids, chlorophyll, anthocyanin content and nitrogen balance index (NBI). Salinity had a negative impact on each parameter. C‑235 was found to be more sensitive than HC‑3 and CSG-8962. However, colonization with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi—Rhizophagus fasciculatus (formerly called Glomus fasciculatum) enhanced all the parameters and was found to have a salinity-mitigating effect.