Produção de grão-de-bico (Cicer arietinum L.) sob diferentes níveis de água disponível no solo

Abstract

Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) stands out among legumes cultivated worldwide. In Brazil, its productive potential is high, but there is little information on water management and stress tolerance. This study evaluated the productivity and morphological characteristics of two chickpea cultivars, ‘BRS Aleppo’ and ‘BRS Toro’, under different soil moisture levels. The experiment, conducted in Montes Claros, followed a 2 × 4 factorial design (two varieties × four levels of available water: 50%, 60%, 70%, and 80%), with a randomized complete block design and three replications. Characteristics such as plant height, yield, harvest index, number of pods, fresh and dry mass of roots and shoots, and stem diameter were analyzed. Increasing soil water availability from 50% to 80% of field capacity significantly increased the number and weight of pods in two chickpea cultivars, 'BRS Aleppo' and 'BRS Toro', during the vegetative and early reproductive stages. However, seed weight per plant remained constant across treatments, suggesting that physiological and environmental limitations restrict final seed weight despite increased pod formation. These results highlight the importance of precise water management, especially during critical growth phases, and emphasize the high drought tolerance of both cultivars. The 'BRS Aleppo' cultivar demonstrated greater water use efficiency and productivity, indicating its better adaptation to semi-arid conditions.