Assessment of variability for root and shoot attributes in recombinant inbred lines of lentil (Lens culinaris L. medik.)

Lentil (Lens culinaris L. Medik.) is generally grown under receding moisture conditions and is often subjected to drought. Deep and prolific root system increases the amount of water and nutrient absorption from the lower soil strata and thus helps in avoiding water stress. In the present study, variability for root and shoot attributes was assessed in 135 recombinant inbred lines (RILs) developed from L9–12 × FLIP 2004-7L cross. Combined analysis of two years showed that in 65-day old seedlings, the root and shoot attributes exhibited significant genotypic variability. The continuous and quantitative distributions of variation evidenced the polygenic control of these traits. Statistically significant and positive associations between root and shoot traits suggested the non-destructive selection criteria for indirect selection for underground traits like root length and root biomass based on the above ground traits. Three RILs viz., RIL-33,-72 and-73 exhibited significantly superior root, shoot traits and high yield under rainfed conditions, and therefore, could serve as genetic stocks for drought tolerance in lentil.