Climate change is affecting the dynamics of crop production globally. Water is the most critical climatic factor influencing crop productivity, and water scarcity is projected to rise within the next decade due to climate change. The need arises to develop climate-resilient cultivars that can tolerate intermittent water shortages to ensure food security. The objective of this study was to assess the response of mungbean accessions to intermittent water shortages in a tropical environment. Ten mungbean accessions were evaluated for agronomic and physiological responses under no water stress (WS) (I1), 3-day intermittent WS (I3), and 7-day intermittent water-stress (I7) conditions in a split-plot design replicated thrice. Data on agronomic and physiological traits were analyzed. Accessions, WS, and interaction of accession and WS significantly affected the phenology, growth, and yield of mungbean (P < 0.05). The accessions generally responded better to I1 and I3 conditions in contrast to the I7 condition. The dendrogram report suggested that the ten accessions evolved from two parental lines. Growth and yield traits were significantly decreased by I7, but I3 was comparable to I1 in all yield-contributing traits measured (P > 0.05). Therefore, irrigating once in 3-days is sufficient for mungbean during dry spells. The accessions Tvr28, Tvr32, and Tvr83 were the best in grain yield and recorded the least reduction in relative water content and stress tolerance index under I7 and were, therefore, recommended for use in drought-prone areas. Tvr83 was distant from the others making it an excellent prospect for a mungbean improvement program, especially if traits such as a high leaf, pod, and seed number are desired. The findings of this study are indispensable in the struggle to mitigate the unfavourable effects of climate change on food security. It is particularly more relevant to the over 163 million people across the globe who currently experience unprecedented dry spells compared to 50 years ago. It provides a renewed hope that some accessions of mungbean can tolerate intermittent WS to a reasonable degree and still produce appreciable yields.
Key words: climate-resilient accessions; genotypic variation; water use management; relative water content; stress tolerance
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