Comparative Analysis of Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.): Photosynthetic Activity, Antioxidant Capacity, Phenolic and Pigment Content

Biochemical and physiological parameters, such as: the antioxidant capacity, the content of total polyphenols and photosynthetic pigments, and the activity of the photosynthesis (the light phase), as measured by means of chlorophyll fluorescence were studied in 22 varieties of chickpeas (Cicer arietinum L.). At the start of the blooming stage, a strong decrease of the air temperatures was recorded, suggesting an impact of chilling stress. It was found out that PIABS (out of the fluorescence parameters) was mostly affected by the decrease of temperatures. Conversely, individual varieties of chickpea were able to stand out from the whole on the basis of their increased photosynthetic activity during this cold period. The cultivar, showing the highest increase in photosynthesis (133%) under chilling was “Blanco Lechoso” with 7.73 a.u. of the performance index immediately after the chilling. Concerning the antioxidant activity and phenolic content, it was discovered that only the antioxidant activity, as measured by the FRAP method, correlated to the phenolic content. On the other hand, both antioxidant methods strongly correlated to the concentration of carotenoids. These parameters had a weak inverse relation to the seed yield.