Ascertaining the Extent of Contribution of Various Traits to Terminal Drought Tolerance in Chickpea (Cicer Arietinum L.)RPurushothamanauthorChickpea cropping system is largely rainfed and terminal drought is a major constraint to its productivity. Breeding for drought tolerance requires knowledge of the type and intensity of drought and the various traits and mechanisms employed by the plant to overcome the drought effects. The number of traits that are associated with terminal drought tolerance is overwhelmingly large and needs to be prioritized and ranked for their strength of contribution to drought adaptation and to incorporate in breeding programs. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to understand the relative value of various putative traits that confer yield advantages under terminal drought stress in chickpea, and the traits that are amenable for high throughput and their association with molecular markers. Twelve chickpea genotypes, selected for contrast in root and shoot strength, field-based drought tolerance and canopy temperature differences were grown in terminal drought stressed and optimally irrigated environments. Root, shoot, soil water, physiological and analytical yield components were measured at periodical intervals and these related traits were associated with grain yield through correlations, regressions and path analysis. Path coefficient analysis revealed that root traits, RLD and RDW, were associated with grain yield and these relations were explained well if the active soil water mining zone roots were considered against yield. Roots of all the depths were associated closely with the total soil water uptake of the plants except at the surface and ultimate depths at any given stage. This close relationship...ChickpeaPlant PhysiologyAgriculture-Farming, Production, Technology, EconomicsClimate Change2015Research and Development Cell, Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University Hyderabad;BiotechnologyThesis