Field Crop 2025, Vol.8, No.3, 126-138 http://cropscipublisher.com/index.php/fc 126 Research Report Open Access Evaluation of Drought-Tolerant Legume Varieties Under Rainfed Conditions Dan Luo, Hangming Lin Tropical Legume Research Center, Hainan Institute of Tropical Agricultural Resources, Sanya, 572025, Hainan, China Corresponding email: hangming.lin@hitar.org Field Crop, 2025, Vol.8, No.3 doi: 10.5376/fc.2025.08.0013 Received: 18 Mar., 2025 Accepted: 29 Apr., 2025 Published: 19 May, 2025 Copyright © 2025 Luo and Lin, This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Preferred citation for this article: Luo D., and Lin H.M., 2025, Evaluation of drought-tolerant legume varieties under rainfed conditions, Field Crop, 8(3): 126-138 (doi: 10.5376/fc.2025.08.0013) Abstract In the context of rain-fed agriculture, this study systematically evaluated the field performance of various drought-tolerant leguminous crop varieties. Firstly, the impact of drought stress on legume production and the characteristics of the target environment were analyzed, and the research objects and scope were clarified. In terms of the theoretical framework, the physiological and ecological mechanisms of drought tolerance in legume crops were summarized, key evaluation indicators and index systems were proposed, and the interaction between genotypes and the environment as well as the theory of adaptability were discussed. Subsequently, a field trial plan was designed, including the selection of test sites, the design of random blocks and the setting of control groups. Consistent cultivation and management measures were adopted to compare the drought tolerance of multiple legume varieties. By measuring yield composition, physiological and root system and other phenotypic trait indicators, as well as obtaining phenotypic data through high-throughput remote sensing methods, the performance of each variety under drought conditions was comprehensively collected. In-depth analysis of the data was conducted by using statistical methods such as yield stability analysis, drought resistance index calculation, trait correlation analysis, water use efficiency estimation and crop model simulation. The results indicated that there were significant differences in drought resistance among different varieties, and the genotype × environment interaction affected the yield stability. Some key traits (such as root systems, physiological indicators, etc.) make significant contributions to yield. By comparing the results of this study with existing literature and breeding goals, it was found that the drought-tolerant varieties selected reached or exceeded the existing levels in terms of yield and stability. Finally, variety recommendation schemes and field management optimization measures for different dryland ecological zones were proposed, and the strategies and technological development directions of drought-tolerant breeding in the future were prospected. The research provides a scientific basis for increasing the yield of leguminous crops under rain-fed conditions. Keywords Legume crops; Drought stress; Output stability; Water use efficiency; Genotype-environment interaction 1 Introduction Rain-fed agriculture actually refers to being dependent on the weather, mainly relying on natural precipitation rather than artificial irrigation. This approach is particularly common in semi-arid and arid regions. The problem is also obvious. Droughts occur almost every year, whether seasonal or long-term, and have a significant impact on crop yields. Leguminous crops are no exception. A common description in research is that lack of water can prevent legume plants from growing, causing their leaves to shrink and their branches and leaves to wilt. The situation gets even worse when they start flowering or podding, often resulting in unstable flowers and failure to form pods. Eventually, the yield drops significantly (especially during the critical growth stage, the reduction in yield caused by insufficient water is often irreversible) (Farooq et al., 2017). However, the performance of different species is not consistent. Even within the same species, there are significant differences in drought resistance among different varieties (Daryanto et al., 2015). For instance, in years of extreme drought, the output of some soybean varieties in saline-alkali land in China may be less than half of that in normal years. Interestingly, drought not only reduces the current season's yield but also disrupts the nitrogen fixation in the soil, affecting soil fertility and even causing damage to the yield of subsequent crops (Irar et al., 2014). Therefore, for rain-fed agriculture to develop in the long term, how to deal with drought and cultivate drought-resistant and high-yield varieties has almost become an unavoidable key task. This study did not randomly select a few crops, but focused on several leguminous food crops that are particularly representative in semi-arid regions, such as soybeans (Glycine max), peanuts (Arachis hypogaea), peas (Pisum
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