Table 3.

Effect of exogenous application of ALA on plant height, seed nitrogen and protein contents, photosynthetic pigments (chlorophyll and carotenoid) and total soluble sugar values in lentil plants under different drought stress conditions.

Supplementary irrigation	ALA treatment	Height (cm)	Seed nitrogen (%)	Seed protein (%)	Chlorophyll b (mg g−1 FW)	Total chlorophyll (mg g−1 FW)	Carotenoid (mg g−1 FW)	Total soluble sugar (mg g−1 DW)
In the flowering and early seed filling stages	0	28.33 ± 0.33	3.72 ± 0.1 g	23.27 ± 0.03 g	0.07 ± 0.01 bc	0.25 ± 0.01 cd	0.36 ± 0.05 ab	17.03 ± 0.04 cd
	50	29.33 ± 0.32	4.20 ± 0.2 d	26.25 ± 0.05 d	0.13 ± 0.02 ab	0.31 ± 0.02 b	0.45 ± 0.03 ab	18.85 ± 0.57 b
	100	29.83 ± 0.17	4.67 ± 0.06 a	29.19 ± 0.04 a	0.17 ± 0.01 ab	0.37 ± 0.03 a	0.45 ± 0.01 ab	20.67 ± 0.33 a
Supplementary irrigation in the flowering stage	0	27.17 ± 0.16	3.70 ± 0.03 g	23.15 ± 0.1 g	0.08 ± 0.01 bc	0.20 ± 0.01 f.	0.35 ± 0.02 ab	12.27 ± 0.13 h
	50	28.83 ± 0.18	3.84 ± 0.04 f.	23.98 ± 0.05 f.	0.09 ± 0.01 bc	0.24 ± 0.02 de	0.37 ± 0.01 ab	13.36 ± 0.16 fg
	100	28.65 ± 0.19	4.37 ± 0.1 c	27.31 ± 0.07 c	0.09 ± 0.01 bc	0.26 ± 0.01 cd	0.48 ± 0.02 a	14.05 ± 0.40 ef
Supplementary irrigation in the early seed filling stage	0	26.37 ± 0.35	3.73 ± 0.1 g	23.28 ± 0.08 g	0.04 ± 0.2 c	0.22 ± 0.02 ef	0.46 ± 0.03 a	14.93 ± 0.37 e
	50	27.70 ± 0.29	3.97 ± 0.11 e	24.81 ± 0.08 e	0.09 ± 0.01 bc	0.27 ± 0.01 c	0.44 ± 0.01 ab	16.80 ± 0.16 d
	100	27.50 ± 0.39	4.43 ± 0.12 b	27.71 ± 0.09 b	0.11 ± 0.03 ab	0.30 ± 0.03 b	0.44 ± 0.01 ab	17.92 ± 0.37 c
Rain-fed conditions	0	23.77 ± 0.34	3.49 ± 0.08 h	21.81 ± 0.05 h	0.08 ± 0.01 bc	0.14 ± 0.01 g	0.17 ± 0.01 b	11.24 ± 0.40 i
	50	25.77 ± 0.15	3.72 ± 0.06 g	23.25 ± 0.1 g	0.12 ± 0.02 ab	0.20 ± 0.02 f.	0.35 ± 0.01 ab	12.56 ± 0.15 gh
	100	26.17 ± 0.17	4.20 ± 0.1 d	26.25 ± 0.03 d	0.13 ± 0.02 ab	0.22 ± 0.02 ef	0.40 ± 0.01 ab	12.85 ± 0.33 gh

*Means followed by the same letter(s) in each column are not significantly different based on Duncan’s Multiple Range Test (n = 3).