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Stomata regulate water loss and uptake of carbon dioxide. Their density and variation in plant leaves are considerd very important adaptive features of the plants.
We studied stomatal densit and their variation in 19 cultivars or lines of chickpea ( Cicer arietinum ) in two randomized complete block designs each with 3 replications on irrigated and non- irrigated fields inKarkadj Agricultural Station
5 Km. east of University of Tabriz campus) in 1979.
The mean density of stomata on adaxial and abaxial surfaces of leaflets of plants grown on irrigated fields were 25. 04 and 27.65 , and on non— irrigated field were 34.71 and 36.45 respectively. Stomatal density was significantly higher on abaxial surface than on adaxial surface, both on irrigated and non irrigated fields. The ratio of stQmatal density for ab/ad surfaces on both conditions was calculated to be about 11/10 . The non- irrigated plants had significantly greater stomataL density per microscopic field than irrigated plants.
Consistancy of higher stomatal density on abaxial than on adaxial surfaces, on approximately all cultivars or lines studied, both on irrigated and non— irrigated conditions, suggests that some sort of genetic systems control the stomatal density on adaxial and abaxial surfaces of chickpea leaflets.