Abstract <p>Comparative analysis of salicylic acid (SA) metabolism in oxidative stress-induced tolerance responses in cold-tolerant (Sel96th11439) and cold-sensitive (ILC533) chickpea (<i>Cicer arietinum</i> L.) genotypes during cold stress (4°C) was studied. The sensitive genotype exhibited a 10, 20, and 18% reduction in relative leaf water content (RWC) at 1, 3, and 6 days after cold stress (DAS) compared to the tolerant genotype. During stress, H₂O₂ content remained unchanged in the tolerant genotype, whereas its content in the sensitive genotype after a maximum increase (by 38%) at 1 DAS, remained unchanged at 3 and 6 DAS. Higher values of carbonyl content in the sensitive genotype compared to the tolerant one (by 33%) indicated oxidative damage under cold treatments. A significant positive correlation of carbonyl with H₂O₂ (<i>r</i>_0.01 = 0.843) and its significant negative correlation with RWC (<i>r</i>_0.01 = −0.663) confirmed these results. Along with no significant difference in the sensitive genotype, the concentration of SA in the tolerant genotype exhibited a significant increase 49–83% during cold stress. The continuous increase (up to 3.5-fold) of the expression of phenylalanine ammonia lyase (<i>CaPAL</i>) in the tolerant genotype and its decrease in the sensitive genotype were accompanied by a significant decline in the expression of isochorismate synthase (<i>CaICS</i>) gene in both genotypes during stress. In the tolerant genotype, the PAL activity was 17, 90, and 4.6-fold higher than in the sensitive genotype at 1, 3, and 6 DAS, respectively. The results suggested the effective role of the PAL pathway in SA-related tolerance responses in chickpea.</p>