🍲 Chickpea

Important points related to cultivation of Chickpea.

⭐️ World Pulses Day is a designated United Nations global event to recognize the importance of pulses (chickpeas, dry beans, lentils, dry peas and lupins among others) as a global food. It has been proclaimed on February 10 of each year since 2019 by the General Assembly of the United Nations on December 20, 2018.

Chickpea/Gram

  • Botanical Name: Cicer spp.
  • Cicer aeritinum: Desi/Brown Chickpea/Kala Chana
  • Cicer kabulium: Kabuli/White Chickpea
  • Family: Papilionaceae (Leguminaceae)
  • Chromosome: 2n = 14/16
  • Chickpea is also known as Gram or Bengal gram.
  • Gram is originated in South-West Asia (Afghanistan).
  • India is the largest producer of Gram in the world sharing 65% area & 70 % of total global production.
  • Chickpea consists of more than 1/3 of the area and 40 per cent of the total production of pulses in India. (highest among pulses)
  • Gram is major pulse crop in India followed by Pigeon pea.
  • Chickpea is called as King of Pulses (Queen -> Pea) and contains 22-23 per cent protein content.
  • The sour taste of leaves and pods is due to the presence of Malic Acid 90-96% and Oxalic Acid 4-10%.
  • Its leaves are recommended for intestine disorder patient, due to presence of Malic and Oxalic acid.
  • Gram fruit is known as Pod.
  • Germination type: Hypogeal

Types of Chickpea

  • Desi: It has small, darker seeds and a rough coat, cultivated mostly in the Indian subcontinent, Ethiopia, Mexico, and Iran. The desi type is used to make Chana Dal, which is a split chickpea with the skin removed.
  • Kabuli: It has lighter/white coloured, larger seeds and a smoother coat, mainly grown in Southern Europe, Northern Africa, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Chile, also introduced during the 18th century in India.
  • Desi chickpeas have markedly higher fiber content than Kabulis and hence a very low glycemic index which may make them suitable for people with blood sugar problems.

Climate

  • Gram is a winter season crop.
  • Chickpea is a self-pollinated, C3 and long-day plant.
  • Suitable temperature for optimum crop growth is 20-25 Β°C.
  • Requirement of water throughout growth period is 350-450 mm.
  • Severe cold and frost at the time of flowering causes detrimental effect to gram seed development.
  • Chickpea is usually considered a Dry-land/Rainfed crop.
  • It favours moderate rainfall with mild cold weather.
  • Chickpea requires a loose and well aerated rough seedbed.
  • Light alluvial soil is best for cultivation of gram.
  • Chickpea may be cultivated as a sole crop, or mixed with barley, lathyrus (grasspea), linseed, mustard, peas, corn, coffee, safflower, potato, sweet potato, sorghum, or wheat.
  • In India, chickpea is also grown as a catch crop in sugarcane fields and often as a second crop after rice.
  • When chickpea is grown as mixed crop, it checks blight disease.

Seed & Sowing

  • Early sown: 75-80 kg/ha
  • Late sown: 80-100 kg/ha
  • Late planting of chickpea is done to protect the seedlings from wilt disease. In such type of delayed planting, seed rate is increased by 25 per cent to obtain a good yield.
  • Sowing time: 2nd fortnight of October (15th to 20th October) is optimum time.
  • Spacing: 30 x 10 cm
  • Plant population: 3,33,333 plants
  • The seed should be placed 8-10 cm deep because the shallow sown crop is more liable to be damaged by wilt.

Fertilizer

NPK requirement (Kg/ha)

  • Normally – 20 : 60 : 30
  • Rainfed – 15 : 20 : 15
  • Phosphorous should be applied at below or side of the seed to increase the gram yield.
  • The critical stages for irrigation:
    • Pre-flowering/Late vegetative phase
    • Pod development

Important Varieties

Root System

  • The roots usually include a central strong tap root, with numerous lateral branches that spread out in all directions in the upper layer of soils.
  • There are numerous nodules on roots.
  • The rhizobium bacteria present in these nodules fix up atmospheric nitrogen.

Nipping/Topping

  • Nipping is the process of plucking the apical buds after 45-60 DAS, in order to stop apical growth and encourage more branching and fruit development.
  • Nipping terminal bud at 45 and 60 days after sowing significantly reduced the plant height and increased the number of primary and secondary branches and pods per plant.
  • It can be done by a flock of sheep.
  • Chemical for nipping TIBA @ 75 PPM (Tri-Iodo-Benzoic Acid).

Disease

Insect-Pest

Yield

  • Rainfed condition – 5 to 6 qt/ha
  • Irrigated condition – 12 to 15 qt/ha
  • Shelling percentage is 49 per cent.

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