the plants varies very much—some are semi-erect, with few branches, others are
semi-spreading, with many branches. Chickpea flowers are small and either white or
reddish.
There are four separate races and nine separate sub-races of the genus Cicer. A
second species, the littleleaf chickpea Cicer microphyllum is a shrubby perennial
that grows above about 2500m in the Himalayan area; the seed and young shoots
can be eaten.
They are usually grown on a field scale, for their highly nutritious seed (c. 20%
protein, 50–60% carbohydrate and c. 5% oils). Small seeded varieties are normally
made into dhal or flour for poppadoms; larger seeded varieties are often roasted and
eaten whole, or mashed with olive oil, lemon juice and sesame to make hummus.
The seeds are either white, yellow, red, brown or nearly black, and have a
characteristic “beak”. There are two main seed types: kabuli (European or garbanzo),
with large beige coloured seed and lower fibre content and desi (or Asian), with
coloured, small seed, angular and fibrous, mainly grown on the Indian subcontinent.
In global terms, chickpeas are one of the most important of the grain legumes;
FAO estimated that 8.6 million MT were produced in 2004. They are normally
cultivated in hot, dry climates from southern Europe and North Africa to China, and
especially in India. They are also widely grown, at high altitudes, in Mexico. The
major producers are India, Pakistan, Mexico and Ethiopia.
PLANTING
Propagation: by seed. Pollination is mainly by bees, resulting in very occasional
cross-pollination (no more than about 1%).
Soil: chickpeas tolerate a wide range of soil types, if they are not waterlogged.
Sandy soil is preferred. Optimum pH is 7–9, chickpeas are classified as “sensitive”
to acidity and “moderately tolerant” of salinity.
Seed rate: very variable, from about 30 kg/ha in parts of India, up to 120 kg/ha in
Greece. Averages are about 100 kg/ha for larger seeded varieties, and 35 kg/ha for
smaller seeded varieties. Average weight of 100 seeds varies from 13 to 83g
depending on the type and variety.
Seed spacing: in southeast Asia, 10–30 cm between plants and 25–30 cm between
rows; in Mexico, 10–15 cm between plants, up to 1.4m between rows.
Intercropping: sometimes happens, usually with a cereal such as wheat or barley.
Inoculation: in ideal circumstances inoculation of the seed has been shown to
increase yields by between 20 and 62%.
Viability: some varieties can remain viable for 2 or 3 years, while others—often the
white seeded types—lose viability after a year or less.
GROWTH CONDITIONS
Day length: long photoperiods (short nights) of 16 hours or more favour high yields.
In general, chickpeas are moderately sensitive to photoperiod; long days tend to
The Chickpea is a bushy annual plant, normally about 45–60 cm tall, often
bluish-green in colour and covered in sticky glandular hairs. The shape and size of
Depth: 5–10 cm
156 TONY WINCH
- “Adunguaré” is also used, as a general name for beans, especially haricot beans.