The Chickpea

Abstract

Chickpea has been a traditional low-input crop in the farming systems of the Indian subcontinent and the Near-East where it is an integral part of the daily diet of the people. The crop is also popular in the Ethiopian Highlands and in Central and South America. Because of its adaptability to a wide range of environments. it is being promoted even in countries such as Australia, Canada and the USA. The chickpea is of two main types. the desi type and the kabuli type. The former is generally small-seeded with a colored seed coat and angular-seed shape. The latter type is generally large-seeded with a beige seed color and ram-head shape. More than 80 percent of the world's production of chickpeas is of the desi type. predominantly grown in subsistence agriculture. The two types are botanically similar. but there are strong consumer preferences for one or the other. The production of chickpeas during the last three decades has been static in most countries. and in some, it has even decreased. Research on the crop was neglected for many years and only recently due attention has been paid to it. The amount of work published on chickpea research during the past decade may well equal all that had appeared in the several decades preceding it. Hence, a need was felt to prepare a critical review of the work done in the past so that a sound basis and direction for future research may clearly emerge. In this volume. an attempt has been made to meet this need. The Chickpea comprises 18 chapters. The first presents the importance of the crop. The two subsequent chapters deal with the botanical aspects of chickpeas. These are followed by a section of four chapters that deal with cultivar development. The next three chapters discuss the production technology and the basis of yield. The section on plant protection follows. comprising a chapter each on diseases. nematodes. insects and weeds. The nutritional quality and utilization aspects which are covered in the subsequent three chapters, lead to the last chapter which deals with trade and price considerations.