Chickpea is the largest pulse crop in India and one of the few rabi options that performs on residual soil moisture with little or no irrigation. For a rainfed farmer it is often the only viable rabi crop, and for an irrigated farmer it is a valuable rotation break that leaves nitrogen behind for the next cereal.
Two Types
Desi — smaller, darker, angular seed. More tolerant of drought and disease, and the dominant type across most of India.
Kabuli — larger, cream-coloured seed. Fetches a higher price but requires better soil, more careful management and is more susceptible to disease.
For a first-time or rainfed grower, desi types are the safer choice.
Soil and Sowing
- Chickpea does not tolerate waterlogging at any stage. Good drainage is essential
- It performs on residual moisture after a kharif crop, which is its main advantage
- Sow deeper than you would sow most rabi crops, so the seed reaches moisture — this is one of the few crops where deeper placement is correct
- Excessive tillage dries the seedbed and defeats the purpose. Minimum tillage suits this crop
Sowing window is region-specific. Late sowing exposes the crop to terminal heat and reduces pod filling.
Rhizobium Treatment — Do Not Skip This
Chickpea fixes atmospheric nitrogen through Rhizobium bacteria in root nodules. If those bacteria are not present in the soil in sufficient numbers — common in fields where chickpea has not been grown for several years — fixation is poor and the crop behaves like a nitrogen-starved cereal.
Treating seed with a rhizobium culture before sowing costs very little and is available through KVKs and agriculture departments.
How to do it
- Treat with fungicide first if using one, let it dry, then apply rhizobium — applying them together can kill the culture
- Mix gently with a jaggery solution as a sticker
- Dry in shade, never in sunlight. Direct sun kills the bacteria
- Sow the same day
Phosphorus-solubilising bacteria are often applied alongside and complement the treatment.
Nutrients
Chickpea needs only a small starter dose of nitrogen — enough to support the plant until nodules form. Heavy nitrogen application is counterproductive: the plant stops fixing its own nitrogen, produces lush vegetative growth, and yields less.
Phosphorus matters more, and sulphur is often beneficial. Apply based on your soil test.
Water
Chickpea is grown largely on stored moisture. Where irrigation is available, one irrigation at the pre-flowering or pod development stage is usually sufficient and can lift yield significantly.
Avoid over-irrigation. Excess water produces vegetative growth at the expense of pods and increases wilt incidence.
Pod Borer
Helicoverpa armigera is the major pest and can cause severe losses. Larvae bore into pods and eat the developing seed, which means damage is invisible from outside until the pods are opened.
Management
- Pheromone traps from the vegetative stage to detect moth arrival and time any intervention
- Bird perches at 10 to 15 per acre — birds take a substantial number of larvae and this costs almost nothing
- Scout at flowering, examining plants for eggs and small larvae. Control is far more effective on early stages
- NPV and Bacillus thuringiensis are effective biological options against early larvae
- Intercropping with coriander or marigold supports natural enemies and acts as a trap
- If chemical control is justified by threshold, rotate groups — this pest has developed resistance to several widely used insecticides through repeated exposure
Diseases
- Fusarium wilt — plants wilt and die in patches. Managed through resistant varieties and rotation; there is no effective cure once established
- Ascochyta blight — brown lesions with dark margins on stems and pods, favoured by cool wet weather
- Collar rot — seedlings die at the soil line, worse in wet, high-residue conditions
A gap of several years before chickpea returns to the same field is the most effective single measure against wilt.
Harvest
Harvest when the plants have yellowed and pods have dried, but before pods begin to shatter. Chickpea seed cracks easily if threshed too aggressively when dry, and cracked seed sells at a discount and stores poorly.
The Rotation Benefit
Chickpea leaves residual nitrogen in the soil, and the following cereal usually shows it. When you compare the economics of chickpea against another rabi crop, include the reduced fertiliser cost on the crop that follows. It is a real saving that most comparisons leave out.
Varieties, sowing windows and pest thresholds vary by region. Consult your Krishi Vigyan Kendra for local recommendations before planning your crop.