Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
free environment. Depending upon the variety, seeds can be yellowish, brownish, dark brown, or
black.
SELECTION CHARACTERISTICS
Chickpeas are not particularly well adjusted to the harsher climates
found in central Europe. An important selection criterion is therefore adaptation to the local climate.
Other selection criteria:
• cold tolerance
• high yield
• resistance to fungal diseases
• straight, vertical growth
DISEASES AND PESTS
Growing chickpeas in the same plot within four or five years of the previous
culture increases the risk of fungal root diseases. Fungal infections can kill plants in a matter of days.
CULTIVATION HISTORY
The chickpea is one of the Neolithic crops from the Middle East, with ar-
chaeological finds in Israel and Syria dating back to the 7th millennium
BC
. These finds presumably
contain the cultivated form of the chickpea as the original wild form is unknown. By the 3rd or 4th
millennium
BC
, the chickpea had spread to Greece and by the 2nd millennium
BC
to India. In the
Mediterranean region, Asia Minor, and western Asia, it is still grown as a traditional crop, though it is
waning in importance. India is the world's largest producer of chickpeas, with Pakistan, Ethiopia, Tur-
key, and Spain also growing them on a large scale.
Chickpea harvest in Pitigliano, Italy
COURTESY ISTOCKPHOTO/FABIO BIANCHINI
