Chickpea has gained a lot of attention due to the high profit potential reported by several growers around the state. Chickpea is designated as "Fruit and Vegetable" within the Farm Program, so check with the Farm Service Agency to be sure you are eligible to grow this crop. Chickpea is growing in popularity because:
High market demand related to production problems in other parts of the world has resulted in high prices for chickpea.
Pulse crops, including chickpea, are well adapted to the Plains region.
The increase of direct seeding has caused producers to look for functional rotations that take advantage of potential increases in plant available water and manage weed problems.
Rotational benefits provided by pulse crops to a subsequent small grain crop have been widely recognized by producers and researchers.
The deep rooting habit and thus tolerance to water stress of chickpea makes it a winner under adverse drought conditions that commonly occur in Montana and other areas of the Northern Great Plains. Growing chickpea is risky where soil moisture recharge is less than 36 inches. Jack Riesselman has cautioned growers interested in growing chickpea to "throw out the wheat mentality when growing chickpea." Growing chickpea is a high return crop that requires high cost inputs. Failure to intensively manage chickpea can result in crop failure and large economic losses.
An introduction to the key factors of chickpea management follows. For more insight, purchase and read the Pulse Production Manual from Saskatchewan Pulse Growers for key tips and insight on growing chickpea. Upon studying the chickpea section, see if this crop will fit into your production system. The Manual may be ordered by phone at 306-652-2691, by fax at 306-664-4404, or by e-mail at foodfocus@quadrant.net . Also, a chickpea MontGuide (MT 9908) is available through the MSU extension service (406-994-3273).
Select a chickpea variety based on its seed size requirements for marketing, seed quality (e.g. % germ), and susceptibility to Ascochyta, a fungal pathogen that can completely wipe out chickpea crops and is explained further below. A key market factor for chickpea is seed size, with large seed receiving higher prices. Large seed size is difficult to attain in dryland crop production, so target large seeded Kabuli varieties to fallow fields and areas with good soil moisture recharge.
Careful field selection is critical in planning chickpea production. Field selection should be based on water availability/previous crop, disease management (in particular Ascochyta), and herbicide use history and weed management problems. Chickpea grows best on well-drained soils. High salinity inhibits chickpea production. Chickpea production is most successful with deep-stored water as it has similar water use patterns to wheat. Decisions on whether to plant chickpea on grain stubble or fallow depend on precipitation received from the time of harvest to seeding versus stored water in fallow. In Montana for 2001, chickpea may do well on wheat/barley stubble in the north central and northeastern parts of Montana that have at least 36" of moist soil (6+" of stored water). The water use equation for chickpea is poorly understood but preliminary data suggest the initial yield point for Kabuli chickpea requires 3 to 4" of water, beyond which water is converted at a rate of approximately 2.5 bu per acre-inch.
Chickpea production under irrigation involves a high amount of risk due to increased disease threat (Ascochyta blight). Under irrigation, fill up soil profile early so that watering can be avoided/minimized after the first-bud stage. Irrigation increases the relative humidity within the crop and increases the establishment and spread of Ascochyta. For this reason, chickpea are best suited for dryland production. If grown under irrigation, each watering after first-bud stage should be followed immediately by foliar fungicide application.
Be cautious of herbicide residues when selecting fields to grow chickpea. Rotational intervals depend on how long herbicides persist in the soil, how much herbicide was applied, or how frequent herbicides were applied. The more the active ingredient of a particular herbicide has been applied the longer it will persist in the soil.Most herbicides lose activity through chemical and biological degradation. Critical factors that influence herbicide degradation include pH, moisture, and temperature. Because Montana has a dry climate and short growing season herbicide degradation generally takes longer than in warmer and moister areas of the country due to decreased biological activity and resulting herbicide degradation within the soil. Montana soils also have relatively high pH's (7.8 or higher in many places). At high pH, degradation of
sulfonyl urea (SU) herbicides (e.g Glean, Finesse, Amber, Ally, Rave, Maverick, and Peak) and triazines (e.g. Sencor, atrazine) is reduced. Field bioassay will be required if these herbicides (or others such as Tordon) were used in the last 3 or more years to confirm whether they have persisted and could potentially injure fallow crop chickpea.
Plan to seed early, when spring wheat would normally be seeded. Target 4-5 live seeds per square foot in order to get 3-4 plants per square foot. Lower populations are affordable for Kabuli, but higher populations must be planted for Desi. Plant chickpea seed 2 inches into moist soil. Consider wide row spacing or low stand densities in order to diminish the risk of Ascochyta and improve the chance of attaining high quality large seed, especially under irrigation.
Placing peat granular inoculants in the seed row with the seed is the most effective method to ensure nodulation and N-fixation. Inoculation is absolutely necessary and worth the investment with this high-value crop. Avoid liquid seed coat inoculation due to unreliability in typical soil conditions in Montana. Three to four weeks after seeding, check the root systems for nodule formation. Beefsteak red color on the inside of the nodules indicates that they are actively fixing nitrogen. If neither nodules nor N-fixing activity is evident, consult an agronomist to decide if immediate top-dress of fertilizer N is required or justified.
The single greatest threat to successful chickpea production is a fungus disease called Ascochyta blight. The fungus responsible for this disease attacks only chickpea and not dry pea or lentil. Conversely the Ascochyta fungus that attacks dry pea or lentil will not harm chickpea. This is important to remember because we are currently recommending a minimum four-year rotation between successive chickpea crops. Crops used in alternate years could include cereals or even pea or lentil.
Fields infected with this disease can experience total crop failure with very low yields and chickpea seed of unsuitable size, which can also be discolored. The fungus requires periods of wet, humid weather to initiate outbreaks. These generally begin at or shortly before flowering. Small necrotic brown lesions develop on leaves, stems and pods. They are characterized by small black concentric ringed fungal structures inside of the necrotic spots. Once observed, if environmental conditions remain favorable, the crop can be lost. In years with above average rainfall the risk increases significantly.
Growers who plan on producing chickpea MUST NOT cut corners when it comes to managing this disease. Our current recommendations relative to Ascochyta management are as follows.
Plant only seed that has been tested and is reported to be free of the pathogen. The Plant Disease Diagnostic Lab currently tests 500 seeds per seed lot in making this determination.
Even though the seed tests indicate the seed lot is pathogen-free we still recommend a seed treatment with thizbendazole fungicide as added insurance. The rationale is simple. If only 1 in 400 seeds are infected, a 35% chance of not detecting the pathogen in the seed-testing program exists. Furthermore, if 1 in 400 seeds are infected, up to 50 infection loci will be present in each acre. Thiabendazole treatment, which is up to 95% effective, reduces the chances for the pathogen to establish from seed.
Seed only varieties that have some tolerance to the disease. Sanford, Dwelly and B-90's have some early season tolerance but none are totally resistant.
Do not select a field that is closer than 3 miles from a field grown to chickpea the previous year. We realize that this is a difficult recommendation, but it is important, especially if the disease was present in your production area the previous year.
Be prepared to spray with a fungicide. Currently, producers can choose from either Bravo Ultrex or Bravo ZN. Other Bravo formulations are not registered. Timing of the fungicide application(s) is critical. At the first sign of infection, generally around flowering, the fungicide must be applied. If wet conditions persist, one or even two additional applications may be needed. As a general rule, if you diagnose the disease, its time to put an application of Bravo on the crop. Of course, consider the immediate weather forecast in your decision. Research in North Dakota by McKay this past year suggests that some of the new fungicides have greater efficacy than Bravo. These include Quadris and Headline, however neither is currently registered. The EPA has not approved a section 18 for Quadris at this time.
If late outbreaks occur, harvest around infected areas in order to help maintain quality of the harvested crop.
Management of broadleaf weeds such as wild buckwheat, Russian thistle, kochia, Canada thistle or bindweed is extremely difficult in chickpea. Broadleaf weeds not only compete with chickpea, but also can interfere with harvest and potentially stain seed. As a result, avoid fields with high densities of annual and perennial broadleaf weeds (e.g. wild buckwheat, kochia, Russian thistle). Herbicides currently labeled for selective broadleaf weed control in chickpea include Pursuit (imazethapyr), Treflan (trifluralin), Sonalan (ethalfluralin), Sencor (metribuzin), and MCPA amine.
MSU research has determined high injury potential with pre-emergence applications of Pursuit on chickpea. Pursuit has been used effectively in Washington with good crop safety through use of soil incorporation, but soil and climatic conditions are dramatically different in Montana so proceed with caution. Treflan and Sonalan work best if applied in the fall and must be incorporated twice with tillage. Assure and Poast are both labeled for post-emergence annual grass control. Refer to herbicide labels and/or chickpea MontGuides for more information on weed management.
No reports exist of insect damage on chickpea. Anecdotal evidence suggests that chickpea is resistant to grasshopper predation. Chickpea is, however, the preferred feed of jackrabbits, gophers, both white-tailed and mule deer and pronghorn. So, avoid planting near large populations of any of these animals.
Low cutting heights are required when harvesting chickpea. Pre-harvest desiccation of green succulent weeds (kochia, Russian thistle) may be necessary to avoid staining on seed. Also, uneven ripening may require two harvest trips across the same field. Green chickpea result in loss in quality grade. Straight cutting is preferred to swathing. Be sure to watch the moisture content in addition to seed color. If the crop is too dry seeds may split or break, but if too wet (>20%) the seed can be crushed. Harvest at 18% moisture and aerate to bring seed moisture to 15%.
Potentially profitable, chickpea and other pulse crops deserve some consideration by Montana growers. Chickpea in particular may serve as a nice rotational/ alternative crop to wheat, barley, and fallow in semiarid regions. Be sure to do your homework in order to make educated decisions about how pulse crops might fit into your rotational system.
More information on growing chickpeas in Montana is available on the Montana Pest Information Network at http://scarab.msu.montana.edu/extension/MTPIAP-Chick-Garb.htm .
Common chemical and trade names are used in this publication for clarity by the reader. Inclusion of a common chemical or trade name does not imply endorsement of that particular product or brand of herbicide and exclusion does not imply non-approval.
Categories: Weed, Field Budweed, Canada Thistle, Russian Thistle, Kochia
Date: 04/14/2005