Chick peas are high in protein, versatile in cooking and adaptable to various climatic conditions. Chick pea farming involves various stages from preparation of land to post harvest management. Chick peas are grown in a wide range of climates from temperate to tropical climates. However excessive heat during flowering can affect yield. Chick peas are adaptable to different soil types but well drained loam or sandy loam soils are ideal. Soil pH should be between 6.0 to 7.5 for optimal growth.
Chickpea planting
Before planting, clear the soil of weeds and debris, plough the land and level properly to ensure uniform water distribution.
Seed selection and treatment. Choose high quality seeds from reliable sources. Treating seeds with fungicides can help prevent soil borne diseases.
Sowing. Chick peas can be sown directly in the field or in the nursery for later transplanting. Sowing should be done at the beginning of the rainy season. Row spacing and planting density depends on the variety and local conditions.
Management practices
Weeding. Regular weeding is crucial in the early days to reduce competition for nutrients and water.
Irrigation. Chick peas require well timed controlled irrigation as over watering leads to disease issues and under watering leads to reduced yield.
Chick pea common diseases include blight, fusarium wilt and botrytis grey mold. Integrated pest management can help control pests like pod borers, aphids and sucking bugs.
Harvesting. Chick peas are typically ready to harvest 90 to 12o days after planting depending on variety and growing conditions. Harvesting can be done when most of the pods have turned brown and dried and can either be manually or mechanically.
After harvesting , the chick peas are threshed to separate the seeds from the pods and then dried to reduce moisture content so as to prevent mold growth.
