Planting chickpeas

Good crops bring very good returns, and chickpeas are a good crop. However, chickpeas require competent management and attention to detail. The key to profitable chickpea production is avoiding potentially low-yielding situations that are likely to be unprofitable for chickpea production. The long-term rotational benefits of growing chickpeas should not be ignored.

Paddock selection

Uniformity of soil type, paddock topography and paddock surface condition are all important criteria in assessing whether country is suitable for chickpea production. Harvest losses are much higher in uneven paddocks. Evenness in crop maturity makes management easier.

When considering a paddock for chickpea production, avoid:

• major variations in soil type
• deep Gilgai or heavily contoured country
• sticks, stones, clods of soil and ridged surfaces
• bunching and clumping of stubble
• high-risk marginal soil types, such as compacted, sodicity and salinity.

Herbicide residues from previous crops

Herbicide residues need to be considered before determining the suitability of a paddock for chickpeas. Damage largely depends on soil type, seasonal conditions and, especially, soil moisture levels.

Sulfonylurea residues

Strategy: Avoid applying sulfonylurea herbicides to the preceding winter cereal crops to chickpeas, particularly on high pH soils (over 8.5)

Symptoms: Damage symptoms in chickpeas are yellowing of uppermost leaves, stunted growth and narrow, cupped leaflets.

Triazine residues

Strategy: Be cautious with atrazine residues when double cropping after sorghum. Avoid heavier rates of atrazine (above 4 L/ha). Similar comments apply to those outlined for simazine used as a pre-emergent tank mix in chickpeas.

Symptoms: Chickpea injury symptoms include bleached or dead patches around the outer edge of the leaflets. This is more pronounced on the lower leaves. Leaf narrowing is a symptom of severe damage.

Group I

2, 4-D products

2, 4-D residues persist for a relatively short period after minimal rainfall requirement is met. Hence residues may occur in dry seasons.

Picloram, clopyralid and triclopyr

Strategy: Avoid using Picloram in sorghum crops if double cropping back into chickpeas. Avoid using clopyralid and triclopyr in the fallow prior to chickpeas. 2, 4-D residues persist for a relatively short time but they have a minimum rainfall requirement prior to sowing, particularly in low rainfall periods.

Symptoms: Damage symptoms in chickpea include bending and twisting of the stems.

Planting time

Chickpea yields show a marked response to time of planting, with crops sown earlier or later than recommended often producing lower yields.

Early crops are more susceptible to frost damage during flowering and pod set. In deep sowing situations, growers can use the number of days to flowering for each variety and frost risk, for their particular location, to determine the optimum planting date.

Excessive vegetative growth under favourable growing conditions predisposes the crop to lodging, especially under irrigated production. Tall rank crops are more susceptible to foliar diseases, such as grey mould (Botrytis), which can cause high levels of flower abortion.

Late planted crops are more likely to suffer from moisture stress during grain filling and can be more difficult to harvest due to a lack of plant height. Levelling the ground behind the planter will significantly improve harvestability. Central Queensland growers should strongly consider the taller growing, early flowering variety Moti in late plant situations and increase the sowing rate to compensate for lost yield potential. Late planted chickpeas may provide a host for the continuous build-up of helicoverpa into late spring and early summer.

Planting rate

While yields are relatively stable within the range of 20-40 plants/m2, populations of 25-30 plants/m2 will optimise yields in the northern region and are recommended for wide row spacings (1 m). Higher populations are justified for late plantings. High populations planted on wide rows often result in thin main stems and a higher risk of lodging.

This planting rate calculator can be used if a seed count and germination percentage is available.

Planting rate (kg/ha) = Seeds/ha x 100 Seed wt ÷ 100,000

Seeds/ha = Target plant population (plants/ha) ÷ Germination (%) (e.g 0.95) ÷ Expected field establishment % (e.g. 0.85)

Note: Under average to good seedbed conditions, field establishment should generally be in the range of 80-90 per cent for high-quality planting seed.

Planting depth

Ideally, chickpeas are sown 5-8 cm deep into good moisture. Planting high-quality seed is the best means of ensuring robust seedlings and good crop establishment. The agronomic advantages of sowing at this depth are that it:

• reduces the risk of damage from pre-emergent residual herbicides, i.e. simazine, Balance® and Prometryn
• promotes the early formation of lateral roots in the top soil
• enhances inoculum survival in moist soil and improves nodulation
• eliminates a significant proportion of Ascochyta-infected seeds due to mortality of diseased seed.

Press wheels can significantly improve establishment by as much as 50 per cent, though heavy pressures should be avoided. V-shaped press wheels should also be avoided as they will leave a furrow down the planting line, which can lead to a concentration of residual herbicides after rainfall and subsequent crop damage.

Chickpeas can also be deep planted in situations where growers need to moisture seek. Commercial crops have been sown as deep as 15 cm on heavy clay soils, with establishment levels of 50-60 per cent. Only high-quality seed, as indicated by a recent germination test, should be used when deep planting. However, germination tests are not a reliable indicator of the final plant population that will establish from deeper sowing. In such situations, there is justification for increasing seed rates by up to 50 per cent, depending on soil type and conditions.

Under the following conditions avoid very deep planting:

• if seed quality is doubtful or unknown
• if fungicide seed treatments have not been used
• where soils are prone to surface sealing, or crusting
• under very cold conditions (June-July in southern Queensland).