Background: Chickpea is a cool season legume crop and is grown in several countries worldwide as a food source. Seed is the main edible part of the plant and is a rich source of protein, carbohydrates and minerals especially for the vegetarian population. The current study aimed to study the effect of seed rate and seed spacing on yield attributes of chickpea. Methods: The research was carried out at Research Farm, Department of Agriculture, Maharishi Markandeshwar University, Sadopur, Ambala during Rabi season in 2020-2021. The experiment was laid out in split plot design (SPD), with three replication and 9 treatments with two conditions i.e. three different seed rate (60, 75 and 90 kg/ha) and seed rate were design in main plot, where as in sub-plot three spacing (20, 30 and 40 cm) were tested. Result: The result revealed that seed rate of 75 kg/ha with row spacing of 30 cm in chickpea crop recorded maximum seed index (21.70 g), seed yield (23.26 q/ha), straw yield (26 q/ha), biological yield (49.16 q/ha) and harvest index (47%). The maximum number of pods per plant (107.63) and seeds per pod (2.13) were observed when the seed rate of 60 kg/ha and row spacing of 40 cm was used.

The research experiment comprising of three levels of seed rate, i.e., 60, 75 and 90 kg/ha and three line spacing, i.e., 20, 30 and 40 cm was conducted at Research Farm of the Department of Agriculture, Maharishi Markandeshwar University, Sadopur, Ambala during winter season of 2020-21 to study the effect of seed rate and spacing on uptake of nitrogen, phosphorus and potash in chickpea. The seed rate was kept in main plot and spacing in sub-plot. The total nine treatment combinations of seed rate and line spacing were laid out in Split Plot Design (SPD) and replicated thrice. The interaction between seed rate and line spacing significantly influenced the uptake of N, P and K in plants and their status in soil. The maximum available NPK was registered with seed rate 75 kg/ha. Irrespective of the seed rate, the maximum NPK content was recorded under line spacing of 30 cm. Similar observations were also recorded for NPK content (%) in seed and straw of chickpea. The maximum NPK uptake and protein content was also observed when the crop was sown at row spacing of 30 cm using a seed rate 75 kg/ha.