Interrelationships among yield components of chickpea in semiarid environments

Abstract

Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) seed yield can be increased by identifying and managing the key yield components. A field study was conducted in southwestern Saskatchewan in 1999 and 2000 to determine the direct and indirect effects of various yield components on chickpea seed yield . Both desi- and kabuli-chickpea were planted at the target plant populations of 20, 30, 40, and 50 plants m-2 on conventional summerfallow (CS) and no-till wheat stubble (NT). Path coefficient analyses revealed that seed yield for both chickpea classes largely depended upon pods m-2 and seed weight, with the kabuli crop having higher coefficient values than the desi. These relationships were stronger when the pulses were grown on CS than on NT. Seeds pod-1 had a negative effect on seed yield for the kabuli crop, but this negative effect was counterbalanced by a strong, positive effect of seed weight on seed yield. The total pod production of the desi crop depended on plants m-2 more than on pods plant-1, whereas the pod production of the kabuli crop relied equally on plants m-2 and pods plant-1. For both chickpea classes, mean seed weight decreased with prolonged vegetative growth period regardless of tillage environment. Seed weight was positively related to the length of reproductive growth and seeds pod-1 only when the pulses were grown on CS. Seed yield potential of desi chickpea would be increased by increasing plant population to produce more pods per unit area, whereas the seed yield potential of kabuli chickpea would be increased by shortening the period of vegetative growth, promoting the number of pods per plant, and increasing mean seed weight. Key words: Cicer arietinum, yield components, plant density, seed weight, canopy, path analysis

Growth, Productivity and Economics of Kabuli Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) Genotypes in Response to Seed Rate in Northern India

“…As the seed rate increased, pods plant -1 decreased in 2005-06 (Table 3) and 2006-07 (Table 4) as also reported by other researchers (Khan et al, 1999;Venkatachalapathi et al, 2004;Choudhary et al, 2005), which could be due to competition amongst the plants for nutrients and moisture. The 100-seed weight was not influenced due to seed rates in 2006-07 and 2007-08 (Tables 4 and 5) as generally it is not influenced by environment, as reported by other researchers also (Mansur et al, 2009 (Gan et al, 2003c;Ayaz et al, 2004b). With increased plant population, the green area index, intercepted radiation, radiation use efficiency and total intercepted photosynthetically active radiation increase (Ayaz et al, 2004c), thereby resulting in higher grain yields.…”

Effect of seeding date and rate on desi chickpea in southern Alberta

“…3). Sites in 2000 and 2003 had a similar relationship between relative seed yield and plant The large impact of plant density on seed yield in the wet year of 2002 may be primarily due to acceleration of plant maturity at high population densities (Gan et al 2003a). Late seeding and excessive vegetative growth delayed harvest until mid-October or early November in 2002, and any treatment that accelerated plant maturity would likely have a large impact on seed yield.…”

“…Late seeding and excessive vegetative growth delayed harvest until mid-October or early November in 2002, and any treatment that accelerated plant maturity would likely have a large impact on seed yield. High plant densities also increase yield potential by increasing pod density (Gan et al 2003a).…”

Impact of cultivar, row spacing and seeding rate on ascochyta blight severity and yield of chickpea

“…In a previous study in western Canada where ascochyta blight was managed using foliar fungicides, yield increased with increasing plant population density, up to an optimum density of 40-50 plants m -2 (Gan et al 2003a results have been reported from other production areas such as Australia, Jordan and Syria (Kostrinski 1974;Beech and Leach 1989;Singh and Saxena 1996;Saini and Faroda 1998). Pulse crops grown at a high plant density intercept more light early in the growing season and yield more biomass than low density stands .…”