Cultivation of Ghickpea (Cicer arietinum L.)

JRF Horticulture

Importance

India is the largest producer of gram in the world, sharing about 65% of the global area and around 70% of global production.
Major pulse crop in India in terms of acreage and production, followed by pigeon pea.
Origin: Afghanistan (Persia region).

Nutritional Value

Protein content: ~21%
Rich source of calcium, iron, and niacin.
Medicinal uses: Used as blood purifier; germinated seeds recommended for scurvy.

Area and Production in India

	Area	Production
Top States	Madhya Pradesh > Rajasthan > Maharashtra > Uttar Pradesh	Madhya Pradesh > Rajasthan > Uttar Pradesh

(Madhya Pradesh alone accounts for nearly 40% of India’s gram production.)

Classification

Type	Features
Desi/Brown Gram (Cicer arietinum)	– Most widely grown. – Good branching. – Small, yellow to dark brown seeds. – 2n = 14 or 16. – Test weight: 140–200 g. – Hardy and suited to rainfed conditions.
Kabuli/White Gram (Cicer kabulium)	– Bold, attractive white seeds. – Poor branching. – Taller plants. – 2n = 16. – Test weight: 340–375 g. – Yield generally lower than desi types.

Botanical Description

Key Points

Sour taste of leaves and pods is due to maleic acid (90–96%) and oxalic acid (4–10%).
Photosynthetic rate falls after flowering due to nodule degeneration.
Overlap of vegetative and reproductive phases leads to competition between source (leaves) and sink (pods).

Agronomic Practices

Aspect	Details
Seedbed Preparation	Rough, cloddy seedbed for better aeration.
Optimum Sowing Time	Mid-October (15th to 20th October). Late sowing: Early December (for late planting varieties).
Seed Rate	80–100 kg/ha (normal) Increase by 25% in late planting.
Sowing Depth	8–10 cm deep to avoid wilt disease.
Spacing	30 cm × 10 cm.
Critical Irrigation Stages	1. Pre-flowering 2. Pod development
Yield	20–25 quintals/ha.

Management Practices

Deep sowing protects from wilt disease.
Delayed planting increases Helicoverpa armigera (pod borer) infestation.
Nipping and Topping:
- Pruning of top branches at 50–60 DAS to promote reproductive growth.
- Chemical nipping: TIBA (Tri-iodobenzoic acid) @ 75 ppm.

Varieties

Desi Gram Varieties:

Variety	Features
Pusa-256 (BG-256)	Common variety for rainfed conditions.
C-235	Best for dryland; tolerant to Ascochyta blight.
Avrodhi	Wilt resistant (and similar to JG-74).
Gaurav	Resistant to Ascochyta blight.
RS-11	Mutant variety.
ICCC-2	Short duration (early maturing).
Radhey, H-208, BG-261	Suitable for late planting.
Aparna (2006)	Improved short-duration variety.

Kabuli Gram Varieties:

Variety	Features
C-104, K-4	Green seed retention; bold seeded.
RSG-2, GNG-16	Improved kabuli varieties.

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