I - --ii

Summary and Conclusion
Winter planting of chickpeas ensures that the vegetative and reproductive phases
of thc crop experience milder temperatures and better soil moisture regimes than
the traditional spring-planted crop. In the whole range from early winter to early
spring, advancing the date of planting results in increased yield over spring
planting; the earlier the date, the higher the yield. The winter-planted crop
responds better to increased plant population levels than the rainfed, springplanted
crop and a population level of 33.3 plants/m 2 seems to be optimum.
The productivity of the winter crop can be limited by a nitrogen deficiency in
areas where crop is to be introduced for the first time. Inoculation with effective
Cicer RhLobium would, howelr, rectify this situatiop. On soils having 2.5 ppm
or less of available soil phosphorus, the application of fertilizer phosphorus is
advantageous. An application of 50 kg P205/ha placed below the seed row is
adequate. Response to potassium applications has not been observed because of
high available K content of the soil.
Weeds can be a major constraint to increased productivity in the winterplanted
crop and can cause more than a 40% reduction in the yield. Mechanical
weeding in the vegetative phase is of advantage but is difficult to practice
because of winter rains. Several preemergence herbicides are being evaluated in
the region to identify an effective one. There isa need for the studies to be carried
out in different parts of the region on these and other agronomic aspects using the
ascochyta blight resistant cultivars so that full advantage of winter planting
could be realized.
References
HARRIS, H.C. 1979. Some aspects of the agroclimatology of West Asia and North Affica. Pages
7-14 in Food Legume Improvement and Development (Hawtin, G.C. and Chancellor, G.J. eds.),
ICARDA, Aleppo, Syria and IDRC, Ottawa, Canada.
KASSAM, A.H. 1981. Climate, soil and land resources in North Africa and West Asia. Pages 1-29
in Soil, Water and Nitrogen in Mediterranean-typc Environments (Monteith, J. and Webb, C.
eds.). Martinus Nijhoff/Dr. W. Junk Publishers, The Hague.
ROBERTS, E.H., SUMMERFIELD, R.J., MINCHIN, F.R. and HADLEY, P. 1980. Phenology of
chickpeas (Cicer ariefinum) in contrasting aerial environments. Expl. Agric. 16: 343-360.
SAXENA, M.C. 1979. Importance of phosphorus in the balanced fertilization of some food crops in
West Asia and North Africa. Phosphorus in Agric. 76:133-145.
SAXENA, M.C. 1980. Recent advances in chickpea agronomy. Pages 89-96 in Proceedings of the
First International Workshop on Chickpea Improvement, 28 Feb-2 Mar 1979, ICRISAT, Patancheru,
A.P., India.
SMITH, R.C. and HARRIS, H.C. 1981. Environmental resources and restraints to agricultural
prodiiction in a Mediterranean-type environment. Pages 31-57 in Soil, Water and Nitrogen in
Niediterrranean-type Environments. (Monteith, J. and C. Webb, eds.). Martinus Nijhoff/Dr. W.
Junk Publishers, The Hague.
137