5 Considerations for Planting Chickpeas

Chickpeas, or garbanzo beans, can be a rewarding crop to raise. They are commonly used for human consumption, and product quality after harvest is key to maximizing your return. Chickpeas also can be risky to plant, so consider how much risk your operation is willing to assume before you jump in with planting a 1,000-acre trial.

Before deciding to grow chickpeas, consider a few basic principles that should be considered before planting, while planting, during the season and especially at harvest.

1. Source Quality Seed

Starting with seed that has been quality tested for germination, total live seeds per pound, and presence of ascochyta blight is essential. Chickpea germination is substantially affected by product handling. Before it is planted, it needs to have a proven germ that will leave you with an accurate live seed per pound number to determine how many pounds need to be planted for a successful population.

Keep in mind when the germination sample was taken, as the number of times the product is handled after this sample was taken can greatly affect the future germination.

Using belt conveyors after conditioning is equally important; harsh handling of clean seed can be problematic. Remember that the presence of ascochyta on the seed must not exceed 0.3%. Even if the ascochyta level is zero, the seed needs to be treated with an appropriate seed treatment to keep this fungus issue at a minimum.

Make sure you are growing varieties that are sought after by processors. Find a reputable buyer, find out what they want, research the variety, and make your decision. There is nothing worse than growing a high-risk crop that is difficult to market. On the flip side, there is nothing better than watching your investment turn into a high-quality, profitable crop.

2. Consider Field Conditions

There are a few things to consider when deciding which fields to plant chickpeas. Former crops planted, as well as prior herbicide use, is extremely important. Some small grain or other crop herbicides used in previous years may have serious carryover consequences for chickpeas.

Also, certain preplant weed control products for chickpeas will have consequences for crops to be planted following chickpeas. If you are unsure about rotation restrictions of specific herbicides, consult an agronomist.

Fields with heavy weed pressure may not be a good choice for chickpeas as there are few pre-plant products that are a cure-all for weeds. Timing of application, lack of moisture (or a huge rainfall event), or second flushes can cause notable harvest issues.

Another thing to consider is to plant in fields that are not high in residual nitrogen. Chickpeas are an indeterminate crop and will continue to grow until they receive environmental stress. Pulses will consume available nitrogen before making their own, so a properly inoculated chickpea crop grown on land with a lot of residual nitrogen will lengthen the growing season. The crop needs to be drying down and close to harvest before the first killing frost to prevent the seed color from staying green.

Fields with large amounts of rocks are not desirable, but also not impossible for chickpeas. Rolling with a land roller is important to smooth the field for harvest with a flex head, as well as pushing stones flush with the ground to prevent them from entering the combine. Rolling should be completed before emergence to guarantee there is no damage to the plants, which could cause the onset of ascochyta.

3. Scout Regularly After Emergence

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