A new chickpea study at the University of Saskatchewan should help
growers determine appropriate plant densities for their particular
region.
The current recommendation is 44 chickpea plants per sq. metre, but
Rosalind Ball, the researcher who is heading up the new three-year
study, said that is based on “preliminary studies” and may not be high
enough.
“Instead of maintaining low-density crops, growers may actually
maximize production by planting a higher-density crop that would take
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advantage of the shorter growing season.”
Population density is a powerful management tool for farmers because
rapid leaf development is the best way to capture the limited amount of
light available in the prairie climate. The more sunlight, the better
the yields.
“One way to nurture rapid leaf development is to have a higher plant
population,” Ball said.
But chickpea’s susceptibility to ascochyta blight makes high-density
strategies risky.
“If you plant for high population densities and then you get a wet
year, you get a thick canopy and the disease will get you,” Ball said.
Prairie chickpea farmers have traditionally relied on low population
density strategies, but that can backfire during years of cool
temperature, inadequate water or late seeding because it can result in
slow or limited leaf area development and low yields.
Ball’s project, which is partially funded by the Western Grains
Research Foundation, will study both fern and unifoliate chickpea
varieties to determine the best densities for plant growth, yield and
disease performance. It will also evaluate different canopy types.
Chickpea production strategies will be tested at Swift Current,
Saskatoon and Elrose research plots and will encompass the brown, dark
brown and thin black soil zones.
The first results are expected after the second year of research. The
goal is to help producers determine appropriate chickpea seeding
density for their particular operation and to identify traits that
plant breeders should focus on to create better varieties.
“We anticipate providing growers with chickpea cultivars that have the
best leaf and canopy traits for rapid leaf generation, superior canopy
structure and aeration, and maximum biomass and yield,” Ball said.
