High quality kabuli chickpeas have enjoyed good prices the last two years.
Last year, however, Saskatchewan Crop Insurance Corp. reported damage claims on 35 percent of insured kabuli chickpea acres, said Ray McVicar, special crops specialist with Saskatchewan Agriculture.
There will always be factors beyond farmers’ control, but the chance of producing a high-quality large-seeded chickpea crop can be improved, McVicar said. The crop should be grown in drier areas for which the kabuli is best adapted, such as southwestern Saskatchewan.
“Risk of crop failure increases outside this area, especially if the selected field has clay or clay-loam soil,” he said. “Currently available commercial large kabuli varieties require a long growing season and warm dry weather in August and September.”
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Growers should use disease-free seed with good germination checked by a seed-test lab.
Saskatchewan crop insurance will disallow a chickpea claim because of ascochyta blight if the seed contained more than 0.3 percent seed-borne ascochyta.
Kabuli seed should be treated to protect against seed rot and seedling blight caused by damping off. Apron FL is a registered seed treatment recommended for kabuli chickpeas. It should be applied with the use of a commercial treater that does not damage the seed. The treated seed should be allowed to dry before applying a nitrogen-fixing inoculant.
Chickpea is a good fixer of nitrogen when inoculated properly. Inoculants are specific to certain crops, so a pea or lentil product will not work on chickpeas, McVicar said.
Seeding equipment should be correctly calibrated for the large-seeded kabuli. The thin seed coat is mechanically damaged if a high volume of large seed is forced through a small tube in an airseeder or drill. McVicar suggests driving slowly when planting large-seeded kabulis so that the seed is properly delivered at a lower fan speed.
Early weed control is recommended because chickpeas are not competitive. The crop should be grown on fields relatively free of perennial weeds.
A pre-emerge burn-off of early weeds will help reduce competition and should result in higher yields and larger seed size. The use of unregistered herbicides is not recommended. They can slow crop growth, increase susceptibility to foliar diseases and reduce seed size.
Variety selection also plays an important role in obtaining large seed. Dwelley is the largest-sized variety in commercial production in Western Canada, but it carries the greatest production risks. Other large-seeded choices include CDC Diva and CDC Xena.
Sanford is smaller, similar to CDC Yuma, which has high yields, earlier maturity and improved resistance to ascochyta blight.
McVicar recommends vigorous scouting for ascochyta blight, an aggressive and devastating disease.
“The largest seeds on a chickpea plant are typically formed first, so it is very important to protect the early flowers and pods from infection,” he said. “Bravo 500 is registered for control of ascochyta blight in chickpea, but it will not restore diseased crops. Multiple applications may be needed if cool, moist weather persists throughout the pre-flower to late-podding stage.”
These suggestions will help growers improve their chance for large, quality seed, but he said there is no magic formula.
“Experience has shown that the right amount of rainfall at the right time during the growing season will result in a large seed size and the premium price.”
