Chickpea is a representative of the legume family of the genus Ciler L. The latter has more than 35 plant species that are common in West and Central Asia. There is only one variety that is not found in the wild. It is he who is eaten.
What is cultural chickpea? This is an annual plant that is capable of sprouting in a fairly cold period. Seeds begin to germinate at 4 ° C. Young sprouts, covered with snow, will perfectly tolerate moderate winters and even short-lived frosts down to -20 ° . In spring, when the snow melts, the sprouted chickpeas will not die when frozen to -15 ° C.
Culture has a pivotal root system. It consists of the main root (goes deep into the ground by a meter, or even deeper) and small processes that develop at a small depth. Small nodules form on them. They contain nitrogen-fixing bacteria. The straight stem is slightly branched, has a spreading or compressed shape. The average height of the plant is 50 cm, but it can be lower or higher.
Oval leaves are unpaired. The color of the plant is green or any tonality of this color. Only one flower appears on the culture. Its color, as well as future fruits, depends entirely on the color of the seeds. Light seed - white flower - yellow bean. Fruits have an oval or rhomboid shape. There are 1-2 beans in the pod. The vegetation period of the culture averages one hundred days, it all depends on the variety. What is chickpea for photoperiodic reaction? This is the cereal of a long day. Therefore, late sowing reduces yield.
Agricultural technology
What is chickpea in crop rotation? This is a great predecessor for many agricultural crops. This is directly related to its nodules. The more developed they are, the more bacteria there are in the earth, and if we add soil moisture to this, the future yield of the subsequent crop is expected to be large. This is especially evident in winter wheat. Therefore, chickpeas are placed in a crop rotation with the subsequent economic effect: winter wheat - chickpeas - winter wheat. So that the culture is not infected with diseases, it is sown in the same place once in four years.
The soil
What is chickpea for the ground? What work is carried out before landing? The soil is cultivated in stages:
- disking the old culture;
- plowing to great depths;
- field alignment in the fall and spring closure of moisture.
Disking is carried out to preserve moisture, destroy weeds. Deep plowing accumulates water and allows the soil to breathe. Chickpeas are sown very early, so the main land work falls in the fall.
Sowing
Chickpea cultivation begins with planting seeds at the end of March. Seeders are used for this work, and the planting depth depends on moisture in the soil. On well-moistened soils, the seeds are not deeply embedded.
Care
Concluded in weed control. Harrowing is used, the first is carried out before germination. The next two are performed with a weekly difference when there are three leaves on the plant.
Cleaning
During ripening, the stems do not lie on the ground, and the pods do not crack. Therefore, harvesters are used for harvesting. Harvested seeds are cleaned and dried. They are stored and suitable for seeding for ten years.