Chickpea Seed Production Manual ~ saskpulse.com

Chickpea Crop Production Manual 3
Index
2 Plant Description
5 Adaptation
9 Variety Selection
11 Field Selection and Preparation
14 Production
15 Method of Seeding
15 Seed Quality
16 Seed Size
16 Seed Treatment
18 Inoculation
22 Spring Pre-plant/Pre-emergent Weed Control
23 Fertility
26 Seeder (Equipment) Setup
26 Seeding Rate
27 Row Spacing
28 Seeding Depth and Time of Seeding
29 Rolling
30 Disease and Pest Control
31 In-crop Weed Control
33 Disease Management
43 Insect Management
45 Environmental and Herbicide Stress Symptoms
48 Harvest Management
51 Post-Harvest Storage and Handling

2
Quick Facts
• Desi type chickpeas have smaller,
angular seeds with yellow to brown seed
coats. Kabuli type chickpeas have a more
rounded seed with a cream-coloured
coat.
• Depending on moisture available, plants
range in height from 30 cm to 70 cm.
• Plants continue to flower until they
encounter some form of stress, such as
drought, heat, frost, nitrogen deficiency,
mechanical damage, or chemical
desiccation.
Chickpea Crop Production Manual
• The main stem of the chickpea plant will
produce up to seven primary branches
originating near ground level.
• Plants are expected to reach maturity in
110 to 130 days.
2

Plant Description
Two major seed types or classes of chickpea are
grown; desi and kabuli. Desi types have smaller,
angular seeds with yellow to brown seed coats.
Kabuli types have more a rounded seed with a
cream-coloured coat.
Chickpea scale nodes are typically short. De-pending
on moisture available, plants range in
height from 30 centimetres (cm) to 70 cm. The
plants are naturally resistant to lodging and the
inflated pods, each containing one to two seeds,
form several inches from the ground and are rela-tively
shatter resistant. Even though the plants
are small, the tap root extends to rooting depths
similar to wheat.
Chickpea scale nodes remain below the ground
during germination, offering the plant some
late spring frost tolerance and opportunity for
regrowth if the top growth is damaged in the
seedling stage.
The first two nodes of the chickpea plant produce
scale leaves. The first scale leaf may be below
the ground, but the first true leaf is produced at
the third node position. On average, a new node
is produced every three to four days.
Chickpea scale nodes have an indeterminate
growth habit. Plants continue to flower until they
encounter some form of stress, such as drought,
heat, frost, nitrogen deficiency, mechanical dam-age,
or chemical desiccation. This indeterminate
growth habit is usually expressed in late maturity
group varieties, but all current chickpea varieties
are classified as indeterminate in growth habit.
The main stem of the chickpea plant will produce
up to seven primary branches originating near
ground level, usually leading to an erect growth
habit. A large number of secondary branches
are produced on the main stem and primary
branches. Desi chickpea and newer kabuli variet-ies
have leaves about five cm long with nine to 15
leaflets, and are described as having a fern-leaf
structure. Some older kabuli varieties, such as
CDC Xena, have a single (unifoliate) leaf structure
instead of leaflets. Flowers, which are highly self
pollinating, start to be produced at about the 13
or 14 node stage (usually 50 to 55 days after
seeding) in axillary racemes. Depending on the
type and variety of chickpea, seed size and colour
can range considerably. However, all seeds have
the distinctive “beak” formed at the radical tip. In
most years the plant would be expected to reach
maturity in 110 to 130 days.

Figure 1. Chickpea seedling
Source: Pulse Production Manual 2000
4 Chickpea Crop Production Manual

CChhiicckkppeeaa CCrroopp PPrroodduuccttiioonn MMaannuuaall 57
Quick Facts
• If not limited by other production factors,
chickpea does best with 15 to 25 cm of
growing season rainfall.
• Two serious production limitations in
Saskatchewan are the long growing
season requirement for current varieties
and the high risk of ascochyta blight, an
extremely aggressive disease.
• Due to the indeterminate growth habit
of chickpea, plants can re-grow late in
the season after rain showers or in the
absence of a killing frost.
• Temperatures of 35°C and higher cause
stress during early flowering and pod
development.
• Soil zone/crop insurance coverage areas
reflect the adaptation of this crop. Due
to maturity issues, coverage is available
only if chickpea is planted on either
summerfallow or stubble in the Brown
soil zone or on stubble in the Dark Brown
soil zone. Contact your local office for
insurance coverage details.

Chickpea is a cool season crop that grows best
when daytime temperatures are between 21°C
and 29°C, and nighttime temperatures are
between 18°C and 21°C. It is relatively drought
tolerant as its long taproot (often greater than a
meter in depth) can access water from a greater
depth than other pulse crops. Chickpea grows
best on well drained soils with neutral pH. If not
limited by other production factors, chickpea
seems to do best with about 15 to 25 cm of grow-ing
season rainfall. In drier areas of the province,
or in dry years, planting chickpea on fallow may
produce a higher yield than on stubble. However,
if the growing season has ample rainfall, com-bined
with higher soil moisture reserves on fallow,
excess vegetative growth may result and maturity
will be extended.
Chickpea is best adapted to the Brown and Dark
Brown soil zones in Saskatchewan. Soil zones
with more moisture and a shorter growing season
will have increased problems with seedling blight,
late maturity, and severe ascochyta. Chickpea is
not well-adapted to saline soils or to high-mois-ture
areas. It is also not well suited to soils with
high clay content or areas where soils are slow to
warm in the spring. Chickpea does not tolerate
wet or waterlogged soils.
Two serious production limitations in Saskatche-wan
are the long growing season requirement for
current varieties and the high risk of ascochyta
blight, an extremely aggressive disease. Planting
chickpea outside the areas of best adaptation
has proven to be very risky due to delayed ma-turity,
high green seed content, and destructive
disease infections. To prevent delayed or uneven
maturity, avoid planting chickpea in low lying
areas in the field, around sloughs, or in areas with
high soil organic matter.
Fallow is often not the best choice for chickpea
if soil moisture reserves and growing season
precipitation combine to provide excess moisture.
Planting on stubble fields tends to reduce veg-etative
growth and results in moisture stress to
hasten maturity. Due to the indeterminate growth
habit of chickpea, plants can re-grow late in the
season after rain showers or in the absence of a
killing frost. There are no management practices
to overcome the problem of late vegetative re-growth.
In the Brown and Dark Brown soil zones, stubble
retention is critical for capturing and holding
snow. Maximizing the amount of standing stubble
that remains after seeding will assist in reducing
wind speed at the soil surface, minimize evapora-tion
and increase water use efficiency. Increased
soil moisture at seeding will also be of benefit
to the rhizobia in the inoculant and improve
seedling.
Chickpeas adapt root depth to water availability
with 88 and 67 per cent of root area in the top
23 cm under irrigation and dryland, respectively.
Chickpea has double the root area of pea, and as
such, may be better adapted to dryland produc-tion
in semi-arid areas than pea, based on water
availability.
Chickpea has a deep rooting system, better
suited to lighter textured sandy soils and is very
tolerant to drought. Chickpea will mature earlier
Adaptation
6

and with better quality on sandier soils.
Chickpea often leaves the soil drier at harvest
compared to other crops due to its late maturity
and utilization of late-season rainfall.
Temperatures of 35°C and higher cause stress
during early flowering and pod development. Yield
reductions are greatest, over 50 per cent, when
stress occurrs during pod development as com-pared
to early pod development where yields are
reduced by approximately 30 per cent. Crop man-agement
to reduce heat stress at these periods
will increase pod fertility, seed set, and yield.
Desi chickpea varieties are short and early in ma-turity.
They are higher yielding and more resistant
to mechanical, frost, and insect damage than ka-buli
varieties. The area of adaptation can extend
into the moist Dark Brown soil zone if grown on
stubble or on lighter textured soils.
Kabuli chickpea varieties are strongly indeter-minate,
usually maturing in 110 to 120 days. In
a cool, wet season, the maturity of kabulis can
easily extend past 120 days. The Brown soil zone
provides the conditions most likely to encourage
maturity in a reasonable time. Frost in the fall
usually causes more damage to kabuli varieties
and can prevent the green seed from turning
golden in colour.
Soil zone/crop insurance coverage areas reflect
the adaptation of this crop. Due to maturity
issues, coverage is available only if chickpea is
planted on either summerfallow or stubble in the
Brown soil zone or on stubble in the Dark Brown
soil zone. Contact your local office for insurance
coverage details.

Figure 2. Saskatchewan Crop Insurance chickpea coverage zones
Source: Saskatchewan Crop Insurance

Quick Facts
• Market demand for a particular class or
variety can change over time.
• Smaller, niche markets may exist for
certain varieties.
• Characteristics such as disease
tolerance, maturity, or harvestability can
quickly overshadow potential yield gains.
• Ascochyta blight easily overcomes the
typical chickpea disease response/
defense mechanisms.
• Continued breeding efforts are underway
to increase the levels of resistance
to ascochyta blight, decrease days to
maturity, and improve seed quality.

Variety Selection
There are many agronomic and market factors
to consider when choosing a variety. Market
demand for a particular class or variety can
change over time. Check with buyers to determine
their needs. Smaller, niche markets may exist for
certain varieties, but not all buyers are interested
in handling all chickpea varieties.
Yield is an obvious consideration within a market
class. However, other characteristics such as
disease tolerance, maturity, or harvestability can
quickly overshadow potential yield gains if the
plant is limited in reaching its full potential.
Disease resistance, specifically resistance to
ascochyta blight, is an extremely important factor
in variety selection. Ascochyta blight easily over-comes
the typical chickpea disease response/
defense mechanisms. As a result, complete resis-tance
to blight has not been identified in chickpea
to date.
Most of the current varieties have improved
resistance to ascochyta blight. Continued breed-ing
efforts are underway to increase the levels of
resistance to ascochyta blight, decrease days to
maturity, and improve seed quality. Chickpea va-rieties
have been evaluated in the Saskatchewan
regional testing program since 1995. Please visit
the SPG website at www.saskpulse.com for an
updated variety listing.
Figure 3. Desi chickpea
Photo: David Stobbe
Figure 4. Kabuli chickpea
Photo: David Stobbe
10

Quick Facts
• Well-drained soils are best suited for
chickpea production.
• Water logging can result in a poorly
developed root system. When dry
conditions are encountered later in the
season, the plant may not be able to
obtain adequate moisture and nutrients
to meet its needs.
• If a certain weed is likely to be present in
high numbers and cannot be controlled,
field selection may have to change.
• It is very important to control perennial
weeds in the years prior to seeding
chickpea.
• It is important to maintain herbicide
records with the active ingredient,
common name, and rate for each crop
year.
• Bioassay results from laboratories are
only as good as the sampling protocol
used to collect the soil samples.
• Spores of ascochyta can be found four
years after the initial crop, even with
burial of crop residues.
• Chickpea production is often successful
in rotation with cereal grains such as
durum wheat, because chickpea does
not leave significant amounts of crop
residue.

Field Selection and Preparation
In areas where chickpea is adapted, the physi-cal
properties of the field should be considered.
Well-drained soils are best suited for chickpea
production. The short stature of the plant will
result in the crop being cut fairly low, although
most pods will be formed a few inches above the
soil surface. Chickpea plants do not lodge, so
the cutter bar will not have to travel as close to
the ground as it does for lentil or pea, therefore,
rolling is also not necessary, but it may still offer
some advantages. With stones pushed into the
ground and a more level surface, rolling will still
improve cutterbar operation, increase speed of
cutting and reduce earth tag. Rolling, if done,
should be completed before the chickpea plant
emerges. Straw and residue from the previous
crop should be finely chopped and evenly spread
to ensure uniform emergence.
Land that has rolling topography will usually lead
to differences in maturity across the field due to
variance in soil moisture. Since chickpea is shat-ter
resistant, this may not lead to any problems
unless the later maturing areas are considerably
behind. However, the lower areas of the fields
may need to be harvested separately. If lower
areas of the field are subject to water logging or
standing surface water, the chickpea in those
areas can drown or have severely reduced yield.
Water logging can also result in a poorly devel-oped
root system and when dry conditions are
encountered later in the season, the plant may
not be able to obtain adequate moisture and
nutrients to meet its needs.
Weeds must be considered when selecting a
field. Chickpea plants are poor competitors. The
short, open canopy is ideal for weed growth.
Ensure herbicides are available to control weeds
expected to be competing with the chickpea
crop. This requires knowledge of the field’s weed
history including herbicide resistant weeds if they
are present. Few herbicides are registered for
broadleaf weed control in chickpea and in-crop
control options may not exist for certain weeds.
Remember to also consider volunteer crop as
weeds. Volunteer canola, mustard, and flax are
difficult to control and it is advisable to not seed
chickpea following these crops. If a certain weed
is likely to be present in high numbers and cannot
be controlled, field selection may have to change.
Perennial weeds such as Canada thistle, dande-lion,
perennial sow thistle and quackgrass are
very competitive in any crop and even more so in
non-competitive crops like chickpea. Herbicides
currently registered in chickpea have little to no
effect on most of these weeds. It is very impor-tant
to control perennial weeds in the years prior
to seeding chickpea. Good weed control requires
a long-term strategy involving the entire crop
rotation. A pre-harvest glyphosate application, in
years when the crop and timing allows, is key to
long-term perennial weed control.
Fall weed control options, in addition to pre and
post-harvest glyphosate for perennial weed con-trol,
should be reviewed to determine if they offer
any advantages. A late fall application of a phe-noxy
herbicide such as 2,4-D or MCPA will control
winter annual weeds. However, the maximum rate
applied should be 280g ai/ha or 113g ai/ac (8
active ounces). Since spring glyphosate applica-tion
is so common, application of a phenoxy in
12

the fall, prior to seeding chickpea, is not a com-mon
practice. In years of higher priced glypho-sate,
2,4-D may be cheaper to apply compared
to glyphosate and offers a way of diversifying the
herbicide mix on a particular field over time. This
practice may have more of a fit in fields where
seeding may be delayed in the spring, or in fields
where very early spring weed growth is expected.
Soil residues of many herbicides commonly used
in Saskatchewan can cause injury to a chickpea
crop. Many of the herbicide labels do not list
chickpea when disclosing re-cropping consider-ations.
As a result, information on susceptibility
to the various soil residual herbicides is difficult
to find. If re-cropping information is not available,
many manufacturers will suggest re-cropping
guidelines in excess of what is actually necessary.
It is important to maintain herbicide records with
active ingredient, common name, and rate for
each crop year.
If the possibility exists that a soil residual product
might affect chickpea growth, a test plot should
be planted the year before chickpea is grown in
that field. The plot should be grown to maturity to
ensure that there are no late season herbicide
effects on yield or crop quality. Another option is
to submit soil samples to a lab for a bioassay. Bio-assay
results from laboratories are only as good
as the sampling protocol used to collect the soil
samples and 100 per cent accuracy cannot be
guaranteed. False positive results are of no harm,
but a false negative could mean crop damage or
failure.
Disruption of disease cycles is also an impor-tant
consideration in field selection. Chickpea
is extremely susceptible to ascochyta blight and
careful consideration must be given to crop rota-tion
to reduce the risk of this disease. Ascochyta
blight can cause devastating losses of chickpea
in all soil zones, therefore varieties with good
ascochyta resistance should be grown.
Spores of ascochyta can be found four years after
the initial crop, even with burial of crop residues.
Saskatchewan research concluded that at least
two non-host crops needed to be grown between
successive chickpea crops to reduce disease risk
if blight was present in the initial crop. Chickpea
grown next to chickpea stubble from the previous
year is also at high risk of ascochyta infection.
Crop rotation goes beyond disease consider-ations
and weed control (including volunteer
crop). Chickpea production is often successful in
rotation with cereal grains such as durum wheat,
because chickpea does not leave significant
amounts of crop residue. Growing cereal crops
with tall stubble before and after chickpea
provides much needed residue to protect the soil
from erosion.
Research has shown that chickpea can root to a
depth similar to wheat or canola, and can extract
moisture from that depth. Although this charac-teristic
helps chickpea tolerate drought, it also de-pletes
the soil profile of moisture for subsequent
crops. This may explain why cereal yields tend to
be lower following a chickpea crop, compared to a
lentil or pea crop.

Quick Facts
• Chickpea production can be successful
under both minimum and no-till soil
management.
• Seed quality includes genetic and
mechanical purity, germination and
vigour, and levels of seed-borne disease.
• Seed size selection for chickpea can be
more of a consideration compared to
other pulse crops because the value of
the seed increases with the size.
• In the Brown and Dark Brown soil
zones, seed testing zero to 0.2 per
cent ascochyta infection is suitable for
planting, but all seed should be treated
with fungicide controlling ascochyta as
even a zero per cent result may contain
some infected seeds at a lower frequency
than what was detectable by the lab.
• Chickpea has the ability to fix 60 to 80
per cent of its nitrogen requirement
through nitrogen fixation.
• Inoculant is economical relative to its
potential benefits and nitrogen fertilizer
replacement. The risk of poor nodulation
is too great to not inoculate each time
the crop is seeded.
• If nitrogen fixation is active, the nodules
will be pink or red on the inside. Lack
of nodules indicates rhizobia did not
infect the pulse plant. Lack of a pink
colour (usually green or cream coloured)
indicates the rhizobia are not fixing
nitrogen.
• Chickpea is slower to emerge, especially
the larger seeded kabuli types, so a
wider window between seeding and
emergence allows more time if a
post-seed/pre-emergent glyphosate
application is planned.
• Sufficient soil phosphorus is required for
nitrogen fixation and promotes earlier
maturity.
• The maximum safe rate of actual
phosphate applied with chickpea seed
is 22 kg P2O5/ha (20 lb P2O5/ac) in
a 2.5 cm spread and 22.5 cm row
spacing under good to excellent moisture
conditions.
• Chickpea requires planting equipment
with a seed-feeding mechanism capable
of handling medium to large seeds.
• The desired plant population for chickpea
is 44/m2 (4/ft2).
• Row spacing on most seeding equipment
presently on Saskatchewan farms is in
the range of 22.5 cm to 30 cm.
• Desi chickpea will germinate in soil as
cold as 5°C, but seedling vigor will be
greater if soil temperature is at least 7°C.

CChhiicckkppeeaa CCrroopp PPrroodduuccttiioonn MMaannuuaall 1157
Production
Method of Seeding
Chickpea fits well into a direct seeding crop sys-tem
with no problems noted for crop emergence
and establishment. Chickpea production can be
successful under both minimum and no-till soil
management. Minimum till offers producers a
way to provide additional mechanical weed con-trol
while no-till appears to have both economic
and environmental benefits across all of Sas-katchewan.
Taller standing stubble can increase the height of
the lowest pods (normally at about 10 cm as has
been the case in lentil and pea).
Equipment that seeds between rows of stand-ing
stubble will reduce water loss to evaporation
and benefit the chickpea crop, especially in dry
conditions. Standing stubble will reflect sunlight
and may result in colder soils which are slower to
warm in the spring and this may be detrimental in
a cool, wet spring.
Research at Swift Current from 1996 to 1998
and 2000 determined that seeding into tall (25
to 36 cm) standing stubble increased chickpea
yields by nine per cent as compared to short (15
to 18 cm) standing stubble.
Seed Quality
Selection and use of high quality seed is the first
step in establishing a rapidly emerging, vigorous
stand, and producing a high quality and profitable
crop. Inoculation, fertilization, and pest control
will be of limited value if planted seeds do not
produce a healthy, vigorous stand.
Planting high quality, pure seed should:
• Increase tolerance to seedling diseases.
• Promote rapid and uniform stand establishment.
• Enhance tolerance to early season stresses
such as adverse temperature and moisture
conditions.
• Promote rapid root development leading to
improved nutrient, and water use efficiencies.
• Result in enhanced disease, weed, and insect
tolerance.
• Provide a more uniform stand with more
uniform maturity, allowing for improved harvest
efficiencies and a more uniform product.
• Produce higher yields and superior seed qual-ity.
Seed quality includes genetic and mechanical
purity, germination and vigour, and levels of seed-borne
disease.
Seed purity is determined by the nature and
amount of unwanted contaminants in the pure
seed. Impurities include unwanted crop seed,
weed seeds, and inert material. They can ad-versely
impact crop yield and quality, as well as
increase production costs.
Seed germination tests assess the ability of the
seed to produce a healthy plant under favour-able
growing conditions. These tests are gener-ally
conducted under controlled conditions that
provide ideal moisture, temperature, and light for
a prescribed period of time. Unfortunately, these
tests may over-estimate actual field emergence.
Seed lots with low germination often lack the abil-

ity to produce strong, healthy seedlings.
Seed vigour tests, conducted by some seed
testing labs, are conducted under more adverse
conditions than a germination test. Vigour tests
are not standardized and conditions imposed
upon the seed may vary from lab to lab. Vigour
tests are an attempt to more realistically pre-dict
field seedling emergence. Seed vigour can
decrease due to mechanical damage, immaturity
at harvest, seed age, pathogen (disease) infec-tion,
wet harvest conditions, and seed handling
during cleaning and seeding operations. Although
not standardized, vigour tests can provide useful
seed quality information.
Seed from fields treated with pre-harvest glypho-sate
should be avoided. The seed may contain
residue which can reduce germination, vigour,
normal root development and inoculant efficacy.
Any chickpea crop having a pre-harvest herbi-cide
applied, whether it is for weed control or
crop desiccation, has the potential for reduced
germination.
Contamination from seed-borne diseases should
be as low as possible. Seed borne ascochyta
easily transmits to seedlings in the field and
only seed with close to zero percent seed-borne
ascochyta should be used. The seed level of this
disease is very important from a disease manage-ment
standpoint and also has to be considered
for crop insurance reasons. Saskatchewan Crop
Insurance Corporation (SCIC) has set maximum
seed-borne ascochyta infection levels in chickpea
seed at 0.3 per cent to qualify for a crop insur-ance
claim where the cause of loss was asco-chyta
blight.
Other chickpea diseases can be spread by infect-ed
seed and are summarized in Table 1. These
are guidelines only as other factors must also be
taken into account. These factors include such
things as the cost and availability of disease-free
seed with good germination, availability of regis-tered
seed treatments to control the disease(s),
and typical weather conditions.
Seed Size
Seed size selection for chickpea can be more of
a consideration compared to other pulse crops
because the value of the seed increases with the
size.
Large kabuli chickpea seed can be screened and
sized before planting. The 9 and 10 millimetre
(mm) seeds can be removed from the seed lot
and sold into the commercial market, and the
eight mm seeds are used for planting. There are
no yield penalties for two years as long as the
smaller seeds do not have an increased percent-age
of seed-borne diseases. However, there will
be a decrease in the percentage of large seeds
harvested.
The use of small seeded fractions (7.1 to nine
mm) from kabuli seed lots has resulted in mini-mal
effects on yield, unless the small seed is
planted too deep (100 mm), compared to 50 mm.
However, small seed resulted in four per cent
lower plant height, and five per cent lower height
to first pod as compared to unselected kabuli
seed lots.
Seed Treatment
Seed to seedling transmission of ascochyta blight
is high in chickpea and seed treatment is usually
recommended.
In the Brown and Dark Brown soil zones, seed
testing zero to 0.2 per cent ascochyta infection
is suitable for planting, but all seed should be
treated with fungicide controlling ascochyta as
even a zero per cent result may contain some

Table 1. Guidelines for Tolerances of Seed-borne Diseases in Chickpea Planted Seed
(These are guidelines only and should be considered along with farming practices and level of disease risk for the situation)
Disease (Pathogen) Tolerance and Factors Affecting the Level
Ascochyta
(Ascochyta rabiei)
Use with Seed less than 0.3% ascochyta infection 3.
Even though a seed test may indicate 0% infection, the seed lot may still contain infected seed and
seed treatment is recommended.
Seed-to-seed transmission of ascochyta blight is high in chickpea. The disease is very aggressive and
can spread quickly in a field once established if weather conditions are favourable.
Guidelines for ascochyta blight control in chickpea are available at: http://www.agr.gov.sk.ca/docs/
production/ascochytaonChickpeas.asp.
infected seeds at a lower frequency than what
was detectable by the lab. Kabuli varieties, with
their thinner seed coats, should always be treated
for seed rot diseases and seed-borne ascochyta
blight. Desi chickpea, which has a thick, dark-co-loured
seed coat, does not usually require a seed
treatment to protect it from pythium, although it
too is susceptible to other rots and blights.
One or more of the following trends may increase
the value of seed treatment compared to past
recommendations:
• Shortened crop rotations.
• Earlier seeding due to increased farm size
(cooler soil temperatures).
• More crop residue with minimum-till and no-till
practices results in slower soil warming.
• Improved efficacy and handling of newer seed
treatment products.
Different fungicides control different species of
fungal organisms so it important to know what
organism is infecting your seed.
Seed treatment for control of insect pests in
chickpea is much more limited compared to
Seed Rots and
Damping-off
These are soil-borne diseases and are not tested for at seed testing labs.
The use of seed treatment is strongly recommended for kabuli varieties since they are very suscep-tible
to these diseases.
Seed Rots and
Seedling Blights
Sclerotinia, Rhizoctonia and Fusarium are primarily soil-borne. Botrytis and Fusarium are also often
seed-borne and can be tested for at seed testing labs.
Up to 10% infection (Sclerotinia + Botrytis) may be tolerable, but will result in significant seedling
blight if a seed treatment is not used.
The importance of seed-borne Fusarium in seed rot and seedling blight in pulses is not known. Some
labs will notify growers if >5% Fusarium infection occurs. If present, add the Fusarium value to the
Sclerotinia + Botrytis value above (not to exceed 10%).
1 New seed treatments are continually being registered. Contact the Ag Knowledge Centre at 1-866-457-2377, your local agri-retailer
or industry rep for updated information on seed treatments registered in pulses. SMA's Guide to Crop Protection is
available online
http://www.agr.gov.sk.ca/docs/production/cropguide00.asp. Always refer for the product label before applying product to the
seed.
2 The level of seed-borne infection is not the only factor to consider on whether or not to apply a seed treatment as most seed
treatments are also effective against soil-borne pathogens. Refer to product label for details.
3 Saskatchewan Crop Insurance Corp (SCIC) will not support claims for ascochyta loss that are made on chickpea fields that
had over 0.3% seed infection and no seed treatment was used. Refer to SCIC website at:
http://www.saskcropinsurance.com/programs/2006/Specialized/NewCrops/chickpeas.shtml#.
Source: Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture (SMA)

treatments available for disease. Currently only
one insecticidal seed treatment (Cruiser Maxx
Pulses®) is registered for use on chickpea for non-commercial
seed treatment for wireworm control.
Certain fungicides and insecticides may be
harmful to inoculants. Check the label of both
the inoculant and the seed treatment to ensure
compatibility. Review treatment procedures to en-sure
maximum bacteria survival. If no reference
is made to compatibility, check with both the seed
treatment and inoculant manufacturer for advice.
Seed treated with a fungicide should be dried
prior to applying nitrogen fixing inoculant. Once
inoculated, plant as soon as possible, as delays
can reduce the seed efficacy of the inoculant.
The use of granular inoculant will avoid any prob-lems
with direct contact between seed treatment
and inoculant.
Inoculation for Nitrogen
Fixation
Chickpea has the ability to fix 60 to 80 per cent of
its nitrogen requirement through nitrogen fixation.
Nitrogen fixation is a symbiotic relationship and
both the rhizobia and the plant benefit from the
relationship. Nitrogen fertilizer can be used in
chickpea to manage maturity. If used, inoculant
should not be applied. Either method should re-sult
in the same yield. The use of nitrogen to man-age
maturity is detailed in the fertility section.
Kabuli chickpea is an excellent nodulator and
nitrogen fixer. Desi chickpea is a good nitrogen
fixer under ideal conditions, but may be a little
sensitive to adverse environmental conditions.
Chickpea requires a specific rhizobium species
for nitrogen fixation. Chickpea rhizobium species
are not the same as the rhizobium species for
peas and lentil. Examine the label of any inocu-lant
to make sure that it is appropriate for chick-pea.
Some chickpea inoculants will be labelled as
“garbanzo bean” and are appropriate for use in
chickpea. Note that many different strains of this
rhizobium species occur and vary in terms of their
effectiveness. The manufacturer may have one or
more strains in the inoculant.
The rhizobia enter the root hairs of the plant and
induces nodule formation. The plant provides
energy and nutrients for the rhizobium bacteria
living inside the nodules. The rhizobia, in return,
converts atmospheric nitrogen from the soil air
surrounding the roots into a form that can be
used by the plant. Rhizobium bacteria are not
very mobile so the inoculant must be placed
close to the seed for maximum nodulation. The
maximum benefit from nitrogen fixation is derived
if the supply of available soil nitrogen is low and
the soil moisture and temperature levels are good
at the time of seeding. If the soil plus fertilizer
nitrogen exceeds 40 kg/ha (35 lbs/ac), nodula-tion
can start to be reduced. If the level reaches
55 kg/ha (50 lbs/ac) or higher, nodulation can be
dramatically delayed and fixation greatly reduced
or eliminated.
If the rhizobia are actively fixing nitrogen, the nod-ules
will appear visibly red or pink inside if sliced
open. Nitrogen fixation is synchronized with plant
growth, supplying the crop requirements during
rapid vegetative growth.
Once the proper inoculant is chosen, steps
should be taken to ensure maximum rhizobia
survivability.
Rhizobium bacteria (either on the seed or in the
package) die if they are exposed to stress such as
high temperature, drying winds or direct sunlight.

Inoculant must be stored in a cool place prior to
use and must be used before the expiry date. Fol-lowing
application of the inoculant, plant the in-oculated
seed into moist soil as soon as possible.
Rhizobium bacteria on inoculated seed will die
quickly if the seed is placed into a dry seedbed.
Inoculants are sensitive to granular fertilizer. If
applying higher rates of fertilizer, banding fertiliz-er
to the side and/or below the seed is preferred.
Never mix inoculant with granular fertilizer. In-oculants
are also sensitive to some seed-applied
fungicides. Check the label of both the inoculant
and seed treatment for compatibility. When using
a combination of fungicide and inoculant, apply
the fungicide to the seed first, allow it to dry, and
apply the inoculant immediately prior to seeding.
Inoculants Formulations
Liquid based products offer convenience and
better control of application rate compared to
other forms of innoculants. However, they are
also more susceptible to environmental dam-age
prior to seeding than other inoculant forms.
Recommended time from application to seeding
is as little as six hours for some liquid products.
Air velocity settings in air seeders need to be at
minimum settings to reduce desiccation of the
bacteria. If seeding into dry soils or virgin legume
land, double rates should be used. If treated seed
is planted immediately into a moist seedbed,
liquid formulations perform well.
Extenders can help reduce desiccation damage.
Inoculant extenders, defined as products repre-sented
to improve inoculant on-seed survival, are
any product represented as a “bio-stimulant” (e.g.
vitamins, enzymes).
Powdered formulations are more durable and
less prone to desiccation and seed treatment
damage compared to liquid formulations. The
bacteria can still be killed by desiccation so the
same precautions should be taken as with liquid
inoculant.
Peat based powder inoculants require the use of
a sticker. Application method is to apply a slurry
to slightly damp seed. These products are not
very convenient to use and are not used in any
significant amounts. Ensure stickers are not detri-mental
to the rhizobia if using this method.
Self-sticking powdered peat inoculants are peat
based powder inoculants with a sticker incorpo-rated
into the formulation. These inoculants are
far more convenient than peat based powder
formulations and application rates are easier to
control. Adhesion to the seed can be enhanced if
the seed is slightly damp during inoculation. This
can be accomplished with a small backpack type
pressure sprayer emitting a very fine mist to the
seed during auguring and inoculant application.
Alternatively, wet the seed in the truck overnight
with the deck tilted to facilitate drainage. This al-lows
the seeds to swell and stay slightly moist, as-sisting
in inoculant adhesion. This procedure may
also prevent seed splitting and chipping, which
may be a problem if the seed moisture content is
low (less than 13.5 per cent). Some growers use
a liquid inoculant to dampen the seed when ap-plying
the peat based self stick inoculants.
Granular formulations are more costly but offer
the advantage of ease of use. They help save the
time needed to apply the inoculant directly to the
seed and are the least likely to desiccate. They
are available with peat or clay carriers and can be
soil applied by side-banding or placed in-row with
no yield differences. Granular inoculants are less
sensitive to seed applied fungicides than other
formulations because the granular product does
not have direct contact with the seed treatment.
Although granular products offer a number of
advantages, they do have to be handled carefully.

An additional tank is required for their use, which
should not be filled more than half full to avoid
compaction. It is recommended to avoid auguring
peat based granular products. Seed tanks must
be emptied each night to avoid compaction and
bridging, and flow rates must be carefully moni-tored
on humid days. During application check
the meter rollers occasionally for good flowability.
Granular inoculant rates can be adjusted with row
spacing (Table 2).
Table 2. Granular Inoculant Rates with Different Seed Row
Row Spacing 7 9 1 1 2 3
Rate 6 5 3 3 2 1
Source: Gary Hnatowich
All inoculant formulations will perform well if con-ditions
are ideal. Under less than ideal conditions
(toxic seed treatments, low pH soils, cold soil,
dry soil, extended treated storage), expectations
would be that the best performing formulation
would be granular, followed by peat, and then
liquid.
Research completed at the University of Sas-katchewan
evaluated the performance of
inoculant formulations in chickpea. Peat-based
and liquid inoculants were applied directly to the
seed, and granular inoculants were applied either
in the seed row, or placed in a side-band, 2.5 cm
to the side, and at depths of either 2.5 or eight
cm below the seed. Results indicated that inocu-lation
using granular formulations was as good
as, or better than other formulations. The peat-based
powder and liquid formulations performed
as well as the granular formulation in some
instances, especially when soil moisture was not
limited. Studies carried out in drier soil conditions
favoured granular products. Granules placed be-low
and to the side of the seed in moist soil may
result in better Rhizobium survival and enhanced
fixation relative to seed-placed inoculants.
Strain antagonism results from competition for
infection sites between the rhizobium strains
capable of infecting the root hairs of chickpea. If
the inferior strains of Rhizobium infect first, they
block the best crop specific strain from infecting.
No native strains of Rhizobium are present in
Saskatchewan soils, but previous inoculations of
chickpea may have left some residual Rhizobium
in the soil. Over time, these bacteria may have
changed and become weaker at fixation. This
reinforces the recommendation to inoculate each
time chickpea is seeded.
Chickpea crops should be inoculated each time
they are grown. This ensures sufficient numbers
of the correct strain of highly effective rhizobia
are available where they are needed. Inoculant is
economical relative to its potential benefits and
nitrogen fertilizer replacement. The risk of poor
nodulation is too great to not inoculate each time
the crop is seeded.
The effectiveness of inoculation can be checked
by examining the pulse crop in early summer. It
may take three to four weeks after seed germina-tion
before nodulation reaches a point where it
can be evaluated. Although kabuli chickpea is an
excellent nitrogen fixer and the nodules can easily
be seen when a plant is pulled from the ground.
The best way (especially for desi types) to check
for nodulation is to dig a plant and gently remove
the soil from the roots by washing it in a bucket

of water. Nodules are fragile and readily pull off
if the roots are pulled out of the soil. Nodules
should show as swollen bumps that develop near
the stem close to the soil surface.
Seed applied inoculant should result in nodules
forming on the primary root near the crown. If the
inoculant was soil applied (granular), nodules
should be found on primary and secondary roots.
If nitrogen fixation is active, the nodules will be
pink or red on the inside. Lack of nodules indi-cates
rhizobia did not infect the pulse plant. Lack
of a pink colour (usually green or cream coloured)
indicates the rhizobia are not fixing nitrogen.
Nitrogen fixation declines once plants begin pod
formation and seed development.
Handling and application is critical to ensure
maximum survivability of the rhizobia.
When applying an inoculant during auguring,
operate the auger at half capacity to allow ad-equate
mixing and seed coverage. If using a liquid
inoculant, shake the inoculant bag aggressively
to evenly disperse the rhizobia before adding the
inoculant to the seed in the auger.
If seeding is delayed more than one day for
peat based inoculants, check manufacturer’s
recommendation for re-inoculating. Some liquid
inoculant manufacturers suggest re-inoculation if
the delays from the time of application, to when
the seed is planted exceeds six hours.
Inoculated seed flows through seeding equipment
slowly, so calibration of the seeder is more ac-curate
if it is done using inoculated seed.
Anything that negatively impacts plant growth
will also restrict nitrogen fixation. If the crop is
harmed by such things as herbicide residue,
inappropriate herbicide application or poor
timing of post-emergent herbicide applications,
nitrogen fixation will decline. If the legume crop
is not supplied with adequate plant nutrients,
especially phosphorus, fixation will be reduced. If
seed contains residual traces of glyphosate, root
development (particularly root hair development)
will be abnormal and nodules are unlikely to
develop. Cool, cloudy weather early in the growing
season will delay nodulation. Rhizobia do not
tolerate saline soils, contact with damaging fertil-izers
(primarily due to the fertilizer salt effect,) or
extremes in soil pH.
Fixation of some pulses can be dramatically
reduced in soils where soil pH levels are near
5.5. On low pH soils, increasing the inoculation
application rate or using a granular inoculant is
recommended.
Pulse inoculants and pre-inoculated seed
products are supplements, as defined by the
Fertilizers Act, and are subject to registration and
monitoring for quality control.
Inoculation for Phosphorus Solubility
JumpStart® contains the fungus Penicillium
bilaii and is also available in the dual inoculant
TagTeam®. This fungal inoculant enhances
phosphorus solubility and uptake by plants. The
fungus colonizes along the root system of the
plant, and through the production of organic
acids, increases the solubility of soil or fertilizer
phosphorus. Keep in mind that JumpStart® will
normally replace approximately 11 kg/ha (10 lb/
ac) of P2O5 fertilizer; therefore, JumpStart® should
be used in conjunction with phosphorus fertilizer,
particularly in cool spring conditions. JumpStart®
has no residual effect. Your long-term fertilizer
plan must ensure you are replacing phosphorus
removed by the grain you sell from your farm.
Not all research has shown an advantage to using

phosphate solubilizing inoculants. Penicillium
bilaii inoculation, either alone as Jumpstart® or
as TagTeam® (P. bilaii and rhizobium), in a four
year field study from 1999 to 2002 had no effect
on chickpea (desi and kabuli) at two locations in
the Brown soil zone except in one of the 18 crop
site-years where yield was increased. No improve-ments
were observed in plant establishment,
yield or harvestability (plant height, lowest pod
height, maturity).
Spring Pre-Plant/
Pre-emergent Weed Control
Pre-plant and pre-emergent herbicide options
are used extensively by experienced chickpea
growers. A spring glyphosate application, either
pre-seed or pre-emergent, is recommended. This
provides early season weed control and may
provide control of weeds for which no in-crop
control is available. Chickpea is slower to emerge,
especially the larger seeded kabuli types, so a
wider window between seeding and emergence
allows more time if a post-seed/pre-emergent
glyphosate application is planned. However, with
good growing conditions and shallower seeding,
emergence can be quicker than expected so
timing must be watched closely. Seedlings can
be damaged as early as soil cracking as they
are emerging and many come into contact with
glyphosate.
Sulfentrazone (Authority®), can be applied
either pre-plant incorporated or surface applied
pre-emergent. On most acres, it is mixed with
glyphosate in a pre-seed or pre-emergent applica-tion.
If applied post-seeding prior to emergence,
apply within three days of seeding to prevent crop
injury when emerging. Authority® works through
root uptake in the soil, meaning precipitation
must follow application for proper activation and
good weed control. Ten to 20 mm of precipita-tion
within 10 to 14 days is needed for optimum
efficacy. If weeds start to grow prior to activation,
the result will be poor weed control. Chickpea has
shown excellent tolerance to this chemistry.
The Authority® label lists control of wild buck-wheat,
kochia (including Group 2 resistant types),
red root pigweed and lamb’s quarters. Its major
weakness is lack of control of cruciferous weeds,
such as wild mustard. Its main limitation of use
is its soil residual properties and subsequent
re-cropping restrictions. One major concern is the
recommendation to not grow lentil for three years
following Authority® application. In most chickpea
producing areas of Saskatchewan, lentil is also a
popular crop option and application of Authority®
will limit lentil production. If fields are very weedy,
Authority® may be used as a clean-up herbicide
and lentil production is held off for three years. Al-though
Authority® offers control of weeds that can
be a real problem in chickpea. The label should
be reviewed thoroughly prior to use to ensure it
fits with current rotations and land characteris-tics.
Authority® (sulfentrazone) absorption by plant
roots increases as soil pH decreases. At soil pH
of 6.5 or less, which can occur even in localized
areas of the root zone, greater sulfentrazone
uptake can occur and explain unpredictable pat-terns
of injury to crops.
A listing of current registered herbicide products
available for use on chickpea before or after
seeding can be found in the Saskatchewan
Ministry of Agriculture’s annual Guide to Crop
Protection.
Non-herbicide options may be considered as well.
Tillage can have a beneficial effect for control of
some weeds, while having the opposite effect on
others. For example:

• Tillage may be a tool to reduce kochia popula-tions.
Kochia appears well adapted to no-till
with germination beginning at 50 cumulative
growing degree days (well before other com-mon
weed species). Burial of kochia seed at
least one cm or deeper can result in reduced
germination or death of the germinated seed
prior to emergence. Tillage to bury kochia
seed should not be overlooked as a part of an
integrated weed strategy of control for kochia.
However, this has limited value where mini-mum
or no-till is practiced.
• Spring tillage, even minor, significantly increas-es
the burial and resulting germination of false
cleavers and catchweed bedstraw. Farmers
should consider limiting spring tillage as part of
an integrated weed management program for
cleavers.
Fertility
As with other crops, a soil test should be used to
plan a fertility program for chickpea.
If soil nitrogen levels are unusually high, nodu-lation
and nitrogen fixation may be adversely
affected. Nodule formation and subsequent nitro-gen
fixation are very sensitive to external nitrogen
sources, including fertilizers and available soil
nitrogen. As the supply of nitrogen from soil and
fertilizer increases, the amount of nitrogen fixed
by the plant decreases.
High moisture, coupled with high soil nitrogen in
fallow will produce excessive vegetative growth
at the expense of pod set and seed production.
Maturity will also be delayed, especially for late
maturing varieties.
Chickpea does not tolerate saline soils and
should only be grown on non-saline soil.
Low pH can inhibit nodulation, reducing nitrogen
fixation and plant growth. Most Saskatchewan
soils have a pH range suitable for chickpea
growth.
Sufficient soil phosphorus is required for nitrogen
fixation and promotes earlier maturity.
If using nitrogen for maturity management, it is
critical to know the starting soil nitrogen levels to
increase success rates.
Other macronutrients such as potassium and
sulphur may be limiting for optimal yields. Fertility
requirements for chickpea are not well-defined.
Micronutrients are not likely to limit chickpea
yield but should be measured periodically. Any
abnormal growth should be noted and if symp-toms
point to a possible micronutrient deficiency,
it should be investigated thoroughly.
Generally, nitrogen fertilizer is not required if
nitrogen fixation is optimized. Well nodulated
chickpea plants can derive 50 to 80 per cent of
their nitrogen requirement through fixation under
favorable growing conditions. The remainder
comes from soil nitrogen available in the soil at
seeding, plus nitrogen released from the soil dur-ing
the growing season.
If nitrogen fixation is not optimized due to unfa-vourable
growing conditions (e.g. relatively dry
seed bed), chickpea may benefit from low rates
of starter-nitrogen in some years. But, Saskatch-ewan
research conducted with four chickpea vari-eties
from 2004 to 2006 showed no differences
in seed yield when sown with or without starter-nitrogen
when granular inoculant was utilized.
Starter-nitrogen in the phosphate source is rarely
added if the crop is inoculated.
Most chickpea varieties are late maturing. Man-agement
of maturity is critical to optimize crop

quality. In addition to field selection and seeding
practices to encourage early crop development,
nitrogen fertilization management can be used
to manage maturity. Research conducted in
Saskatchewan concluded that cropping strategies
and practices that produce vigorous early growth
allow for earlier pod set. This early pod set ties
up plant resources and minimizes the production
of new podding sites. A strong early pod setup
provides a strong reproductive sink and helps
slow the production of new vegetative tissue. The
results showed that nitrogen fertilizer supplied
to uninoculated chickpea accomplished many of
these strategies.
Starter-nitrogen of 28 to 56 kg N/ha (25 to 50 lb
N/ac) without inoculant resulted in earlier matu-rity
by an average of 13 days in normal to cooler/
wet seasons. In dry years, only marginal differ-ences
were noted as drought conditions acceler-ated
crop maturity. Research at Swift Current and
Shaunavon, SK suggests the best practice may
be to apply starter-nitrogen instead of inoculating
the seed.
Earlier research using starter-nitrogen for maturity
management utilized higher starter-nitrogen rates
of 56 to 67 kg N/ha (50 to 60 lb N/ac), applied
away from the seed, without inoculants. Figure 5
shows varying maturity of chickpea in research
trials at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC),
Swift Current, in 2004.
The following should be considered when decid-ing
if nitrogen should be used for maturity man-agement
compared to inoculation:
If adding nitrogen for maturity management, keep
it away from the seed. Chickpea is sensitive to
seed placed fertilizer. This method of maturity
management appears most effective on fields
where chickpea is grown for the first time. If soils
contain residual Rhizobium from previous chick-pea
crop(s), this will not work as effectively.
Nitrogen may increase vegetative growth. This
may be a concern in more moist areas of the
province compared to those with expected drier
environments. With a relatively short growing sea-son,
there is not enough time for extra vegetative
growth to be converted to yield.
If poor nodulating conditions are expected or
occur (eg: cold soil temperature, dry soil condi-tions,
excess moisture, crop injury from herbicide
residue or application), nitrogen fertilizer should
increase yield if nodulation is reduced. Under
good growing conditions with proper inoculation,
chickpea would be expected to be well nodulated
with no yield penalty compared to fertilization.
If a nodulation failure is noted by early summer,
nitrogen can be applied as a rescue treatment.
Check closely seven to 10 days prior to flower-ing.
Nodulation and nitrogen fixation should be
well developed by the 12 node stage. Although
application rates have not been established, an
Figure 5. Starter-nitrogen on right side without inoculant,
Swift Current 2004
Source: Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture

immediate top-dressed application of 44 to 55 kg
N/ha (40 to 50 lb actual N/ac) should be appro-priate.
This nitrogen is best applied as broadcast
urea or dribble banded liquid 28-0-0. The use of
Agrotain®, which protects the urea-nitrogen for up
to two weeks while waiting for a rain to move the
nitrogen into the soil, should be considered with
this later application of nitrogen. Supplemental
nitrogen should not be applied later than approxi-mately
six weeks after seeding (approximately 10
to 13 node stage) since it may cause excessive
vegetative growth, poor pod set, and delayed
maturity. The rescue treatment would not be ex-pected
to result in the same yield compared to a
well nodulated crop. The yield capacity of the crop
will be limited due to the advanced crop develop-ment
stage when the rescue treatment is applied.
Phosphorus is an important plant nutrient for
chickpea because it has a relatively high require-ment
for the nutrient. Phosphorus promotes
the development of extensive root systems and
vigorous seedlings. Encouraging vigorous root
growth is an important step in promoting good
nodule development. Phosphorus also plays an
important role in the nitrogen fixation process
and in promoting earlier, more uniform maturity.
Chickpea removes approximately 0.36 lb P205
per bushel produced. This is significant and must
be taken into account in the rotation.
Chickpea grown on soils testing low in available
phosphorus may respond to phosphate fertilizer
even though dramatic yield responses are not
always achieved. Even though seed yield may not
be increased every year in response to phospho-rus
fertilizer, the crop may still benefit from earlier
maturity. Adding some phosphorus fertilizer will
leave the soil with a higher level of residual phos-phorus
for future years.
The maximum safe rate of actual phosphate
applied with chickpea seed is 22 kg P2O5/ha
(20 lb P2O5/ac) in a 2.5 cm spread and 22.5 cm
row spacing under good to excellent moisture
conditions. This assumes use of monoammonium
phosphate, the most common source of phos-phate
fertilizer used in Saskatchewan. Diammo-nium
phosphate is much more toxic to seedlings
and caution is needed if used. Rates of seed-placed
fertilizer must be reduced if the seedbed
has less than ideal moisture conditions. Higher
rates of P2O5 fertilizer placed with the seed can
damage the emerging seedlings and reduce the
stand. If higher P2O5 rates are required, banding
the fertilizer away from the seed (side-band or
mid-row band) is recommended.
To minimize the chance of seed injury, some
growers apply extra phosphorus with the crop
seeded the year before chickpea. They will then
either not apply phosphorus the year seeding
chickpea, or reduce the amount of phosphorus
the year seeding chickpea to reduce the chance
of seedling injury. If soil levels of phosphorus
are higher due to previous years applications,
Jumpstart® may be able to solubilize enough early
season phosphorus to provide the “starter” effect
in the absence of phosphorus fertilizer.
Potassium is usually not required as a fertilizer
supplement in most soils where chickpea is
grown. When soil test levels are very low, at least
a small amount should be seed-placed. However,
seed-placing potassium may cause seedling dam-age.
As with phosphate, a wider opener may allow
for slightly higher safe seed-placed rates.
The maximum safe rate of potassium and phos-phorus
is 20lb/ac.
Sulphur is deficient in some Saskatchewan
soils. If identified as deficient through a soil test,
sulphur can be added by side-banding, mid-row

banding, or broadcasting ammonium sulphate,
which contains sulphur in a plant available form.
Micronutrient deficiencies for chickpea produc-tion
have not been identified as a problem
through chickpea growing areas of Western
Canada, although no research has been con-ducted
to access micronutrient requirements of
chickpea. If a micronutrient deficiency is sus-pected,
it is advisable to analyze soil and plant
samples within the suspect area and compare
the analysis to soil and plant samples collected
from a non-affected area of the same field. If the
analysis confirms a micronutrient deficiency at a
relatively early growth stage, a foliar application
of the appropriate micronutrient fertilizer may cor-rect
the problem.
Seeder Setup
Chickpea seed, especially kabuli, is susceptible
to mechanical damage. Physical injury, either
through handling or the seeding operation, can
easily lead to 30 per cent seed damage. Chickpea
seed should not be below 13 per cent moisture.
It can easily break, chip, or crack, leading to re-duced
germination. Moisturizing the seed prior to
seeding may be beneficial. The Prairie Agricultural
Machinery Institute (PAMI) fact sheet, Moistur-izing
Pulses to Reduce Damage, provides a good
review of this subject. Chickpea requires plant-ing
equipment with a seed-feeding mechanism
capable of handling medium to large seeds.
As outlined in the fertility discussion, chickpea is
susceptible to injury from seed placed fertilizer in
excess of rates considered safe. If higher rates of
fertilizer are applied it should be kept away from
the seed.
It is important to minimize seed bounce. Use the
lowest possible air speed setting for fans, while
still allowing movement of seed through the hos-es.
It may be of benefit to have air release opener
designs to reduce damage to your chickpea seed.
On row packing to ensure good soil contact with
the seed is recommended (as long as soils are
not water logged). Harrowing and further packing
after seeding is not needed if on row packing is
available on the seeding equipment.
Seeding Rate
The desired plant population for chickpea is 44/
m2 (4/ft.2), but can be further defined by market
class as follows:
•Desi chickpea: 30 to 45 seedlings/m2 (2.8 to
4.3 seedlings/ft2).
•Medium to small chickpea: 40 seedlings/m2
(3.8 seedlings/ft2).
•Large kabuli chickpea: 38 seedlings/m2 (3.6
seedlings/ft2).
Brown soil zone research conducted from 1998
to 2000 in Swift Current determined that the
optimum planting density for maximum yield of
chickpea were as follows:
Summerfallow
Kabuli 40 to 45 plants/m2
(3.8 to 4.3 seedlings/ft2)
Desi 45 to 50 plants/m2
Wheat stubble
Kabuli 35 to 40 plants/m2
Desi 40 to 45 plants/m2
Increasing plant density from 20 to 50 plants/m2
(1.9 to 4.7 seedlings/ft2) decreased the days to

maturity by 1.5 to three days, and increased the
height of the lowest pod by five to 10 per cent.
Chickpea yields increased as plant densities were
increased from 20 to 50 plants/m2 (1.9 to 4.7
seedlings/ft2) in desi, small kabuli, and kabuli
by 20, 27, and 17 per cent, respectively in 2003
research conducted in southwest Saskatchewan.
Southern Alberta research from 2000 to 2004
with desi chickpea found that maximum yield was
achieved with seeding dates prior to May 15th and
plant stands of 30 to 40 plants/m2 (2.8 to 3.8
seedlings/ft2). Crop stands of this density provide
better competition against weeds and will result
in more uniform maturity and higher yields.
The optimum seeding rate for each seed lot var-ies
depending on its seed size. Larger seeded
chickpea will require a higher seeding rate to
achieve placement of the same number of seeds
per unit area compared to a smaller seeded vari-ety.
For example, CDC Luna, with a weight of 377
grams per 1000 seeds will have approximately
1204 seeds per pound. Compare this to CDC
Vanguard with a weight of 219 grams per 1000
seeds, and it will have approximately 2073 seeds
per pound.
The average 1000 seed weight for a specific
chickpea variety can be found in the Saskatch-ewan
Ministry of Agriculture’s Varieties of Grain
Crops publication. Seed lots of the same variety
can differ in seed size depending on growing
conditions. To determine the 1000 seed weight of
a chickpea seed lot, count out 1000 seeds and
weigh them using a gram scale.
Survival percentage is expected germination,
subtract expected field mortality. Germination per
cent levels should be obtained through a germi-nation
test at an accredited lab. Field mortality is
commonly 15 to 30 per cent, depending on the
harshness of spring seedbed conditions. A seed
lot with 95 per cent germination and an expected
field mortality of 15 per cent would have an ex-pected
emergence or survival of 80 per cent.
Row Spacing
Choice of row spacing when purchasing or retrofit-ting
seeding equipment is based on more than
chickpea crop response. Factors such as soil
type, horsepower, soil zone, type of opener, and
amount of residue all influence row spacing deci-sions.
Response to row spacing can change from
year to year and farm to farm depending on a
variety of factors including weather, disease pres-sure,
moisture etc. Row spacing on most seeding
equipment presently on Saskatchewan farms is in
the range of 22.5 cm to 30 cm. This range works
well for chickpea, while still maintaining good
residue clearance.
Seeding rate recommendations are not influ-enced
by row spacing. Chickpea is a poor compet-itor
with weeds and narrower row spacing may be
an advantage in competing with weeds. Narrower
row spacing will result in faster canopy closure
and reduced soil moisture loss through evapora-tion
between the rows. Narrower row spacing also
encourages quicker rooting exploitation of the soil
between the rows and subsequent use of mid-row
soil moisture. Narrower rows leave less standing
stubble and residue clearance is more of an issue
while wider rows disturb less soil and preserve
more standing stubble. Wider row spacing can be
used in high moisture regions to reduce the risk
of a thick crop canopy, leading to poor pod set
and lodging. Wider row spacing may also reduce
disease pressure if the micro-climate within the
crop is kept drier due to the wider spacing.

Table 3. Chickpea Seeding Rate (lb/ac) for a Target Population of 4 Plants/Square Foot
Seed Weight
(g/1000 seeds)
Seeding Time and Depth of
Seeding
The recommended minimum average soil tem-perature
at depth of seeding for desi chickpea
is 7ºC. Desi chickpea will germinate in soil as
cold as 5ºC, but seedling vigor will be greater if
soil temperature is at least 7ºC. The minimum
average soil temperature at depth of seeding
for kabuli chickpea should be 10ºC. Warmer soil
increases rapid germination and emergence of
seedlings. Planting should take place as soon as
the soil reaches these temperatures to provide
maximum time for the crop to mature before the
first fall frost. In Saskatchewan, chickpea should
not be planted later than May 24th due to the
crop’s long growing season requirement, and the
risk of fall frost damage. Kabuli chickpea should
also not be seeded into excessively wet soils.
Chickpea grows best when daytime temperatures
are between 21ºC and 29ºC, and nighttime tem-peratures
between 18ºC and 21ºC. Later seeding
reduces plant growth, duration of flowering and
seed set, leading to reduced yield. However,
crop developmental stages can become more
compressed with later seeding and little effect
on yield unless maturity is delayed enough that
immature seeds are killed by frost.
Chickpea is tolerant of spring frost. Frost survival
depends on how low the temperature drops, how
long the freezing conditions last, how much cold
conditioning the crop receives, moisture content,
and the growth stage of the crop when frost hits.
Even if the frost is severe enough to kill the main
shoot, the chickpea plant can re-grow from one of
the scale nodes at or below the soil surface.
The recommended seeding depth for chickpea
is 3.5 to 6 cm. Chickpea should be seeded into
moist soil to provide the necessary moisture for
proper germination and inoculant survival.
Seeding into a dry soil increases imbibitional in-jury
(swelling damage as the seed absorbs water
too quickly when exposed to a rainfall after lying
Survival (%)
60 65 70 75 80 85 90
220 147 135 126 117 110 104 98
240 160 148 137 128 120 113 107
260 173 160 149 139 130 122 116
280 187 172 160 149 140 132 124
300 200 185 171 160 150 141 133
320 213 197 183 171 160 151 142
340 227 209 194 181 170 160 151
360 240 222 206 192 180 169 160
380 253 234 217 203 190 179 169
400 267 246 229 213 200 188 178
420 280 258 240 224 210 198 187
440 293 271 251 235 220 207 196
Source: Saskatchewan Pulse Growers

in a dry soil) and is not good for kabuli chickpea.
Try to seed after a rainfall into a warm soil for
best results.
If Sencor® herbicide is to be used, do not seed
less than 5 cm deep or in soils with less than four
per cent organic matter. The herbicide, if leached
due to high moisture infiltration, can cause signifi-cant
damage if seeding depth is less than 5 cm.
Rolling
Benefits from land rolling for chickpea are lower
compared to pea and lentil because chickpea
plants rarely lodge, and pods are produced higher
off the ground. If the objective for rolling is to
push rocks into the soil and level the ground to
facilitate cutterbar operation, it should be done
prior to emergence. Post emergent rolling dam-ages
chickpea plants through mechanical injury
because of their stiff stems. It can also spread
ascochyta blight, while leaving the plant weaker
and more susceptible to disease attack. Do not
roll if the soil surface is wet, or if the operation
results in an over packed soil.

Quick Facts
• Chickpea is a poor competitor against
weeds.
• During periods of crop stress (eg: heat,
drought, frost), the ability of the chickpea
crop to tolerate herbicide application may
be reduced.
• Ensure the herbicide hits the target,
water volume is adequate, nozzles
provide good coverage, and travel speed
is reasonable enough to ensure a good
spray pattern.
• The major weeds of concern in chickpea
include kochia (the vast majority of which
are Group 2 resistant), Russian thistle,
wild mustard, stinkweed, and perennial
weeds Canada thistle, and quackgrass.

Disease and Pest Control
In-Crop Weed Control
Chickpea is a poor competitor against weeds.
Weed control in chickpea must be considered
throughout the rotation, not just in the year of
growing. Herbicide options in the fall, prior to
seeding and pre-seed/pre-emergent spring her-bicide
options must be considered. In-crop weed
management is the final step. Perennial weed
management, knowing your field’s weed history
and anticipating in-crop weeds are key to a suc-cessful
weed control program.
Crop scouting is a key component of a success-ful
weed control program. This includes scouting
every year so an inventory of weeds is recorded.
One to two weeks after applying a herbicide,
scout for both weed control symptoms and crop
injury symptoms. If the weeds are not completely
dead, look for symptoms of herbicide activity
such as yellowing, purpling, twisting, cupping, or
bleaching. Timely post-spray audits may leave
enough time to perform a rescue treatment if
necessary.
Crop choice the year prior to growing chickpea
may allow the use of a herbicide to control a
troublesome weed that has no herbicide available
for in-crop control in the chickpea crop. Herbicide
options in chickpea are much more limited than
most other crops.
For weed control in chickpea please consult the
Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture's Guide to
Crop Protection.
A few key points regarding in-crop herbicide
choice and application are worth noting.
Although not considered an in-crop herbicide,
Authority® can act in-crop through its soil residual
properties.
In-crop herbicides registered for grassy weed
control all are Group 1 herbicides.
Sencor® should be applied early post-emergence.
Best performance is achieved when chickpea
plants are at the one to three above ground node
stage, and the weeds are small. Chickpea injury
is more severe at advanced growth stages. Some
leaf scorch will almost always be evident after
application, but plants recover quickly if they are
small. Sencor® can move in the soil after heavy
rainfall, so if the use of this product is antici-pated,
chickpea must be planted at least five
cm deep to prevent injury to seedlings. Do not
use Sencor® in soils with less than four per cent
organic matter.
If weeds are present, control them early. Chick-pea
is not a competitive crop, especially when
weed competition can severely reduce yield. If
weeds have emerged, apply herbicides at early
crop stages. This will improve weed control,
reduce competition from the weeds, and usually
reduces herbicide injury.
Research conducted in 2008 and 2009 by the
University of Saskatchewan’s Crop Develop-ment
Centre (CDC) showed that when applied,
post-emergence, the non-registered herbicides
imazethapyr (Pursuit®), imazamox (Solo®) and
the registered herbicide metribuzin (Sencor®),
all caused increases in ascochyta disease in
chickpea, as well as crop damage and associated

delays in maturity and reduced yield. Sulfentra-zone
(Authority®), also utilized in the study, was a
safer choice for broadleaf weed control across all
locations and years. Sulfentrazone can be applied
either pre-plant or pre-emergent.
Post-emergent harrowing is not recommended. It
can spread disease and cause severe mechanical
crop injury.
During periods of crop stress (eg: heat, drought,
frost), the ability of the chickpea crop to tolerate
herbicide application may be reduced. Crop injury
can be reduced by waiting approximately four
days after the crop stress occurs before apply-ing
a herbicide, by maintaining water volumes at
label recommendations, and applying the product
during the evening.
Because weeds left behind can cause significant
yield loss and interfere with harvest, maximizing
sprayer efficiency can pay big dividends. Ensure
the herbicide hits the target, water volume is
adequate, nozzles provide good coverage, and
travel speed is reasonable enough to ensure a
good spray pattern.
The major weeds of concern in chickpea include
kochia (the vast majority of which are Group 2
resistant), Russian thistle, wild mustard, stink-weed,
and perennial weeds Canada thistle, and
quackgrass. Once the competitive weeds have
been removed, non-competitive weeds such as
cow cockle, round-leaved mallow, bluebur, and
wild tomato can also become a problem.
Management to delay or reduce the occurrence
of herbicide resistant weeds is important for all
crops in rotation. It is of particular importance
to chickpea growers due to the limited in-crop
herbicide choices and the non-competitive nature
of the chickpea plant. Herbicide resistant weeds
already influence herbicide choice in chickpea.
For example, all in-crop herbicides for control of
wild oat and green foxtail control are limited to
Group 1 products.
Herbicide selection in non-chickpea years should
take into account herbicide rotation to reduce or
slow the development of resistant weeds. Resis-tant
weeds can have a bigger impact in chickpea
crops simply because it is less competitive. A
review of herbicide resistance and strategies to
prevent or slow its development is important in
any crop rotation, but is magnified when crops in
rotation are less competitive and are limited in
choice of in-crop herbicides.
A few examples of herbicide resistant weeds that
are particularly troublesome for chickpea growers
include Group 2 resistant kochia (unless Author-ity
® is applied), Group 1 resistant wild oat and
Group 2 resistant wild mustard.
Resistance can build with each application and
applications do not have to be consecutive year
after year. Therefore, with high risk herbicides in
Groups 1 and 2, the longer you can rotate away
from these chemistries, the better the resistance.
On average, if a grower has applied Group 1
or Group 2 herbicides more than 10 times in a
field, there is a high risk of resistance developing
among one or more weed species.
Research indicates that alternating between two
modes of action for wild oat control will double
the number of years for resistance build-up. Al-ternating
with a third mode of action will increase
the time of resistance build-up to four times com-pared
to using a single mode of action for wild oat
control each year.
Use integrated control methods through the
rotation, such as higher seeding rates, promoting

quick crop emergence, and using herbicides only
when economic thresholds are reached. Prevent-ing
kochia from setting viable seed for one or two
years greatly reduces kochia populations in a field
because the seed is short lived in the soil.
Disease Management
There are only a few diseases that significantly
affect chickpea. Ascochyta blight is the most pow-erful
disease, and can devastate a chickpea crop
through yield and quality reductions. Ascochyta
blight in chickpea is much more aggressive than
ascochyta blight in lentil or pea, and is caused by
a different ascochyta species.
Ascochyta blight is a foliar disease that can com-pletely
destroy a chickpea crop with up to 90 per
cent yield loss in kabuli, and up to 50 per cent
yield loss in desi chickpea (pesticide risk reduc-tion
program 2008).
Additional Ascochyta Blight Reference Tool:
• Scouting and Management of Ascochyta Blight
in Chickpea (March 2010), a publication fund-ed
by the Pesticide Risk Reduction Program of
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s (AAFC) Pest
Management Centre
(www.agr.gc.ca/prrmup). (PRRP 2010).
• Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture CD ROM
Management of Ascochyta Blight of Chickpea
in Saskatchewan.
Information presented on ascochyta blight and its
management is taken from the publication Scouting
and Management of Ascochyta Blight in Chickpea, a
publication funded by the Pesticide Risk Reduction
Program of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Pest
Management Centre.
The pathogen overwinters on chickpea residue
and seed. Both asexual spores and sexual spores
can be produced on the residue. The sexual stage
produces ascospores, which can spread several
miles in the wind and are believed to be respon-sible
for early season lesions. These ascospores
are produced by genetic recombination, meaning
the population can become genetically diverse.
Research carried out at AAFC, Saskatoon, has
identified 15 races of Ascochyta rabiei in Western
Canada. This not only makes breeding for resis-tance
more of a challenge, it increases the likeli-hood
of fungicide-resistant strains developing.
Sentinel plant research using potted chickpea
plants has shown that disease inoculum is air-borne,
traveling over several kilometres, and is
present in the field prior to the emergence of the
crop.
Early symptoms are often only the size of a
pinhead and can occur on leaflets or stems. They
can range in colour from light tan to dark brown,
and have a distinct margin. They can be very
difficult to identify, but early detection and control
is critical to controlling disease progression. A
magnifying glass may be needed at this stage to
identify the lesions.
Lesions will expand rapidly under humid condi-tions.
Lesions on leaflets are usually tan in colour
and have a dark brown margin. Dark fruiting
bodies, called pycnidia, are formed in the lesions.
The pycnidia ooze spores in wet and humid condi-tions.
These spores are spread by rain to other
plants and through the field, thus infection is
aided by weather with frequent showers.
Anything that moves though an infected field will
spread spores, especially if the canopy is moist.
Stem lesions are more elongated, but similar in
colour and also contain pycnidia. The lesions can
girdle the stem and this can lead to stem break-

age and plant death within three to four weeks of
infection if it is not treated.
Pod infections limit pod development and can
cause seed size reduction and discoloured seed,
resulting in a grade loss.
The environment (rain and humidity) plays a criti-cal
role in the development of ascochyta blight.
Rain plays a role in determining the severity of
ascochyta blight in two ways:
• Rain-splashed droplets physically spread the
disease within the crop canopy by transferring
spores from diseased plant tissue to healthy
plant tissue.
• Rain provides the moisture required for spore
germination and penetration of the fungus
into the plant. The high humidity common in
chickpea crops, even in the absence of rain,
is also sufficient for spore germination and
penetration. But the humidity itself will not
transport spores from one plant to another like
rain-splash does.
Dew and humidity promote pycnidia development
and the “oozing” of the spores which can cause
new infections.
An important part of the infection process is
known as the incubation period or latent period.
It is the period of time between penetration of the
Figure 6. Early pinpoint lesions of ascochyta in chickpea
Figure 7. Ascochyta blight; early lesions, leaf symptoms
Figure 8. Ascochyta blight; pod lesion

fungus into the plant, and the first visible disease
symptoms. The incubation period for ascochyta
blight in chickpea is only four to six days. This
means symptoms that appear within a few days
of a fungicide application were likely the result of
a spore that had already successfully invaded the
plant.
If weather turns warm and dry, infected plants
may survive, but will be delayed in maturity and
produce lower yields.
Management strategies must be implemented to
control the disease through the crop rotation and
in-crop. Producers should not rely exclusively on a
single management practice, but rather integrate
a combination of practices to develop a consis-tent
long-term strategy for disease management
that is suited to their production system and
location.
Fungicides work to control disease by creating
a barrier on the plant’s surface to prevent the
spores from germinating and infecting the tissue.
All fungicides registered for control of ascochyta
blight in chickpea have this protectant activity
and are most efficacious if they are applied pre-ventatively,
or before the fungus penetrates the
plant. In addition to protectant activity, some of
the fungicides registered for control of ascochyta
blight have a slight curative activity. The curative
activity is limited to the early part of the incuba-tion
period, and only for the first 24 to 36 hours
after spore germination and infection. These fun-gicides
have limited systemic movement within
the plant tissue and will not be translocated
throughout the plant or into new growth. Applica-tion
must be made within the first 36 hours after
a rainfall to provide curative effects. These cura-tive
products do not repair tissue that has already
been damaged or killed by the fungus.
No fungicide will protect against disease already
established in the plant or once lesions form. All
fungicides will protect against spores entering the
plant (protectant activity). Curative fungicides will
also protect against early stages of the incubation
period.
The key to managing ascochyta progression is
to prevent or slow early development. Fungicide
application at the seedling stage is critical for
our short growing season, spraying before the
occurrence of infection to provide a disease-free
canopy as long as possible, combined with follow
up field scouting and additional fungicide applica-tions
is necessary.
Fungicides that are currently available will provide
protection against disease for no longer than two
weeks. This protection period is shorter when
a highly susceptible chickpea variety is grown,
when frequent rainfall is received, and/or when
the plant has developed new growth. When near-ing
the end of this protective period, watch the
Figure 9. Ascochyta blight; healthy (top), infested seed
(bottom); desi (left) and kabuli (right)
Source: Courtesy of the Canadian Phytopathological Society

weather forecast and be prepared to spray again
before a rain event.
Research carried out in Saskatchewan has shown
that fungicide application at the seedling stage
is critical to reduce ascochyta blight severity
and maintain yield for susceptible cultivars. The
timing of follow up fungicide application is not as
critical; however, three well timed applications per
season are as effective as four to five applica-tions
in partially resistant cultivars. Fungicide
choice is less important, but usually using two
strobilurin products gives better control and often
higher yield. Under high disease pressure, higher
water volumes of at least 200 litres per hectare
are more important than spray droplet size. In-creasing
water volume has shown better disease
control on fern leaf types, but not on unifoliate
leaf types.
Saskatchewan research conducted on ascochyta
in chickpea with varied leaf structures exam-ined
the effectiveness of fungicide control. The
research concluded that nozzle type (flat fan, twin
nozzle or air induced), and resulting spray quality
had no significant effect on spray retention or dis-ease
control, with all producing the same degree
of control when used properly.
Research has shown ground and air application
of fungicides will both be effective and provide
similar yields. Ground applications use higher
water volumes and provide greater overall cover-age,
but wheel tracks may reduce yield and can
spread disease. Conversely, aerial applications
use lower water volumes, but do not damage the
crop and can cover more area in a timely fashion.
Calendar spraying refers to applying fungicides
when the previous fungicide’s effectiveness has
reached a minimum (usually about two weeks).
However, the importance of combining scouting
and using weather forecasts cannot be over-looked.
Applying fungicides at regular intervals,
even if it is not necessary, not only adds to the
cost of production, but can limit further fungicide
choice when considering the need for fungicide
group rotation. As the crop advances and weather
conditions become hot and dry, the spray interval
could be increased to three or more weeks.
Alternatively, if disease risk is high and moist
weather conditions are occurring, the spray in-terval
may need to be decreased to five to seven
days. Disease risk can change daily depending on
weather conditions, development of new symp-toms,
varietal resistance and yield potential. The
only spray that should be considered “routine” is
the first spray of the season, about two to three
weeks after the crop has emerged.
There are situations when it becomes advisable
to stop fungicide application. Experience has
shown it is not beneficial to apply fungicides after
the first week of August in commercial crops
unless the goal is to preserve seed quality. It
takes about one month for a flower to develop
into a full-sized seed. If a mid-September frost
is expected, as it is most years, new flowers pro-duced
in mid-August are not likely to form viable
seed. Pedigreed seed fields might be considered
exempt from this rule of thumb in order to reduce
the level of seed-borne ascochyta.
Applying foliar fungicides later in the season to
protect new growth may in fact delay crop matu-rity
and increase green seed count without im-proving
yield. Fungicides applied after August 7th
to August 10th generally do not improve chickpea
yields in Saskatchewan.
If disease has not been effectively controlled
during the season (variety with poor resistance,
wet growing season, fungicides not applied when
needed) and pod lesions are already widespread,

it is usually too late to apply a fungicide.
If you are considering discontinuing fungicide
application due to the advancement of ascochyta
blight, talk to your local Saskatchewan Crop Insur-ance
Corporation (SCIC) Customer Service Office
regarding your decision. Choosing not to follow
disease control strategies may impact your claim.
An integrated management strategy is needed to
manage ascochyta. Fungicides alone will not be
sufficient.
In Saskatchewan, under our cool and dry condi-tions,
a three to four year crop rotation to non-host
crops is necessary to reduce spores from
previous crop stubble.
Avoid planting chickpea adjacent to previous
year’s chickpea fields to reduce spread of residue
and wind-borne spores and use non-host strips at
field edges. Field selection should be at least 500
metres away from fields that had a chickpea crop
the previous season.
Choose available varieties that are as disease
resistant as possible. Currently the best resis-tance
level available is fair, and therefore, select
varieties with a “fair” instead of “poor” or “very
poor” rating for ascochyta.
Kabuli chickpea is much more susceptible to
ascochyta blight compared to desi chickpea. Uni-foliate
kabuli varieties appear to be much more
susceptible to severe ascochyta blight, compared
to fern leaf kabuli.
Keep plant density within the recommended
range of 30 to 45 plants/m2 (2.8 to 4.3 plants/
ft2). Plant stand density within that range does
not appear to have an association with the
severity of ascochyta blight in less susceptible
varieties. Do not increase planting density above
the recommended range, as ascochyta blight risk
increases with increasing plant density.
Follow sound agronomic practices. A healthy
plant is able to battle disease invasion. Plant
seed that has been tested at an accredited lab
and has zero levels of ascochyta, or levels as low
as possible (not more than 0.3 per cent). Seed
at the optimum date, depth, and rate. Use seed
treatments if needed.
A disease decision support checklist for ascochy-ta
has been developed to aid in determining risk
rating to ascochyta, and to determine appropriate
management strategies. (See Table 4 on next
page).

Table 4. Determining Your Disease Risk
1) Review the following six considerations and assign a risk value to each.
2) Add up the risk values to create a total risk value.
3) Use the total value to compare to the risk rating below.
1. Field History and Crop Rotation Risk Value
a. Crop is being grown in a region that has never had chickpea production 0
b. Crop is planted on land that has not had chickpea for at least three years 5
c. Crop is planted on land that has had chickpea in the last two years; or is 10
located adjacent to chickpea stubble from the year before
2. Chickpea Variety Risk Value
a. Desi variety or kabuli variety rated as “fair” resistance to ascochyta blight 5
b. Kabuli variety that is rated as “poor” resistance to ascochyta blight 10
c. Kabuli variety that is rated as “very poor” resistance to ascochyta blight 20
3. Level of Seed-born Disease and Use of Seed Treatment Risk Value
a. Seed test indicated no seed-borne ascochyta AND used registered seed 0
treatment for ascochyta blight control
b. Seed test indicated low levels of ascochyta (<1%) AND used registered seed 5
treatment for ascochyta blight control
c. Seed test indicated significant levels of ascochyta blight (5-10%) AND used a 10
registered seed treatment for ascochyta blight control
d. The seed quality is unknown, or I am not using a seed treatment 20
4. Presence of Disease Symptoms since last Fungicide Application Risk Value
a. No new disease lesions have developed since last fungicide application 0
b. Disease lesions have developed on a new crop growth since last fungicide 10
application
c. Leaf and/or stem lesion have developed and no fungicide has been applied 20
this season
5. Weather Conditions Risk Value
a. No rainfall in the past week and short-term forecast is for continued 5
dry weather
b. Weather conditions are unknown 10
c. Rainfall or heavy dew has occurred during past week 20
d. Weather is unsettled, thunderstorms are likely 20
6. Other Crop Health Considerations Risk Value
a. Crop emerged well in the spring and there has been no significant 0
weather/injury to crop
b. Crop was seeded very early and was slow to emerge 5
c. Crop was damaged by early herbicide application or soil-residue 10
d. The crop has received a light to moderate hail shower in the past 24 hours 20
TOTAL RISK VALUE 1+2+3+4+5+6= ___________
Source: Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture’s Scouting and Management of Ascochyta Blight in Chickpea

Total Risk Value is < 15:
Your risk is low and ascochyta blight should not have a negative impact on your crop if you remain dili-gent
about scouting and applying fungicides when necessary.
Consider the following recommendations:
• Apply fungicide if the crop is at the seedling stage and a fungicide has not yet been applied.
• Delay fungicide application if there has been no new lesion development and there is no rain in the
forecast.
Total Risk Value is 20 to 45:
Your risk is low to moderate. Continue to scout for new lesion development as your crop matures.
• Apply fungicide if it has been close to 14 days since the last application.
• Delay fungicide if less than 14 days since last application and there is no rain in the forecast.
Total Risk Value is 50 to 75:
Your risk is moderate and disease is either increasing in your crop due to favourable weather conditions,
or because ascochyta blight was established before a fungicide was applied. Some yield loss due to
disease will occur.
• Apply fungicide if it has been close to 14 days since the last application.
Total Risk Value is > 80:
Your risk is high and ascochyta blight will impact your yield and seed quality.
• Apply fungicide if crop is in the flowering to early pod stages and there is a potential for suitable yield.
• Do not apply fungicide if disease is severe and there is little chance for economic return.

Management of fungicide resistance is extremely
important for all crops and diseases but even
more so for ascochyta in chickpea due to the
genetic diversity of the fungus, and the fact that
isolates with resistance to strobilurin fungicides
have been confirmed in Saskatchewan. If a
pathogen develops resistance to one fungicide in
the strobilurin group, it will be resistant to other
fungicides in that group.
The following guidelines, adopted from the North
American Fungicide Resistance Action Commit-tee,
are recommended to prevent the increase of
fungicide resistant fungi:
• Do not use a fungicide that contains only a
strobilurin active unless it is tank mixed with a
non-strobilurin fungicide.
• Rotate the use of a fungicide with a strobilurin
product in the mix (or tank mixed) with a non-strobilurin
product.
• Do not use more than two applications per year
of any fungicide containing a strobilurin on the
same field.
• Do not apply more than two applications of the
same group in a single growing season (except
for chlorothalonil, which can be applied three
times).
Seed rot, seedling blight and root rot of chickpea
are caused by a complex of pathogens includ-ing
species of Pythium, Fusarium, Rhizoctonia
and Botrytis. These pathogens are present in all
Saskatchewan agricultural soils and can infect
and kill individual seedlings from germination to
the early flowering stage. Seed rots and seed-ling
blights are most severe when soil is cool or
saturated, and seedling emergence is delayed.
Infected seed may fail to germinate. Infected
seedlings will usually turn yellow, wilt and then
die. Stems may be girdled and discoloured at
or just below the soil surface and roots may be
rotten, allowing the plants to be pulled easily from
the soil. Kabuli chickpea is especially susceptible
to rots due to its thin, zero-tannin seed coat.
Figure 10. Chickpea: Root rot
Crop rotations that include cereal and oilseed
crops can reduce the build-up of soil-borne
pathogens specific to chickpea. However, many
of these pathogens can survive as saprophytes
in the absence of a susceptible host. Therefore,
crop rotation may have a limited effect in manag-ing
seedling blight and root rot.
Review the section on seed treatment for control
of these pathogens.
Botrytis grey mold attacks chickpea, both at the
seedling stage, and in advanced stages. Botrytis
grey mold of seedlings may spread down a seed
row, resulting in a series of yellow or dead seed-lings.
Botrytis grey mold is also favoured later in
the growing season by dense canopies and moist
conditions. Botrytis is usually most evident after
flowering and is common on pods, resulting in
shrunken, discoloured seed. The infected area is
often covered by a dark grey, fuzzy, fungal growth.

Botrytis pathogens can survive in the absence of
host crops so rotation has limited effect on dis-ease
level. Fungicides are available for the control
of late season development of botrytis grey mold
on chickpea, but need to be applied prior to
symptoms showing to be effective.
Sclerotinia white mold attacks chickpea grown in
conditions of high rainfall, which produces dense
crop canopies. This disease is more common
in crop rotations that include other susceptible
broadleaf crops such as canola, mustard, lentil
or pea. Symptoms usually occur in patches, typi-cally
in heavier crop areas. Infected plants are
initially paler green and the diseased tissue may
be covered by a white, cottony, fungal growth. The
plant later becomes bleached in colour and the
infected area will easily shred apart, revealing
small black fungal resting structures. Sclerotinia
becomes evident later in the growing season and
if found, may have minimal impact on the crop. In
most years it is not common through a lot of the
chickpea growing area.
Fungicides are available to control sclerotinia.
However, they must be applied prior to the onset
of symptoms.
There are no bacterial or viral diseases of signifi-cance
in Saskatchewan chickpea crops at the
present time.
Scouting in chickpea should begin at the seedling
stage, two to three weeks after seeding. Asco-chyta
is very aggressive and can infect a crop
early. Scout every three to seven days during the
seedling stage. Rain and/or high humidity means
scouting frequency should be increased. If condi-tions
are drier and the chickpea plant gets past
the seedling stage, scouting frequency can be
decreased to every seven to 10 days. It may be
useful to use flags to mark specific areas in the
field for regular monitoring to watch for disease
spread to new tissues and/or to determine the
effectiveness of previous fungicide applications.
It is very important that you keep the field as
sanitary as possible. Before entering fields, put
Figure 11. Chickpea: Botrytis stem and pod rot; grey mold
symptoms
Source: Courtesy of the Canadian Phytopathological Society
Figure 12. Chickpea: Botrytis stem and pod rot; grey
discolouration on seed

Chickpea Seed Production Manual ~ saskpulse.com

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Chickpea Seed Production Manual ~ saskpulse.com