The chickpea

Saxena, M C and Singh, K B, eds. (1987) The chickpea. Commonwealth Agricultural Bureaux International , Wallingford, Oxon, UK . ISBN 0-85198-571-8

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Abstract

Chickpea has been a traditional low-input crop in the farming systems of the Indian subcontinent and the Near-East where it is an integral part of the daily diet of the people. The crop is also popular in the Ethiopian Highlands and in Central and South America. Because of its adaptability to a wide range of 1 environments, it is being promoted even in countries such as Australia, Canada and the USA. The chickpea is of two main types, the desi type and the kabuli type. The former is generally small seeded with a coloured seed coat and angular seed shape. The latter type is generally large seeded with beige seed colour and ram-head shape. More than 80 percent of the world production of chickpea is of the desi type, predominantly grown in subsistence agriculture. Thc two types are botanically similar, but there are strong consumer preferences for one or the other. The production of chickpea during the last three decades has been static in most countries, and in some it has even decreased. Research on the crop was neglected for many years and only recently due attention has been paid to it. The amount of work published on chickpea research during the past decade may well equal all that had appeared in the several decades preceding it. Hence, a need was felt to prepare a critical review of the work done in the past so that a sound basis and direction for future research may clearly emerge. In this volume, an attempt has been made to meet this need. The Chickpea comprises I8 chapters. The first presents the importance of the crop. The two subsequent chapters deal with the botanical aspects of chickpea. These are followed by a section of four chapters that deals with cultivar devlopment. The next three chapters discuss the production technology and the basis of yield. The section on plant protection follows, comprising a chapter each on diseases, nematodes. insects and weeds. The nutritional quality and utilization aspects which are covered in the subsequent three chapters, lead to the last chapter which deals with trade and price considerations. A review of all the published work was neither possible, because of limitation of space, nor was considered essential, in view of the availability of published bibliographies on several subjects from ICARDA and ICRISAT. For complete reference, readers are referred to these bibliographies as also to the proceedings of workshops/conferences, published by these two centres. We hope that the information presented in this book will help readers to get some assessment of the major problems of chickpea production and the recent research efforts which have been directed to find effective solutions. It may also generate interest for future research. Several people have rendered invaluable assistance in making this publication possible and we thank them all: the authors of various chapters for providing a comprehensive coverage of the subjects assigned to them; Mr. Colin Webb for meticulously going through the manuscript and providing special editorial assistance; Ms. Rania Barrimo. Senior Secretary in the Food Legume Improvement Program of ICARDA for her painstaking efforts in putting the text on to the word processor: the art and photography unit of the Scientific and Technical Information Program of ICARDA for help with diagrams and photographs;the staff in the Computer Centre of ICARDA for assistance in word processing and providing the manuscript on tape; and C.A.B International for taking the book through the printing process

Item Type:	Book
Author Affiliation:	Commonwealth Agricultural Bureaux International ; International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas
Subjects:	Plant Protection > Control Methods Plant Protection > Pests
Divisions:	Chickpea
Depositing User:	Mr T L Gautham
Date Deposited:	01 Dec 2011 08:16
Last Modified:	08 Mar 2012 10:40
URI:	http://eprints.icrisat.ac.in/id/eprint/2728

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