Rajendra Malhotra, Murari Singh, and Sanjaya Rajaram. ICARDA, ICARDA, PO Box 5466, Aleppo, SYRIA
Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is one of the important food legumes grown in Mediterranean
environments as a rainfed crop. In dry areas, its yield is influenced by
various agro-climatic factors.
The
information on response of climatic factors influencing chickpea production is
limited, thus, the present study was envisaged to identify most influential
climatic variables influencing seed yield.
The yield data collected from 21 Chickpea International Yield Trials,
each comprising 24 genotypes, conducted over a wide range of geographical areas
of Central and West Asia, and North Africa
(CWANA) were analyzed. The climatic variables used in modeling the
interrelationship of seed yield were: rainfall, minimum and maximum temperatures.
The distribution of these factors was obtained by partitioning the crop growth duration
into 10-day intervals before and after flowering, and before maturity. Thus, 29
climatic variables were generated and stepwise regressions were used to screen
the most influential variables. Path analysis was used to examine the cause and
effects of these variables on seed yield. The results revealed that a set of 8
variables (total rainfall during - planting and 30 days before flowering, 20 -
10 days before flowering, 20 - 30 days after flowering, 20 - 10 days before
maturity, and maximum temperatures during - 30 – 20 days before flowering, 10
days after flowering, 20-30 days after flowering, and 30-20 days before
maturity) accounted for 70% of the total variance in seed yield. The path
coefficient analysis of seed yield with these variables showed that maximum
temperature during 20-30 after flowering was major contributor to seed yield,
and it was followed by maximum temperature during 10 days after flowering. This
study thus indicated that temperature after flowering was the most crucial
factor in determining seed yield in chickpea.