Chickpeas are a major pulse
legume grown in
Nepal
Nepal (; ne, :ne:नेपाल, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne,
सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in S ...
, either by themselves or as an
intercrop
Intercropping is a multiple cropping practice that involves growing two or more crops in proximity. In other words, intercropping is the cultivation of two or more crops simultaneously on the same field. The most common goal of intercropping is ...
with
maize
Maize ( ; ''Zea mays'' subsp. ''mays'', from es, maíz after tnq, mahiz), also known as corn (North American and Australian English), is a cereal grain first domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 10,000 years ago. The ...
or
rice
Rice is the seed of the grass species '' Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice) or less commonly ''Oryza glaberrima'' (African rice). The name wild rice is usually used for species of the genera '' Zizania'' and '' Porteresia'', both wild and domesticat ...
.
Chickpeas are an important legume to the population, as it is the primary protein source for nearly 2 million Nepalese people.
In 2013, Nepal imported approximately US$10.1 million in dried shelled chickpeas, mostly from Australia and also from Canada, creating a need to increase production for its own people and to balance bilateral trade.
Chickpeas are an excellent source of protein, especially when compared to other legume pulses. They are high in unsaturated fatty acids and minerals, including calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and potassium.
Agronomic issues and potential solutions
There are a number of
agronomic
Agricultural economics is an applied field of economics concerned with the application of economic theory in optimizing the production and distribution of food and fiber products.
Agricultural economics began as a branch of economics that spe ...
issues, both biotic and abiotic, that have considerably reduced the production of chickpeas in the
Terai
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, caption =Aerial view of Terai plains near Biratnagar, Nepal
, map =
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, biogeographic_realm = Indomalayan realm
, global200 = Terai-Duar savanna a ...
of Nepal.
Botrytis gray mold (BGM) was the main cause of the rapid decline in production of chickpeas, as it completely devastated crops in 1997–1998, especially in the humid eastern part of the country causing farmers to switch to a more stable, albeit less profitable, legume such as lentils.
This devastation has given chickpeas a very negative reputation of being a risky crop and has likely delayed the spread of new technologies and
cultivar
A cultivar is a type of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and when propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue culture ...
s to increase production.
Fusarium wilt is another major biotic problem to chickpea production in Nepal. Abiotic issues include boron deficient soils, as well as infertile land due to soil acidity and drought.
However, these issues can be dealt with by low-cost techniques without having to rely heavily on expensive alternatives such as
fungicides. Larger spacing between rows can decrease leaf wetness to decrease BGM. Intercropping with mustard seems to significantly reduce the disease. Coating the seed with
rhizobium
''Rhizobium'' is a genus of Gram-negative soil bacteria that fix nitrogen. ''Rhizobium'' species form an endosymbiotic nitrogen-fixing association with roots of (primarily) legumes and other flowering plants.
The bacteria colonize plant cells ...
or mixing the rhizobium into the soil can combat poor nodulation and therefore improve the nitrogen fixing capacity of the chickpea.
Poor soil fertility can be combated with
vermicompost
Vermicompost (vermi-compost) is the product of the decomposition process using various species of worms, usually red wigglers, white worms, and other earthworms, to create a mixture of decomposing vegetable or food waste, bedding materials, and ...
along with fertilizers to increase root length, grain yield, and further nodulation. Ideally, an integrated crop management strategy using genetically resistant seeds incorporated into local varieties, the use of fungicides, along with the simpler strategies mentioned could allow for sustainable and profitable production of chickpeas for Nepalese farmers.
Sustainability
Although chickpeas are only suitable to be grown in the Terai region of Nepal,
the selection and technology of new
landrace
A landrace is a domesticated, locally adapted, often traditional variety of a species of animal or plant that has developed over time, through adaptation to its natural and cultural environment of agriculture and pastoralism, and due to isolatio ...
s would allow for proper chickpea production from the humid and acidic soils of the east to the drier western parts of the country.
In the dry western parts of the country, seeds have been formulated with short durations to escape potential long droughts. In the eastern and central part of the Terai, seeds have been formulated with increased disease resistance and earlier maturity to escape the potential fungal threats in these moist and humid environments.
Thus although these crops can mainly be grown only in the Terai region, it is not segregated to one geographical area and can thus improve distribution of this quality protein to a large portion of the population.
Labor and cost
Chickpeas are a relatively low input crop that is quite drought resistant. They can be relatively easily intercropped with cereals such as maize or rice.
Nepal imports a huge amount of rice from India,
therefore intercropping with chickpeas could be a more economical option for a subsistence farmer, rather than purchasing these products from overseas.
Research has shown that seed priming can have massive effects on chickpea production in rice fallows, increasing chickpea yield by 41% by seed priming alone.
Due to chickpeas high water efficiency, it can be planted after rice in the dry season, using the residual moisture to grow.
This also keeps the farmers' land from being bare when the rice has been harvested, which could lead to improve organic material in the soil as well as less need for
nitrogen fertilizer
A fertilizer (American English) or fertiliser (British English; see spelling differences) is any material of natural or synthetic origin that is applied to soil or to plant tissues to supply plant nutrients. Fertilizers may be distinct from ...
in subsequent rice seasons. Despite its good drought tolerance, irrigation of chickpeas in the vegetative stage has been shown to increase yields.
Impact on families
Planting chickpeas can have a positive effect on the lives of
subsistence farmers. Using integrated crop management strategies, including fungicides, larger distances between rows, rhizobium inoculants, and some improved cultivars of native landraces (Avarodhi cultivar over Dhanush and Trishul) can increase family income by 80 to 100%.
Although the cost to implement these strategies is 13% higher (which may not be possible to obtain for a subsistence farmer) the profits per hectare could be nearly doubled. Protein intake for a farmer’s family can increase by 40%, and increases in livestock ownership can increase by 30%. This can result in an increase of 45% extra income for the family.
There is additional wealth generation in the selling of these improved disease resistant Avarodhi desi seeds over the local cultivars.
There have been improved varieties of Kabuli chickpeas called Kosheli.
Kabuli chickpeas generally go for higher prices; in Canada they are sold for nearly 60% more money.
Further economic benefit includes the decreased use of fertilizer in subsequent rice crops as well as decreases in urea requirement and compost due to its extensive root system and nitrogen fixing capacity.
References
{{reflist
Agriculture in Nepal