Chickpea
Cicer arietinum
Also known asGarbanzo bean · Garbanzo · Bengal gram · Chana · Kabuli · Desi · Egyptian pea
Environment
The bounded range this crop tolerates.
Climate and zones
- USDA zones
- 3–10 (winter low around -40°C)
- Frost
- tolerates light frost
- Season
- warm (summer, frost-sensitive)
Growing systems
Root mass: moderate.
Growing media
| Medium | pH effect | Retention | Bacterial surface |
|---|---|---|---|
| Soil-based mix (Potting soil) | varies | high | high |
Nutrient demand by stage
NPK ratios are relative weights. EC targets shift through the plant's life.
| Stage | N | P | K | EC (mS/cm) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| seedling | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0.7 |
| vegetative | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1.3 |
| flowering | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1.5 |
| fruiting | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1.5 |
Aquaponics suitability
Not recommended
Fish waste alone doesn't supply enough of what this crop demands. Grows in hybrid systems with supplemental dosing, but expect active management.
Care notes
Not a common hydroponic crop but feasible in media beds or containers. Hold EC around 1.2-2.0 mS/cm and pH 6.0-7.0. It is warm-season, best at 18–28°C, and frost kills it. Give moderate to high light, 18-26 mol/m2/day. Nitrogen fixation is reduced or absent in soilless culture, where the symbiotic Mesorhizobium bacteria are usually missing, so supply nitrogen through the nutrient solution. From seed to dry harvest is 90 to 110 days. The plants are determinate, growing, flowering, setting pods and then dying. Harvest when pods are brown and dry, then shell the seed; for fresh green chickpeas, a delicacy eaten like edamame, pick pods while green and plump. Yield per plant is small, on the order of 30–50 g dried seed, so meaningful production needs a large planting. Ascochyta blight (Didymella rabiei) is a concern in humid conditions, helped by airflow. In aquaponics media beds chickpeas are a viable legume for personal use, though yield per plant is modest next to bush beans.
Notable varieties
| Cultivar | Type | Days | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kabuli (cream) | open pollinated | 100 | Large cream-colored chickpea, the hummus and falafel variety. Multiple commercial cultivars (UC-15, Sierra, Sanford) share the type. Slightly later than desi, prefers warmer growing conditions. Zones 5-10. |
| Desi (small dark) | open pollinated | 90 | Small angular brown or black seeds, the type that becomes chana dal (split) in Indian cooking. Higher fiber, slightly nuttier flavor. More drought-tolerant and earlier than kabuli. The dominant chickpea in India. |
| Black Kabuli (Ceci Neri) | heirloom | 110 | Italian heirloom from Puglia, large black-coated chickpeas. Sweet rich flavor, holds shape well in soups. Pre-modern variety, available through heritage seed catalogs. |