SUPERIORITY OF WINTER SOWING OVER TRADITIONAL SPRING SOWING OF CHICKPEA IN THE MEDITERRANEAN REGION

Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.), when traditionally grown as a spring-so wn crop in the Mediterranean region, often suffers from heat and moist ure stress, resulting in low and unstable yields. In contrast, sowing the crop in winter with cultivars tolerant to cold and to ascochyta bl ight [caused by Phoma rabiei (Pass.) Khune & J.N. Kapoor; syn. Ascochy ta rabiei (Pass.) Lab.] minimizes the effects of terminal heat and dro ught stress and increases and stabilizes productivity. Therefore, a st udy was conducted with the objective of assessing the comparative seed yield advantage of winter over spring sowing in Mediterranean environ ments. Nineteen to 23 ascochyta blight-resistant and cold-tolerant bre eding lines were compared in winter and spring sowing for 10 yr (1983- 1993) at three locations in Syria and Lebanon. The set of lines used i n this study differed each year. Averaged over 10 yr, winter-sown chic kpea produced 70% (692 kg ha(-1)) more seed yield than the spring-sown crop. The longer growing period of winter-sown chickpea resulted in h igher biomass production, which contributed mainly toward increased se ed yield. The yield potential of lines sown during winter was approxim ately 4000 kg ha(-1), and yields were more stable than in the spring-s own crop. The correlation between seasonal rainfall and seed yield was positive and significant in both seasons. In 1988-1989, when the Tel Hadya site experienced severe drought, the spring-sown crop resulted i n virtually no seed yield, whereas the winter-sown crop produced an av erage yield of 542 kg ha(-1) by a partial escape of the severe drought . Winter-sown plants were taller than those in the spring sowing, perm itting harvesting by combines. Because of these advantages, winter sol ving of chickpea is gaining popularity in the Mediterranean region.