The summer of 1997 was excellent for chickpea production. Growers had reasonable yields, high quality and no disease. The combination of seed demand plus some commercial sales kept prices up to a reasonable level. So we will go into the spring of 1998 with virtually unlimited supplies of seed for both kabuli and desi types. Chickpea adaptation in Saskatchewan is best in the Brown and Dark Brown soil zones.
Chickpea is highly indeterminate with a rooting depth similar to spring wheat.
This means that if the soil does not dry out by the end of the growing season, the plants will stay green and continue to grow until moisture reserves are depleted or until the plants freeze. So, as you move northeast in Saskatchewan, chickpea becomes less adapted. As you move northeast, the risk of early frost relative to maturity increases, so it becomes more difficult to produce top quality. At this stage in the development of the crop, chickpea may receive a market discount as a feed, so quality is a major consideration. The maturity factor is especially important for kabuli types in comparison to desi types.