ABSTRACT
Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is, together with cowpea, the second most important cultivated grain legume in the world following common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) in terms of harvested area (FAO 2010). Like other annual legumes, it is a signifi cant contributor to agricultural sustainability by improving soil fertility through N2-fi xation and, as a rotation crop, by allowing the diversifi cation of agricultural production systems (Fig. 5-1a). Among temperate pulses, chickpea is the most tolerant crop to heat and drought and is considered to be an important low-input crop in cropping systems of arid and semi-arid regions around the world (Saxena 1987).
