ABSTRACT

Chickpeas are worldwide in distribution. Its cropping zones occur in all the continents wherever agricultural crops flourish. Chickpeas are predominant in the temperate regions; however they are also grown in subtropics and tropics. Chickpeas were domesticated in the ‘Fertile Crescent’ region encompassing Turkey and Syria. Ladizinsky [1] contends that chickpeas originated in south-eastern Turkey and parts of Syria. Van der Maesen [2] suggests that chickpeas originated in Southern Caucasus and Northern Persia. Archaeological studies, mainly radiocarbon dating of chickpea samples found in caves of L’Abeuorador Department, Aude, Southern France indicate that wild chickpeas were used around 2700 B.C. It was domesticated during Neolithic period (3000 B.C.) in West Asia. The cultivated species of chickpeas were introduced into South Asia through human migration, trade and conquests. Geographic region comprising Afghanistan-Pakistan-India is said to harbor maximum genetic diversity for Cicer species. At present, 40 wild species of Cicer have been traced in this region. C. reticulatum is the progenitor of Cicer arietinum. So far, archeological samples of seeds found at Hacilar near Burdur in Turkey, seems historically the earliest record dated at 7500 B.C. [3]. Chickpea grains have been traced in the remains of Egyptian Pharoes dating between 1580-1100 B.C. Chickpeas are also traceable as insignia on crowns of monarchs, buildings and other articles belonging to Ancient Greek and Roman empires. The ancient Greeks called it Erbinthos, which is mentioned in Illiad of Homer (800 B.C.–1000 B.C.) (Table 1).