Cicer includes 22 species distributed in the Mediteranean and
west and central Asia.
In Asia Minor and Egypt, they occur only in the wild state.
Cicer soongaricum is cultivated in parts of the western Himalayas
Grains of the two wild species, C.Pinnatifidum Jaub and Spach
and G.monberii Jaub and spach are tiny; those of the former have
angular seeds with minute spines on the testa, while the grains of the
latter have a smooth testa.
Plant Habit
In general chickpea is characterised by a semi prostrate bushy plant
habit and by single flowers per peduncle and low numbers (1-2) of seed
per pod.
Genotypes producing the flowers per peduncle exist and lines with
upto five ovules per pod have been identified.
These characters open exciting prospects in chickpea breeding, since,
they offer an opportunity to redesign the canopy structure and to develop
prolificacy of reproductive sinks per plant and per node. The use of
tall erect types would facilitate harvesting, both by hand and by mechanical
methods. The possibility exists that redesigning the canopy type and
the agronomic system may result in substantial yield increases.
Cicer arietinum L. is an herbaceous annual branching close to the
ground.
Some varieties are semi-erect with a main stem and only a few branches
while others are semi-spreading types with profuse branching.
Under good conditions, the plant grows to a height of 20 to 45 cm,
bearing a tap root 15 to 30 cm long with about four rows of lateral
roots.
Being generally tolerant to drought, the plant is known to thrive
in the winter cold and dew. All parts of the plant are covered with
glandular hair.
Stem
The main stem is rounded and sometimes divaricates from the base.
The branches are usually quadrangular, ribbed green and densely clothed
with glandular hair.
The hair stocks comprise a row of cells, the terminal cell being
fairly large, oval and hyaline.
Leaves
Glandular trichomes over leaves
They are pinnate or odd-pinnate, rigid, alternate and compound,
each having leaflets varying from 11 to 18 in number according
to the variety; stipulate and strongly veined, serrated and varying
in size and colour, the stipules being also toothed and furrowed
on the upper surface.
The leaflets are opposite or sub-opposite, rarely, alternate,
normally about 6 mm long and 4 mm broad, ovate and acute, being
covered with glandular hair they are somewhat sticky, pinnate,
reticulate and without stipules.
Due to the secretion of glands the dew collected over the leaves
is acidic.
Flowers
They are typically papilionaceous, zygomorphic, solitary, axillary
and polypetalous, with a vexillary aestivation.
The flowers are borne on short jointed peduncles arising from the
leaf axil and are situated opposite to the leaves.
The calyx-tube is oblique, gamosepalous, lanceolate and densely covered
with glandular hair; persistant with an anterior, two lateral and two
posterior sub-connate, sub-lanceolate lobes.
The corolla is varying in colour, the standard petal being obovate
with a number of colour forking veins running from the centre to the
edge of the petal.
The wings are almost half as broad as the standard petal, clawed
and spurred.
The keels are nearly half as broad as the wings and are clawed and
free.
The stamens are ten (9+1) in number, the anthers being bi-celled,
orange coloured and basifixed.
The ovary is superior, sessile and oval with a terminal, slightly
bent style and a blunt knob-like stigma.
The floral formula for Cicer is K(5) C2+2+1 A(9+1) G1 or C^5 Coz2+2+1
S9+1P1.
In most types there is only a single flowered pedicel, but double-flowered
pedicels are also rarely found.
Occurrence of double flowers and polycarpy has also been reported.
In the double-flowered pedicels the lower flower is abnormal, wherein
buds appear later than the normal one but expose their sexual organs
earlier.
The sepals increase in number upto 9 and become almost petaloid.
The petals also increase in number upto 7, not forming a flower.
The stamens have been found to increase in number upto 16 and present
a polyadelphous condition. Whereas, tricarpellary and pentacarpellary
apocarpous pistils have also been reported
The following interesting forms of carpels have been recorded by
Singh and Mehta (1955):
(i) Monocarpellary ovary
(a) Stigma single terminal
(b) Stigma bifid
(ii) Bicarpellary
(a) Apocarpous
(b)Both the carpels fused at the base but free above
(iii) Tricarpellary ovary
(a) Two carpels as in ii (b) and one alone
(b) All the three separate
(iv) Tetracarpellary ovary
(a) Four separate carpels
(b) Forming two pairs, each pair representing the condition as in ii (b)
(c) With bifid stigma.
(v) Pentacarpellary apocarpous ovary
(vi) Apparently polycarpellary;
sometimes pedicels of two or more flowers fuse together and give
the flower a polycarpellary appearance; infloresence looks like a corymb.
The colour of the flowers is a varietal character; it may be white,
greenish white or with various shades of pink or blue. The pink flowers
fade to blue as they wither.
Floral Biology
Anthesis And Pollination
The effect of selfing, emasculation and crossing, advocating the
removal of petals by the forceps during emasculation, and covering the
emasculated bud with a muslin bag.
Anthesis and pollination in the Bengal gram under Coimbatore conditions
shown that
(a) cleistogamy occurred in Cicer ,
(b) all the flowers opening on the first day did not open on the second
day,
(c) the time of active blooming was 9 to 10 a.m. on the first day and
that in a summer crop most of the flowers opened at about 2 p.m.,
(d) the process of closing was more gradual than that of opening
(e) the petals opened and closed much earlier on the second day of their
opening, and
(f) the total period which a flower remained open was less on the second
day of opening.
They also found that anther dehiscence and pollination occurred one
day before the opening of flower, and that there was hardly and cross
pollination, not withstanding the fact that the pollen grains were viable
at the time of flower opening.
Further that the flowers, petals need not be removed during emasculation,
and that muslin or tissue paper bags accerated the shedding of flowers.
Flower and pods setting in Cicer,
(a) the average number of flower opening on the day was five per plant,
the maximum being 12,
(b) the flowers opened once to thrice in three successive days a large
number opening only twice,
(c) the duration of opening was 7 to 15 hours, the closing being comparatively
faster towards sunset,
(d) no cleistogamous flowers were observed, and that
(e) the early maturing types yielded fairly well.
Opening And Closing Of Flowers
The majority of buds commenced opening beween 8 to 11 a.m, irrespective
of the type.
A few buds, however, opened later, a solitary one opening as late
as between 3 and 4 p.m.
It was observed that the period required for the opening of flowers
and for the closing of flowers differed with the different varieties
of Cicer.
Some of the buds did not at all open even once.
Pod Formation
The range of flowering can, in general, be taken to be 18 days.
Fruit
It is as inflated legume, containing either one or two seeds attached
to the ventral suture.
The seeds vary in size, are beaked, round, semi-round wrinkled or
semi-wrinkled in shape and exalbuminous.
The seed-coat is either brown, light brown, fawn, yellow, orange,
white or green, one of the surfaces being slightly roughened by minute
raised lines.
The testa is comparatively thicker than the tegmen, which is whitish,
thin and membranous.
The cotyledons are yellow as in the brown, yellow, reddish brown
or black coloured seeds, pale yellow in the white, light fawn and orange
and hypogeal.
The seed-coat may be smooth, puckered, granular or tuberculate.
In peninsular region the vegetative growth ceased by
48-50 days, but in cooler regions of North India this period extends
upto 76-80 days.
Since, chickpea is indeterminate addition of dry matter
in the vegetative structures continues even after the onset of reproductive
growth.
Period of ineffective flowering (transition period between
vegetative and reproductive periods) in regions of higher temperatures
(South India) is absolutely negligible or zero but this period may go
upto 48-50 days in cooler regions.
There is very little difference (7-10 days) in reproductive
duration irrespective of prevailing climate.
Pod number increased as dry matter and leaf area started
to decline, there was no further increase in pod number.
The pod wall was the first to develop and more dry weight
accumulated here than in the seeds during the first 15-17 days after
anthesis.
There was a rapid addition of dry matter in the seeds
starting about the time of growth of the pod wall ceased.
In the early cultivars, which were suited to peninsular
India, the addition of drymateer in the seed continued upto 35-40 days.
Pods of small-seeded cultivars tended to reach physiological
maturity earlier. There was a decline in pod number per node, wieght
per pod, seed number per pod and / or weight per seed in late-formed
pods.
The harvest indices is of around 50 for chickpea
in peninsular India.
Morphology and Growth
