Chickpea Essay

Plants experience various abiotic stresses of low or elevated temperature, salt, drought, and heavy metals, as well as biotic pathogen and insect attack and sometimes simultaneously. These stresses have significant negative impact on survival, biomass production and crop yield resulting reduced productivity of crops (Amudha et al., 2011; Upchurch, 2008). In present scenario, population of the world is increasing at alarming rate and it is expected to reach 6 billion by year 2050. Farmlands are diminishing worldwide and food productivity is decreasing due to abiotic stresses. To meet the food necessities of such large population, we need a strategies to increase the production of the important crops such as cereals, pulses, etc., by developing the stress tolerant crops (Mahajan et al., 2005).

Chickpea is a cool season food legume originated in south-western Turkey and spread to other parts of the world (Ladizinsky et al., 1976). It is grown in 55 countries in South Asia, West Asia, North Africa, East Africa, Southern Europe, North and South America and Australia and traded across 140 countries. This crop is mostly grown as rain-fed, post-rainy season, winter crop in subtropical South Asia, parts of Africa and