Project description

Chickpea is an important pulse crop with global annual production of more than 14.2 million tonnes and Australia is the world’s largest exporter of chickpeas (650,000 tonnes annually). Chickpeas are an excellent source of protein, minerals, vitamins, and health promoting fatty acids, and their high protein content means they are an excellent alternative to animal-based foods. This, together with their ability to form a symbiosis with soil bacteria to utilise atmospheric nitrogen, make them an important part of sustainable agriculture. Chickpea grows using stored soil moisture after the rainy season in India and NE Australia, or during the rainy season after spring or autumn sowing (Western and South Australia). In both situations, crops face terminal drought as seed filling occurs under increasing temperatures and decreasing soil moisture. The focus of this project is to identify chickpea cultivars that are drought tolerant and fix nitrogen symbiotically, for sustainable yields in both Australia and India.

Assumed knowledge

Basic knowledge of plants


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