Sowing Date Affects the Timing and Duration of Key Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) Growth Phases

Chickpea is the main legume rotation crop within farming systems in northern New South Wales (NSW), Australia, and is grown mainly under rainfed conditions. Recent expansion of chickpea growing areas in southern and central western NSW expose them to abiotic stresses; however, knowledge about how these stresses affect overall crop development is limited. This study aimed to examine the influence of sowing time on the timing and duration of key chickpea phenological growth phases in southern and central western environments of NSW. Experiments were conducted over two years in southern NSW (Leeton, Wagga Wagga and Yanco (one year)) and central western NSW (Trangie) to identify phenology responses. Climatic, phenology and experimental site data was recorded, and the duration of growth phases and growing degree days calculated. Early sowing (mid-April) generally delayed flowering, extending the crop's vegetative period, and the progressive delay in sowing resulted in shorter vegetative and podding growth phases. All genotypes showed photoperiod sensitivity, and the mean daily temperature at sowing influenced time to emergence and to some extent crop establishment. This study concludes that environmental factors such as temperature, moisture availability and day length are the main drivers of phenological development in chickpea.