Editing Chickpea (section)

==Heat and nutrient cultivation==

Agricultural yield for chickpeas is often based on [[Genetics|genetic]] and [[Phenotype|phenotypic]] variability, which has recently been influenced by artificial selection.<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Naghavi | first1 = M.R. | last2 = Jahansouz | first2 = M.R. | year = 2005 | title = Variation in the agronomic and morphological traits of Iranian chickpea accessions | journal = Journal of Integrative Plant Biology | volume = 47 | issue = 3| pages = 375–79 | doi = 10.1111/j.1744-7909.2005.00058.x }}</ref> The uptake of [[macronutrient]]s such as [[Inorganic compound|inorganic]] [[phosphorus]] or [[nitrogen]] is vital to the plant development of ''Cicer arietinum'', commonly known as the [[perennial plant|perennial]] chickpea.<ref name=":1" /> Heat cultivation and macronutrient coupling are two relatively unknown methods used to increase the yield and size of the chickpea. Recent research has indicated that a combination of heat treatment along with the two vital macronutrients, phosphorus and nitrogen, are the most critical components to increasing the overall yield of ''Cicer arietinum''.<ref name=":1" />

Perennial chickpeas are a fundamental source of nutrition in animal feed as they are high-energy and protein sources for livestock. Unlike other food crops, the perennial chickpea can change its nutritional content in response to heat cultivation. Treating the chickpea with a constant heat source increases its protein content almost threefold.<ref name=":1">{{cite journal | last1 = Bampidis | first1 = V.A. | last2 = Christodoulou | first2 = V. | year = 2011 | title = Chickpeas (Cicer arietinum L.) in animal nutrition: A review | journal = Animal Feed Science and Technology | volume = 168 | issue = 1–2| pages = 1–20 | doi = 10.1016/j.anifeedsci.2011.04.098 }}</ref> Consequently, the impact of heat cultivation affects the protein content of the chickpea itself and the ecosystem it supports. Increasing the height and size of chickpea plants involves using macronutrient fertilization with varying doses of inorganic phosphorus and nitrogen.<ref name=":0" />

The level of phosphorus that a chickpea seed is exposed to during its lifecycle has a positive correlation relative to the height of the plant at full maturity.<ref name=":0">{{cite journal | last1 = Mishra | first1 = U.S. | last2 = Sirothia | first2 = P. | last3 = Bhadoria | first3 = U.S. | year = 2009 | title = Effects of phosphorus nutrition on growth and yield of chickpea (''Cicer arietinum'') under rainfed conditions | journal = International Journal of Agricultural and Statistical Sciences | volume = 5 | issue = 1| pages = 85–88 }}</ref> Increasing the levels of inorganic phosphorus at all doses incrementally increases the height of the chickpea plant. Thus, the seasonal changes in phosphorus soil content, as well as periods of drought that are known to be a native characteristic of the dry Middle-Eastern region where the chickpea is most commonly cultivated, have a strong effect on the growth of the plant itself. Plant yield is also affected by a combination of phosphorus nutrition and water supply, resulting in a 12% increase in crop yield.<ref name=":0" />

Nitrogen nutrition is another factor that affects the yield of ''Cicer arietinum'', although the application differs from other perennial crops regarding the levels administered on the plant. High doses of nitrogen inhibit the yield of the chickpea plant.<ref name=":2" /> Drought stress is a likely factor that inhibits nitrogen uptake and subsequent fixation in the roots of ''Cicer arietinum''. The perennial chickpea's growth depends on the balance between nitrogen fixation and assimilation, which is also characteristic of many other agricultural plant types. The influence of drought stress, sowing date, and mineral nitrogen supply affect the plant's yield and size, with trials showing that ''Cicer arietinum'' differed from other plant species in its capacity to assimilate mineral nitrogen supply from the soil during drought stress.<ref name=":2">Wery, J., Deschamps, M., & Leger-Cresson, N. (1988). Influence of some agroclimatic factors and agronomic practices on nitrogen nutrition of chickpea (''Cicer arietinum'' L.). Developments in Plants and Soil Sciences, 32: 287–301.</ref> Additional minerals and micronutrients make the absorption process of nitrogen and phosphorus more available. Inorganic [[phosphate]] [[ion]]s are generally attracted towards charged minerals such as iron and aluminium [[oxide]]s.<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Hinsinger | first1 = P | year = 2001 | title = Bioavailability of soil inorganic P in the rhizosphere as affected by root-induced chemical changes: A review | journal = Plant and Soil | volume = 237 | issue = 2| pages = 173–95 | doi = 10.1023/A:1013351617532 | bibcode = 2001PlSoi.237..173H | s2cid = 8562338 }}</ref>

Additionally, growth and yield are also limited by the [[micronutrients]] [[zinc]] and [[boron]] deficiencies in the soil. Boron-rich soil increased chickpea yield and size, while soil fertilization with zinc seemed to have no apparent effect on the chickpea yield.<ref>Johnson, S.E., Lauren, J.G., Welch, R.M., & Duxbury, J.M. (2005). A comparison of the effects of micronutrient seed priming and soil fertilization on the mineral nutrition of chickpea (''Cicer arietinum''), lentil (''Lens culinaris''), rice (''Oryza sativa'') and wheat (''Triticum acstiyum'') in Nepal. {{page needed|date=January 2020}}</ref>