Growing chickpea
Cicer arietinum · also called ChanaA winter pulse sown after the rains on light, well drained soil. It needs little water, fixes its own nitrogen and dislikes frost, heavy rain and wet feet.
North-west plains: Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, western Uttar Pradesh
At a glance
Chickpea in the North-west plains
Across India
When to sow it
Twelve growing regions, January to December. Your region comes first.
Sow now
The window here is 25 October to 10 November.
- Sow
- Harvest
- Today
- Not suited here
Compare all 12 regionsShow fewer regions
See the dates as a table
| Region | Sow | Nursery | Transplant | Harvest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North-west plains | 10 to 25 October25 October to 10 November | April | ||
| Temperate Himalaya | Not suited here | |||
| Cold desert | Not suited here | |||
| Sub-tropical foothills | Mid to end of October | Late March to April | ||
| Gangetic plains | Late October to November | March to early April | ||
| North-east hills and valleys | Late October to November | Late February to March | ||
| Arid west | October to early November | Late February to March | ||
| Central plateau | Late October to November | Late February to March | ||
| Deccan plateau | 20 September to 10 October20 October to 10 NovemberFirst week of December | January to February | ||
| South interior | November | February | ||
| West coast | Not suited here | |||
| East coast | November | February | ||
From seed to harvest
One season, day by day
Days from sowing
Before sowing
Well rotted farmyard manure2Part of this comes from the sources cited. The rest is an AI suggestion.
5 to 10 tonnes per hectare · Spread and mix in during ploughing (AI suggestion) · field preparation
Day 0
Sow
Mesorhizobium (LGR-33) and Rhizobacterium (RB-1) biofertilisers
One packet of each per acre of seed · Moisten the seed with a little water, mix in both packets, dry in the shade and sow within an hour
Day 5 to 10
Seeds come up1,2,3Part of this comes from the sources cited. The rest is an AI suggestion.
Where water is available, give one heavy irrigation before sowing (rauni) for deep rooting. Give one more between mid-December and end of January, never earlier than 4 weeks after sowing, and later if rain comes. Too much water gives leaf, not grain. Do not irrigate gram sown after rice on heavy soil, except on raised beds under stress at pod initiation.2
What it needs
Soil, sun and warmth
Soil pH1,2,5Part of this comes from the sources cited. The rest is an AI suggestion.
6 to 8
Well drained, light to medium textured soil; MPKV asks for medium to deep soil, 45 to 60 cm deep. Saline, alkaline and waterlogged soils do not suit it. It needs no fine tilth, but loose, airy soil cuts wilt and raises the yield.
SunlightNo published guide covers this for the North-west plains, so this is an AI suggestion. Check it with local advice before you rely on it.
At least 6 hours a day
Full sun. An open field with no shade from taller crops or trees.
Temperature1,2,5Part of this comes from the sources cited. The rest is an AI suggestion.
Grows best at 15 to 25 °C
Frost: none tolerated.
Monthly temperatures for the North-west plains aren't in the library yet.
Water and feeding
Watering2
Where water is available, give one heavy irrigation before sowing (rauni) for deep rooting. Give one more between mid-December and end of January, never earlier than 4 weeks after sowing, and later if rain comes. Too much water gives leaf, not grain. Do not irrigate gram sown after rice on heavy soil, except on raised beds under stress at pod initiation.
Weeding2
One or two hoeings, ideally with a wheel hand hoe, at 30 and 60 days after sowing.
| When | What | How much | How |
|---|---|---|---|
| field preparation | Well rotted farmyard manure | 5 to 10 tonnes per hectare | Spread and mix in during ploughing (AI suggestion) |
| just before sowing | Mesorhizobium (LGR-33) and Rhizobacterium (RB-1) biofertilisers | One packet of each per acre of seed | Moisten the seed with a little water, mix in both packets, dry in the shade and sow within an hour |
Varieties and yield
15 to 22 quintals a hectare
Yields vary with the plot, the seed and the season.
PBG 10
Desi, irrigated, across Punjab; bold seed; moderately resistant to Ascochyta blight and grey mould
PBG 8
Desi, irrigated, except the humid districts; moderately resistant to grey mould
PBG 7
Desi, irrigated, across Punjab; moderately resistant to Ascochyta blight
PBG 5
Desi, irrigated, humid districts (Gurdaspur, Hoshiarpur, Ropar and others)
GPF 2
Desi, irrigated, except the humid districts
PDG 4
Desi, rainfed, except the humid districts
L 552
Kabuli, creamy white bold seed; irrigated, except the humid districts
Pests and diseases2
Organic and cultural controls only.
Termite
Signs
Attacks seedlings and plants near maturity. Damaged plants dry up and pull out easily. Worse in light soils.
Gram caterpillar (pod borer)
Signs
Caterpillars feed on leaves, flower buds, flowers, pods and the grains inside.
What to do
- Grow PAU tolerant varieties
- Sow two rows of linseed, 30 cm apart, after every 20 rows of gram
- Pheromone traps, 2 an acre, to watch moth activity
- Homemade neem extract, 1750 mL an acre in 80 to 100 litres of water, at flowering
- At 16 or more caterpillars per 100 plants, spray a Bt or HaNPV biological product
Ascochyta blight (chaanani)
Signs
Dark brown spots with black dots in rings on stems, branches, leaflets and pods. Cool, cloudy, wet weather spreads it fast.
What to do
- Grow PBG 10, PBG 7 or PBG 5
- Destroy diseased plants after harvest
- Sow clean, healthy seed
Grey mould
Signs
Water-soaked spots turn dark brown; fuzzy white growth and soft rot on flowers, tips and pods in humid weather.
What to do
- Sow clean, healthy seed
- Grow PBG 10 or PBG 8
- Destroy infected debris after harvest
Wilt
Signs
Leaf stalks droop and leaves turn dull green, then yellow and straw coloured. Roots show dark brown to black streaks inside.
What to do
- Grow tolerant varieties such as PBG 10, PBG 8, PBG 7, GPF 2, PDG 4, PBG 5 or L 552
- Conserve soil moisture in rainfed fields
- Avoid early sowing
Stem rot
Signs
The main stem rots at soil level under white fungal growth with black specks. Worse in cool, moist weather.
What to do
- Sow seed free of the black fungal bodies
- Sow from 25 October to 10 November
- Destroy diseased debris after harvest
- In May or June, plough deep and flood the field
- Rotate with wheat or barley
Foot rot
Signs
Brown lesions at the collar turn black and girdle the stem and tap root.
What to do
- Sow from 25 October to 10 November
- Rotate with wheat or barley
Seed and the season's end
Saving seed1,2Part of this comes from the sources cited. The rest is an AI suggestion.
Keep seed from a healthy, true to type plot. Leave out plants that wilted or carried blight.
When the seed is ready
Pods turn straw coloured and the plants dry up. The seed rattles in the pod.
Cleaning the seed
Cut the plants, dry them in the sun, then thresh and clean the seed.
Dry the seed well and store it in sealed bins or bags in a cool, dry place, away from storage beetles.
After the last picking2
Cut at the base and leave the roots in the soil. Destroy diseased debris soon after harvest. Follow with a cereal or with summer moong.
Cut the plants 4 to 5 cm above the ground with a sickle; do not uproot them, so the roots stay in the soil. Destroy diseased plants and stubble after harvest, and plough deep soon after.
Rotation
Rotate with cereals to check soil-borne diseases: sorghum or bajra then gram, rice or maize then gram, or rice, gram and summer moong. Where wilt or dry root rot is bad, keep chickpea off that field for at least three years.
Sources
Where this comes from
Our team has checked this guide against the sources at the end of the page.Reviewed by our team on 13 November 2026.
These published guides are the sources. Where none of them covers a detail for this region, the page shows an AI suggestion and labels it.
- Package of Practices for Crops of Punjab, Rabi 2025-26 (Gram)Punjab Agricultural University, LudhianaRead the source
- Agriculture: Pulses: Bengal gramTNAU Agritech Portal, Tamil Nadu Agricultural UniversityRead the source
- Integrated Pest Management Package for ChickpeaDirectorate of Plant Protection, Quarantine and Storage, Ministry of Agriculture, with the National Centre for Integrated Pest Management (ICAR) and NIPHMRead the source
- Information about crop-wise improved varieties developed by the university: Pulses (chickpea variety sheets)Pulses Improvement Project, Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth (MPKV), RahuriRead the source
- Bengalgram Outlook Report 2025-26Agricultural Market Intelligence Centre, Acharya N G Ranga Agricultural University (ANGRAU)Read the source
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