Big jump towards no-till chickpea in the Kermanshah province of Iran

Abstract

Chickpea is a valuable food crop at rainfed condition in Iran in rotation with wheat and it nutritional value makes it good source for protein and also carbohydrate, fiber, minerals and vitamins, of course it production has very lower negative impact on environment than meat and more drought tolerance than wheat, the stable food crop in Iran. FAO (2015) reported Iran as third important chickpea producers with 5% of world production but with low productivity (500-600 kg/ha). In Enhancing Food Security for Iran Project (EFSIP 2016-2021) there is a great focus to increase chickpea productivity and emphasis on no-till chickpea. At first year of EFSIP in Kermanshah province (West Iran) performance of no-till chickpea in warm and moderate cold innovation platforms (IPs) and dissemination fields (DFs) amazed the participating farmers in field days. Yield difference between no-till chickpea and conventional one in warm IP and in a dissemination field in moderate cold area were 48 % ( 900 kg/ha) and 88% (1536 kg/ha), respectively.