Experience of chickpea growing on the black earth of the Tula region

The article presents the results of the evaluating the productivity of 15 collection samples of chickpeas ( Cicer arietinum L ) of the various ecological and geographical origin, obtained from the seed Bank of the All-Russian Institute of Plant Genetic Resources N.I. Vavilov (St. Petersburg). The research was conducted in 2018-2019 on the basis of the Tula Agricultural Research Institute - branch of the Federal Research Center "Nemchinovka". A number of positive economic and biological characteristics distinguishes chickpeas from leguminous crops, such as: increased drought resistance, resistance of plants to spring frosts, resistance to lodging, high protein content in the grain. The purpose of the research was to evaluate collection samples of the chickpeas to identify genotypes that can form stable crops in the northern part of the forest-steppe zone. As a result of the research, chickpea samples with various morphological characteristics and a complex of valuable features resistant to adverse weather factors were identified. The protein content in the green mass and chickpea grain was evaluated. The highest protein content was in the green mass of the samples Central Asian 400 (15.06%) and line 125 (14.90%). The lines C-243 (27.30%), C-285 (26.50%) and C-125 (26.50%) were distinguished in terms of protein content in chickpea seeds. The phenological observations showed negative impact on the growth, development and quality of chickpea seeds of prolonged exposure of low positive temperatures and excessive moisture during the growing season. The analysis of the symbiotic activities of chickpea proved that within a year samples studying nodules were not formed on the roots of plants that indicated the absence of specific chickpea nitrogen-fixing bacteria in the soil microflora of the Tula region.