This study was undertaken to evaluate the behaviour of chickpea cultivars in two regions of the State of Minas Gerais. The trials were carried out in Viçosa and Leopoldina (Zona da Mata region), and in Janaúba (northern region). The annual average temperatures between 1931-1960 in these municipalities were 19.0°C, 22.6°C, and 23.5°C, respectively. In Viçosa, a trial of five cultivars was installed on 30 April 1991. In the other two municipalities, chickpeas were sown on 16 May 1995, testing twelve cultivars. Of the genotypes studied, three belong to the "desi" group and nine to the "kabuli" group. Twenty seeds were planted per meter in rows 50 or 60 cm apart. All trials were sprinkler irrigated. Pesticides were applied for diseases and pest control in Leopoldina and Janaúba. Emergence from the soil occurred after six or nine days and from 35 to 64 days later plants began flowering, depending on cultivar and locality. Plants were harvested between 105 and 129 days after emergence. In Viçosa and Janaúba, plant height varied from 45 to 65 cm. In Viçosa, maximum yield was 2,115 kg/ha; in Janaúba and Leopoldina, 2,838 and 2,950 kg/ha, respectively. The potential yield of the two groups was similar. Among the cultivars of the kabuli group, which are commercialized in Brazil, ICCV-3, IAC México, and CNPH-2 excelled. In Janaúba, the one-hundred seed weight of these cultivars was 36, 51, and 42 g, respectively.
Cicer arietinum; days to flowering; yield; life cycle
