Association of seed type and colour with establishment, yield and seed quality in chickpea (Cicer arietinum)

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Abstract
Using closely related inbred lines, the effects of selecting for two contrasting seed types (desi and kabuli) and colours (brown and white) were determined for a number of agronomic and seed characters in chickpea. Plant establishment was 53% higher in desi types than in kabuli types, and 20% higher in brown-seeded lines than in white-seeded lines. Increased contents of tannins in testas of brown seeds were associated with the seed colour response, whereas the difference in establishment between desi and kabuli types was probably a function of the thicker desi testa. Differences in yield due to seed type and colour reflected differences in establishment, but were smaller in magnitude.Seed type was clearly associated with testa fraction and fibre content. Desi seeds averaged 15·7% testa and 13·2% acid detergent fibre, but kabuli seeds contained only 6·7% testa and 5·6% fibre. In contrast, the crude protein content of kabuli seeds was 1·4 percentage points higher than that of desi seeds. Testa and fibre contents of brown kabuli seeds were significantly greater than those of white kabuli seeds, although the differences were smaller than those between desi and kabuli types.Decortication was satisfactory for white desi seeds, but for white kabuli seeds it gave rise to highly fragmented cotyledons which were often contaminated with attached testa. Brown kabuli seeds produced a sample of intermediate quality. It is suggested that, with some genetic improvements and processing refinements, brown kabuli genotypes could be developed as dual-purpose chickpeas, having both culinary and stockfeed uses.