Cicer arietinum Twist

The chickpea Twist is a bushy annual vegetable plant that grows to a height of 40 to 50 cm (16 to 20in). This Twist variety is semi-late, hardy, less prone to diseases and lodging. Each plant produces 30 to 40 short and villous pods typically containing 2 beige-coloured seeds, measuring 7 to 9 mm (0in) in diameter, round to angular. Chickpeas are more commonly grown in our southern regions. They are a low water and nutrient-demanding plant that thrives in deep, well-drained soils, preferably calcareous (pH 6.5 to 8). They are sown from December to February in the southeast, and from February to March-April in the southwest and further north. Harvest begins in July.

The origin of the chickpea, in Latin Cicer arietinum, is in the Middle East and Eastern Mediterranean, where wild varieties still exist. It belongs to the Fabaceae family, like its relatives peas and beans. It is an herbaceous annual plant with an upright and branched habit. Its leaves are compound, consisting of 5 to 7 pairs of villous leaflets with dentate margins. Chickpea flowers are solitary, of the "papilionaceous" type, reaching 1.2 cm (1in) in length. They have white or pinkish-purple to violet petals, depending on the varieties. The fruit is a small inflated and rounded pod, reaching 3 cm (1in) in length and 1.5 cm (1in) in width, yellow in colour, covered with a fuzz. Each pod contains one to two globular seeds, bossed, ending in points, with a rough or smooth surface depending on the selections. The dry seeds are beige, more or less light in colour.

Twist chickpea thrives in drought and high temperatures. For uniform seedling emergence, the ideal soil temperature is around 15°C (59°F), although chickpeas begin to grow as soon as the soil reaches 5°C (41°F). The temperature for optimal growth is around 20°C (68°F). It is sensitive to humidity and cold, making it well adapted to our southern regions.

Harvest

Chickpeas are harvested between three and four months after sowing, often starting in July when the pods have turned brown and are almost dry.

Storage

Chickpeas can be stored, once fully dry, in an airtight jar, protected from light.

Gardener's tip

Peas, like all plants in the Fabaceae family, enrich the soil with nitrogen through nodules on their roots. They are part of a four-year crop rotation. Peas are low-nutrient-demanding plants.