Bahawalpur-Chana-21; a Newly Released Desi Chickpea Variety Enhancing the Existing Yield Potential

Abstract

Bahawalpur-Chana-21 is a recently approved desi chickpea cultivar high with superior productivity potential notable resistance to drought. It received approval from the Punjab Seed Council in 2021 for widespread cultivation in both under irrigated conditions rainfed areas of Southern Punjab. This cultivar was developed by means of local selection and employed of Single-row selection approach during later stages of breeding at the Regional Agricultural Research Institute, Bahawalpur, Pakistan.Bahawalpur-Chana-21 demonstrates a good average yield potential of 4175 Kg ha⁻¹, reaches 50% flowering in 100–105 days, and attains 90% pod maturity in 140–150 days. The seeds are bold, with 2 seeds per pod, a 100-seed weight of 28–30 g, 85–105 pods per plant, a plant height of 65–70 cm, and off-white grain color. In terms of quality, the variety has high protein content (22.05%), with desirable ash (4.77%) and crude fat (3.32%) levels.The variety shows excellent yield performance when sown in October at a seed rate of 25–30 kg acre⁻¹ and a fertilizer regime of 90-100-0 Kg NPK ha⁻¹. Trials under both rainfed and irrigated conditions confirmed its drought tolerance, indicating that its adoption is likely to enhance the yield potential of desi chickpea at farmers’ fields in Southern Punjab.