The study aimed to assess and identify high-yielding chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) cultivars resistant to abiotic stresses and adapted to the arid conditions of West Kazakhstan. With moisture deficit conditions, frosts, high temperatures, and low soil fertility, it was crucial to select the genotypes with high ecological plasticity and stable productivity. The experimental studies, carried out during 2021–2024 at the Ural Agricultural Experimental Station, Kazakhstan, used the methodology of ecological variety testing. The following research involved a comprehensive evaluation of 50 chickpea genotypes based on yield-related traits, drought resistance, and disease resistance. The results highlighted that the chickpea cultivars Akzhol, Privo 1, G’ 97-121, G’ 97-60, and F 97-50 exceeded the standard cultivar Jubilee in yield by 0.21–0.25 t/ha. The study also recommended the cultivar Akzhol for state cultivar testing. The results authenticated the selection of promising chickpea genotypes under the arid and environmental conditions of West Kazakhstan.
Chickpea (C. arietinum L.), adaptation, drought, grain yield, selection, economically valuable traits, West Kazakhstan
The four-year ecological cultivar testing (2021–2024) under arid conditions in West Kazakhstan identified the five chickpea (C. arietinum L.) cultivars Akzhol, Privo 1, G’ 97-121, G’ 97-60, and F 97-50 that consistently outperformed the standard cultivar Jubilee by 0.21–0.25 t/ha in yield. The Akzhol cultivar also showed the highest ecological adaptability and productivity and was submitted for state cultivar testing.