Tehran – Forage chickpea is expected to become a major component of rainfed crop rotations due to its superior yield, a leading researcher announced.

 

Farhad Ahakpaz, head of the Forage Plants Research Department at Iran's Dryland Agricultural Research Institute, said forage chickpea outperforms other rainfed fodder crops such as grass pea and vetch in biomass production per hectare.

 

"On leading farms, fresh forage yield reaches 25 to 30 tons per hectare, with dry matter ranging from 8 to 10 tons," he said.

 

Ahakpaz highlighted significant water-saving potential. "Annual alfalfa irrigation in the Lake Urmia basin consumes 700 million to one billion cubic meters of water. Shifting to rainfed forage legumes like chickpea could greatly reduce water usage and boost hopes for the lake's revival," he explained.