Researcher aims to develop chickpeas as winter cash crop in Southeast

The southeastern United States’ climate isn’t ideal for chickpeas, but a Clemson University researcher believes she can develop a variety that could serve as a winter cash crop for organic farmers in the region.

Dil Thavarajah, a professor of pulse quality and organic nutritional breeding, has received a $2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to create short-season organic chickpea cultivars suited for the Southeast.

“Chickpea is a pulse crop,” said Thavarajah, who leads the Clemson Pulse Quality and Nutritional Breeding Program. “Pulse crops are a significant source of plant-based protein, making them healthy for humans to eat. They also improve soil health and provide nitrogen benefits for cropping systems.”

The project aims to develop chickpea cultivars with high protein quality, good digestibility, improved flavor and acceptable milling quality for organic production. Key objectives include establishing an organic breeding pipeline for chickpeas, creating a genomic prediction system for mapping traits, and developing educational and Extension activities through Clemson’s “Going Organic” platform, industry partners, eOrganic resources and consumers.

Graduate and undergraduate courses will also be created as part of the initiative.

In addition to Thavarajah, other researchers involved in the project are Clemson geneticist Stephen Kresovich and USDA Agriculture Research Service geneticist George Vandemark. Growers participating are Glenn Roberts, founder of Anson Mills in Columbia, South Carolina, and Rollen Chalmers of Hardeeville, South Carolina. On-farm breeding and cultivar development activities are taking place at W.P. Rawl in Pelion, South Carolina.

Chickpeas are primarily grown in Idaho, Washington, Oregon, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Colorado and California. The researchers are focused on identifying varieties that can thrive as a winter cash crop in the Southeast, replacing acreage typically left fallow or planted with cover crops.

Conventional chickpea varieties are often unsuitable for organic farming and organically grown pulse crops tend to have lower protein content, making organic pulse proteins more expensive. With rising production costs and falling commodity prices, organic farmers are seeking new crop options.

Once a suitable cultivar is developed, Cooperative Extension Service agents will provide farmers with the necessary resources to incorporate chickpeas into their crop rotations.