27.03.2026

Chickpea, a high-quality protein source, is still rarely cultivated in Austrian agriculture, although its high drought tolerance would make it a suitable alternative crop in the eastern arid growing regions, where climate change increasingly causes drought stress. Most European countries, including Austria, are still heavily dependent on imports, with access to chickpea varieties that are adapted to local environmental conditions being limited. In this study, 24 different foreign chickpea varieties of both the Kabuli and the Desi types were grown and assessed in a field trial in the arid Austrian growing region Marchfeld in 2023. The varieties differed in phenotypical appearance, plant development, yield, yield components, and chemical composition of the harvested material. Measured yield at normalized 86% dry matter content ranged between 16 and 24 dt/ha, with the three highest yielding varieties being of the Kabuli type. Protein content ranged from 19.2% to 23.0%. Seeds from varieties of the Kabuli type displayed a higher total saccharide content, whereas those of the Desi type exhibited a higher polyphenol content. The findings from our field trial suggest that chickpea holds promise as a viable alternative crop for dry regions in Eastern Austria. Keywords: chickpea, drought tolerance, climate change adaptation, plant-based protein, variety characteristics