Building Resilient Chickpea Systems Through Intercropping and Soil Microbiome Dynamics

Commodities

Practices

Building Resilient Chickpea Systems Through Intercropping and Soil Microbiome Dynamics

Chickpea's indeterminate growth habit supports recovery and continued flowering after adverse conditions, providing resilience in regions with extended growing seasons. In shorter growing seasons, however, favorable conditions can extend flowering into the harvest window resulting in uneven maturity, delayed harvest, and reduced seed quality. These challenges restrict production to drier regions of North Dakota and increase economic risk for growers.

The few regional studies that have been evaluated chickpea intercropping have primarily focused on disease (e.g., chickpea-flax systems and Ascochyta blight). The effects of intercropping on chickpea maturity and soil microbial communities remain poorly understood in the Northern Great Plains (NGP). The soil microbiome plays a central role in nutrient cycling, plant development, and stress response, making it a key but underexplored driver of crop performance. Understanding how intercropping shapes microbial communities may reveal mechanisms that improve maturity synchronization and system resilience.

This project will evaluate chickpea grown as a monoculture and intercropped with canola, flax, and oat. Monoculture plots of each crop and bare (fallow) control plots, will provide a baseline for microbial community composition. A randomized complete block design with three replications will be implemented at two North Dakota locations (Hettinger and Minot). Field data will include phenology, maturity progression, and yield. Maturity progression will be quantified using a Reproductive Transition Index (RTI) to capture the shift from flowering to pod dominance. Disease incidence (e.g., Ascochyta blight) will also be recorded. Field trials and soil sampling for the 2026 growing season are supported through existing funding. Soil samples collected in 2027-2028, along with archived 2026 samples, will undergo bacterial and fungal sequencing to characterize microbial communities.

Project outcomes include:

1. Identification of intercropping systems that improve chickpea maturity progression and align crop development with shorter growing seasons
2. Characterization of soil microbial community shifts associated with intercropping
3. Better understanding of how microbiome-driven processes relate to chickpea crop performance

Mixed model and ecological statistical analyses will link maturity progression, yield, and microbial community structure. Success will be measured by identifying systems that improve maturity, maintain or increase seed yield, and demonstrate beneficial shifts in soil microbial communities.

Results will provide farmers with practical, region-specific recommendations for chickpea intercropping systems that improve harvest predictability, reduce input dependence, and increase return per acre. By integrating agronomic and microbiome insights, this project supports adoption of more resilient and sustainable cropping systems in the NGP.

The primary audience for this project includes pulse crop producers and crop advisors in the Northern Great Plains, with a targeted emphasis on North Dakota chickpea growers.

Learning Outcomes:
Producers and advisors will increase their knowledge of how intercropping chickpea with canola, flax, or oat influences chickpea maturity progression, harvest timing, yield stability, and soil microbial communities. Participants will gain insight into the role of soil microbial communities in nutrient cycling and crop development and how intercropping can be used as a management tool to improve overall system resilience. These outcomes will be delivered via NDSU Research Extension Center field days, educational bulletins, and presentations at the Northern Pulse Growers Association and Pulse Crops Working Group meetings. Evaluations will include attendance, participation, and post-event surveys measuring changes in knowledge, awareness, and confidence in applying intercropping strategies.

Action Outcomes:
Producers will evaluate and adopt chickpea intercropping systems to improve harvest predictability and reduce production risk. Expected actions include adjusting seeding strategies, incorporating intercrops into rotations, and using soil microbial indicators to inform management decisions. Findings will be incorporated into extension programming and industry recommendations. These outcomes will be measured through follow-up surveys assessing intended and actual practice changes, documentation of on-farm trials or adoption, and continued stakeholder engagement.

These outcomes support the adoption of more resilient, efficient, and biologically-informed chickpea production systems across the region.