Chickpea seed mass influences agronomical performance: a case for seed heteromorphism?

Abstract Cicer arietinum L. is a major food legume across the globe. However, the yield of legume crops appears to have reached a plateau in developing countries where yield is often impacted by poor crop establishment. Therefore, seed physiological characteristics (specific to the cultivars/landraces adapted to various regions of the world) and their impacts on plantlet establishment and performance should be investigated. This study determined the effect of seed size on germination, plant development and agronomic performance in Cuba. Biochemical parameters were also evaluated for up to 21 d of growth. The results showed that seeds of the largest mass (89 ± 3 mg, group 3) showed more rapid germination, emergence and plant growth than the other tested mass categories. This trend was sustained until plant maturity where group 3 seeds also generated the highest yields. Differences were also noted in the antioxidant profiles in developing plants with the highest levels of SOD and PER found in plants generated from seeds with the smallest mass (55 ± 3 mg per seed, group 1). The above findings raise the questions as to whether seeds of chickpea display heteromorphic behavior, however, further studies are required.