Seed Viability and Yield of Chickpea (Cicer arietinum) Cultivars Threshed by Different Types of Beaters and Concaves

Abstract

Effects of different beater-as spike-tooth, lama-tooth and wire loop-, and concave- PVC and chrome- types used in threshing of Cicer arietinum L. cvs. Akcin-91, Kusmen-99 cultivars and Local variety on germination speed and power, electrical conductivity of seed leachate, field emergence, phenological growth and seed yields of autumn and spring sown chickpea under rainfed condition were investigated. The experiments were arranged in a randomized complete block design with a factorial arrangement of treatments containing three replications. Visually undamaged seeds from all threshing treatments were used in both laboratory and field experiments. No significant differences were found among beaters and concave types regarding electrical conductivity, germination speed and power and also seed yield and 100-seed weight, while chickpea genotypes were differed for all these traits. Field emergence was significantly decreased in autumn sowing, when spike-toot beater used in the stationary threshing unit. Threshing efficiency of lama-tooth beater (93.91%), which has the highest unthreshed seed rate and total seed losses, was significantly lower than that in spike-tooth (97.73%) and wire loop (96.35%). Beaters were not differed for threshing efficiency. Akcin-91 and Kusmen-99 gave higher threshing efficiency than Local variety. (C) 2013 Friends Science Publishers