Protein-rich food resources are garnering more interest in Europe as an alternative protein source, especially in modern diets (vegetarians, vegans, healthy diets). Legumes have become more attractive for agronomists, especially with their nitrogen-fixing ability and the following implications on the cereal–legume crop rotation in terms of lowering nitrogen demands and sustaining soil health. In Hungary, chickpea cultivation is not documented nowadays, and the possibility of cultivating chickpea as a second crop in the summer after harvesting and before sowing winter wheat is not yet studied. Moreover, whether supplemental irrigation can enhance the physiological and, hence, the seed yield and/or quality under the well-documented drought conditions in the country is not clear. An experiment was carried out in 2024 at the experimental garden of the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences and Environmental Management of the University of Debrecen, with the aim of analyzing the physiological response of three chickpea varieties sown in the summer after wheat harvesting in comparison with the traditional sowing date in spring under supplemental irrigation conditions. The results showed that supplemental irrigation significantly increased leaf area index (LAI), normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), and biomass in the “Elmo” variety only. Plant height, LAI, NDVI, biomass, and flower number per plant were significantly higher in all three varieties sown in spring. However, the number of pods per plant and photosynthetic pigment content (chlorophyll-a, chlorophyll-b, and total carotenoids) did not differ significantly between the two sowing dates. Moreover, the number of days until flowering decreased significantly in all three varieties sown late. It could be concluded that supplemental irrigation for chickpea in the studied area might be unnecessary, regardless of sowing date. The possibility of the late sowing of chickpea seems promising, as the number of pods, one of the main yield component traits, was not affected by the late sowing date.

Acknowledgements: Implemented and supported by National Research, Development and Innovation Fund (Project no. MEC-R 149328) and the Publication Science Support Program of the University of Debrecen.