Impact of climate change over the cropping years on nutritional and phytochemical compositions in chickpeas and harnessing their potential for human utility

The study investigates the proximate composition, non-nutrient phenols and mineral profile of selected chickpea cultivars. Eight cultivars, comprising of four desi (BG-3062, BG-20211, BG-1053 and K-850) and four kabuli (BG-3022, BG-2024, BG-1103, BG-1108) varieties were analyzed. The data on the proximate composition of chickpeas depicted that all cultivars had appreciable amount of protein, however, a significant difference (19.13% - 25.36%) was found between cultivars. The non-nutrient analysis showed total phenolic content (TPC) ranging from 101- 276 mg GAE/100g and total flavonoid content (TFC) from 0.100-0.173 mg/g. Phytate content varied between 579-891.6 mg/100g. Phenol and phytate content were higher in desi cultivars than in kabuli. Mineral analysis done by ICP-OES showed that newer cultivars BG-20211 had ample amounts of iron and zinc. The study also compared the nutritional profile of four established cultivars of chickpea over a 10-year (2009 and 2019) cropping interval. There were significant changes in protein and mineral content in established chickpea cultivars in both cropping years whereas TPC content was in the same order of magnitude. A significant increase in phytate content was reported in the year 2019 in three out of four established cultivars. The findings suggest that these chickpea cultivars possess diverse nutritional properties, the ability to induce biotic/abiotic stresses and to have a significant impact on climate change. This emphasizes the need for targeted breeding and agricultural practices to enhance quality and biotic/abiotic stresses in chickpeas.