Regulated Deficit Irrigation during Vegetative Growth Enhances Crop Water Productivity in Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.)

To optimize irrigation, agronomists need to modulate crop water productivity (CWP) throughout phenology. We compared regulated deficit irrigation (RDI) and sustained (SDI) in chickpea (Cicer arietinum L. var. Blanoro), expecting RDI during vegetative growth (VG) enhance CWP, as opposed flowering (F) pod-filling (PF) stages. The effects of SDI on grain yield, plant height, weight, caliber, pods grains per plant, harvest index, were tested through a complete randomized block experiment the years 2020 2021, comparing full (FI, ETc = 100%), (SDI75, 75% all stages), six treatments varying ETc% across phenology: VG50, VG75, F50, F75, PF50, PF75. VG75 had higher CWP while minimizing impacts productivity. During 2020, plants taller (0.44 ± 4.4 m), increased index (0.47 0.06), (0.90 0.2 kg m−3) (p < 0.05), heavier (11.4 2.8 g) caliber (46.1 3.0 grains); yield did not differ between ˃ reaching 861.8 (2020) 944.7 ha−1 (2021). Our results highlight relevance maintaining 100% flowering, maintenance at growth.