Mineral profile and resilience to low water provision of white and black chickpea varieties (Cicer arietinum)

Legumes are of great importance for agriculture and the environment due to their ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen, providing important amounts of minerals, and vitamins, being are an excellent option for a balanced diet (Geraldo et al., 2022). Among the most consumed legumes worldwide, chickpeas (Cicer arietinum) have gained evidence in these past decades, through increased individual production, intercropping with other crops, and formulation of food products, thus improving the resilience of agroecosystems at lower environmental costs (Saget et al., 2020). However, the exploitation of traditional chickpea varieties, such as the black chickpea, has been overlooked, and the recovery of under-exploited traditional varieties could contribute to foster biodiversity, promote environmental sustainability and diversify diets. However, current knowledge on the nutritional profile of commercial and traditional chickpea varieties and their resilience to environmental stresses, such as water scarcity, is very limited, being the focus of this work.