To evaluate the impact of desiccation timing on chickpea yield and grain quality.

Differences between treatments for crop discolouration and leaf drop were relatively minor. All treatments except Crucial alone and Gramoxone significantly increased % crop discolouration compared to the Untreated. Only Crucial + Ally and Crucial + Sharpen + Ally significantly increased % leaf drop compared to the Untreated. There was no difference between treatments for impact on stem dry down (stem snapping) with the Untreated and all treatments recording 100% at all 3 harvests. 

There was no significant impact from desiccant treatments on yield or grain quality. Grain from application timing 3 had significantly increased % grain moisture due to a 19mm rain event between application and harvest. Visual grain grading did not show any significant impact from desiccant treatment. 

Seed germination levels were very poor with Untreated seed only averaging ~50% (range of 44-60%). There was no consistent impact from desiccant treatments at application timings 1 and 2. However all desiccant treatments significantly reduced % germination compared to the Untreated at application timing 3. The results suggest an impact from the rain event that occurred after application 3. 

In this situation, application of desiccant treatments at ~70% grain maturity had little or no impact on yield, grain quality or visual grain assessment. The results suggest that rain events between desiccation application and harvest may reduce seed germination. This result should be tested with additional work as it could have a major bearing on seed retention and possibly chemical residues.