Book excerpt: The chickpea is an ancient crop that is still important in both developed and developing nations. This authoritative account by international experts covers all aspects of chickpea breeding and management, and the integrated pest management and biotechnology applications that are important to its improvement. With topics covered including origin and taxonomy, ecology, distribution and genetics, this book combines the many and varied research issues impacting on production and utilization of the chickpea crop on its journey from paddock to plate.