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UVM Researcher Travels The World To Build A Better Chickpea

You probably don't often think of chickpeas — sometimes called garbanzo beans — even when you're digging into some humus. And you likely think of the wild chickpea even less. But it's the primary source of protein for about one in five people around the globe, which is why one UVM biologist is turning to wild strains of the legume to keep the chickpea population healthy.

It's a difficult crop to grow, it faces threats of blight and root rot and lacks robust genetic diversity. It's these challenges to the chickpea that has led Eric Bishop von Wettberg, a plant biologist at UVM, to look for answers.

He discussed with Vermont Edition the challenges the domestic chickpea faces and how he's hoping that crossing it with the wild chickpea will help the crop.

Broadcast live on Thursday, Feb. 22, 2018 at noon; rebroadcast at 7 p.m.

Ric was a producer for Vermont Edition and host of the VPR Cafe.
Jane Lindholm is the host, executive producer and creator of But Why: A Podcast For Curious Kids. In addition to her work on our international kids show, she produces special projects for Vermont Public. Until March 2021, she was host and editor of the award-winning Vermont Public program Vermont Edition.
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