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The responses of some chickpea cultivars to drought with and without supplementary irrigation, and to different sowing dates from early November to late March were investigated in split plot and split , spilt plot designs . The response of a collection of chickpea cultivars to rainfed conditions in Karaj region was also studied. The results showed that the period between 6th November to 6th December is the best time for sowing chickpea, as the plants being ble to resist low temperatures of —10°C and utilizing the winter and early spring rainfall can complete their main growth stages. However, the spring portion of rainfall is as low as it caises a significa.-it decrease in grain yield, which can be compensated for by two supplementary irrigations. A considerable varietal differences in response to rainfed conditions were revealed through the study of a collection of 1164 lines and its 26 selected lines grown in a yield comparison experiment