Shifting the sowing time of chickpea plants from spring to autumn in arid and semi-arid regions of Iran is unavoidable. To study the feasibility of this issue, 32 desi-type chickpea genotypes were planted in Mashhad (as a temperate region) and Jolgeh Rokh (as a cold region) to screen cold-tolerant genotypes. The results revealed that 100% and 19% of the genotypes planted in Mashhad and Jolgeh Rokh had a survival range of 76–100%. MCC918 in Mashhad and MCC913 in Jolgeh Rokh had the highest height (69 and 33 cm, respectively). The highest biological yields in Mashhad and Jolgeh Rokh were found in MCC576 (1743 g m−2) and MCC207 (658 g m−2), respectively. The grain yield of 41% (13 genotypes) and 34% (11 genotypes) of the genotypes planted in Mashhad and Jolgeh Rokh was higher than the total average (316 and 82 g m−2, respectively). Also, the maximum grain yield in Mashhad was about 2.3 times higher than in Jolgeh Rokh. According to the present experimental results, MCC259, MCC576, and MCC607 in Mashhad as a cold temperate region and MCC207, MCC212, and MCC605 in Jolgeh Rokh as a cold region had the highest winter survival percentage and grain yield compared to the other genotypes.

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