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Sowing of chickpea in the heavy-textured soils of north-west Bangladesh with minimum tillage technology aims to increase the timely planting of large areas during a relatively short sowing window before soil water deficit limits germination and emergence. However, the seedbed conditions into which chickpea is sown need to be better quantified, so that limiting factors which affect germination and emergence can be identified. Two of the soil physical characteristics of importance are soil water and aeration. Growth cabinet studies have identified the fastest germination and emergence of chickpea on representative soils for this area at gravimetric water contents of 17-18 %, whilst soil water contents above and below this delayed germination and emergence. Emergence was recorded at soil water potentials between field capacity (−10 kPa) and wilting point (−1500 kPa). Emergence was possible at lower soil water potentials in the finer textured soil, whilst in coarser textured soil, emergence was still possible at higher soil water potentials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]