Advances in Agriculture, Food Science and Forestry

Determining Optimum Inter and Intra-row Spacing for Faba bean (Vicia faba L.) in Mirab azernet and Alicho wuriro Highlands, Ethiopia

Abstract


Bezabih Woldekiros*

In the highlands of Ethiopia, faba bean is one of the major pulse crops widely produced. It is an annual crop grown during the main rainy season (June to September). Despite its range of benefits, both national and regional productivity is still low compared to its attainable yield. Alicho wurio and Mirab azernet highlands are ideal places for the growth of faba bean. However, the yield is below the national and regional average yield. Plant density determines the number of plants per area, which determines the available area for an individual plant. The field experiment was conducted in 2019 and 2020 at Alicho wuriro and Mirab azernet highlands, Siltie zone, Southern Nations Nationalities and Peoples' Regional State of Ethiopia to determine optimum plant density for faba bean. The factorial combination of three levels of inter-row spacing (30 cm, 40 cm and 50 cm) and four levels of intra-row spacing (5 cm, 10 cm, 15 cm and 20 cm) was laid out in a randomized complete block design with three replications. Plant height, number of pods per plant and grain yield was significantly affected by plant density. The highest grain yield was recorded due to 40 cm inter and 10 cm intra-row spacing. Therefore, it can be concluded that the previous national recommendation of inter and intra-row spacing is effective to obtain a high yield of faba bean in the experimental areas.

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