Response of Teff (Eragrostis tef (Zucc)‎ Trotter)‎ to Seeding Rate and Methods of Sowing on Yield and Yield Attributes in a Subhumid Environment, Northern Ethiopia

Abstract EN

Teff is a dominantly cultivated and stable crop in Ethiopia primarily grown for its grain which is used for preparing injera.

In spite of its importance, the productivity is very low due to many factors among them, and poor agronomic practices are the major ones.

In view of this, a field experiment, under rain-fed condition, was conducted at Laelay Machew district with the objective of evaluating the response of teff to seeding rate and methods of sowing during 2017/18 main cropping season.

The experiment comprised four levels of seeding rate (10, 15, 20, and 25 kg/ha) and two methods of sowing (broad casting and row planting), and the experiment was laid in a 2 × 4 factorial arrangement in randomized complete block design (RCBD), replicated three times.

Data related to phenology, growth, yield, and yield attributes were collected and analyzed using SAS software.

Results indicated that days to panicle emergence, plant height, total number of tillers, productive tillers, main panicle seed weight, thousand-seed weight, panicle length, and harvest index were significantly (P<0.05) affected by the main effects of seeding rate and methods of sowing but these parameters showed no response to interaction effects of the two treatment factors.

However, the interaction of the two treatment factors affected grain yield, biological yield, and straw yield.

Plots sown with low seeding rate (10 kg/ha) combined with row planting gave high grain yield (2333 kg/ha), biological yield (7666 kg/ha), and straw yield (5333 kg/ha).

Therefore, using treatment combinations of seeding rate of 10 kg·ha−1 together with the row method of sowing can be advised for teff production in the subhumid areas of central zone of Tigray.