Agropastoralist Evaluations of Integrated Sorghum Crop Management Packages in Eastern Ethiopia

Abstract

On farm participatory field experiment was conducted in 2013 cropping season in districts located in eastern Ethiopia to evaluate effect of different sorghum crop management packages on grain and fodder yield of improved variety Teshale and local check Elmijam. Six different sorghum management alternatives along with agro-pastoralist indigenous management practice were evaluated in six randomly selected agro-pastoralist fields in Ethiopian Somali province Fafen administrative Zone. The result reviled that compared to agro pastoralist indigenous practices on both varieties improved production practice had significantly increased fodder and grain yield of sorghum by 60- 70%. The result also showed significant varietal differences between improved variety Teshsale and the local check Elimjema in all aspects. Therefore based on agropastoralist interest and rating production packages composed of improved sorghum and local check variety, tide-ridge planting, fertilizer (urea and DAP application at 50 kg/ha and 100 kg/ha), hand weeding once at 45 days after emergence and with recommended seed rate 10 kg/ha were selected as best management package because it balanced both grain and fodder yield with the production costs.