Abstract
Lentil is the second leading pulse crop grown in the central highland Vertisols of Ethiopia. However, waterlogging and the lack of situation-specific seed rate recommendations are among the problems that constrain its productivity. Therefore, a field experiment was conducted during 2017 and 2018 to determine the economically optimum seed rate for broadcast sowing of lentil varieties on Vertisols of North Shewa. Factorial combinations of two varieties of lentils (“Derash,” large-seeded and “Local cultivar,” small-seeded) and six seed rates (40, 60, 80, 100, 120, and 140 kg/ha) were tested in RCBD. According to the ANOVA results, the main effects of the environment, variety, and seed rate showed a significant effect on most parameters considered, except hundred seed weight for the environment, the number of seeds per pod for variety and plant height, and hundred seed weight for the main effect of seed rate. Lower yields were obtained in the second year due to the occurrence of sporadic unidentified disease, which might have created a confounding effect with variations due to the environment. The grain yield of variety “Derash” was best fitted to a power function, whereas “Local cultivar” showed a quadratic response with increasing seed rates ranging from 40 to 140 kg/ha. There was a positive and significant p < 0.001 correlation between grain yield and each of the following: plant height, number of pods per plant, number of seeds per pod, and 100-seed weight. Based on ANOVA and economic analysis results, a seed rate of 100 kg/ha was found to be optimum for both varieties under the broad bed and furrow production systems on Vertisols.
Highlights
One of the oldest cultivated legume crops is lentils (Lens culinaris Medic.)
Studies on Vertisols indicated that draining excess water using broad bed and furrow (BBF) in Ethiopia resulted in increased yields of crops grown on Vertisols compared to flat-seeded [7]
Field experiments were conducted for two years (2017 and 2018) in Moretina Jiru and Siyadebrina Wayu districts, about 192 km and 177 km north of Addis Ababa, respectively, on relatively light and heavy Vertisol types as determined by farmers’ experience during the main rainy season. e experimental sites were located at latitudes ranging from 9048′N to 9053′N, longitudes ranging from 39010′E to 39012′E, and altitudes ranging from 2642 to 2665 meters above the sea level [14], as well as on-site records at Siyadebrina Wayu district). e sites were representative of the soils and environmental conditions used for lentil production in the recommendation domain
Summary
One of the oldest cultivated legume crops is lentils (Lens culinaris Medic.). Due to its valuable chemical composition and health-promoting properties, it is a desirable element of an everyday diet. In Ethiopia, it covers about 7.46% of the total pulse area and provides 5.88% of the pulse production [2] It is almost a cash crop because it fetches very high prices compared with all other food legumes and main cereal crops such as tef, wheat, and barley [3]. Ethiopian lentil culture is characterized by growing the crop mainly in rotation with major cereals such as tef wheat, barley, and others In such a culture, the yield advantage of the succeeding cereal crop is realized because of the fixed nitrogen by the predecessor legume and due to the breakage of the life cycle of important diseases and insect pests [5]. According to Agegnehu [8], planting of lentils on BBF resulted in 106% grain yield and 78% straw yield increments over flatbed planting
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
