Abstract
A study was carried out to evaluate four <i>Vicia</i> accessions from 3 species for forage biomass yield performance under two environmental conditions of the Benishangul-Gumuz Region of Western Ethiopia. The evaluated <i>Vicia</i> species and accessions were one <i>V. benghanlensis</i> (6798), two <i>V. villosa </i>(6213 and 6792) and one <i>V. sativa</i>, (5172) accessions. The experiment was conducted at Tongo and Assosa forage research station of Assosa Agricultural Research Center and the locations were purposively selected to represent highland and mid-altitude agro-ecologies, respectively. The experiment was set up with a randomized complete block design with three replications. Main effects differences among genotypes and environments significantly influenced forage dry matter yield (P < 0.05) and plant height (P < 0.01), while the leaf to stem ratio was significantly (P < 0.001) influenced by the environment. Tongo had the highest forage dry matter yield (P < 0.01) compared to Assosa. Plant height was significantly different among accessions at both locations and the tallest plant height at forage harvest was recorded for <i>V. villosa </i>6213 followed by <i>V. benghanlensis</i> 6798 and <i>V. villosa </i>6792 at both locations. At Tongo, total dry matter yield was significantly different (P < 0.05) among accessions, but not at Assosa (P > 0.05). <i>V. benghanlensis</i> 6798 gave a relatively higher total dry matter yield followed by <i>V. villosa </i>6792 and <i>V. villosa </i>6213 at Tongo. Therefore, based on forage dry matter yield data <i>V. benghanlensis</i> 6798, <i>V. villosa </i>6792 and <i>V. villosa </i>6213 recommend as alternative legume forage crops from evaluated <i>Vicia</i> accessions for study areas and comparable agro-ecologies.
Highlights
Livestock is an integral component of the agricultural activities in Ethiopia
The result revealed that plant height (P < 0.01), forage dry matter yield (P < 0.05), and leaf to stem ratio (P < 0.001) were significantly influenced by the environment (E), while plant height (P < 0.001) and forage dry matter yield (P < 0.05) were significantly affected by genotype
The findings of this study revealed that the environment has a significant effect on the yield performance and adaptability of Vicia accessions, which could be due to differences in climatic conditions between environments
Summary
Livestock is an integral component of the agricultural activities in Ethiopia. The share of the livestock sub-sector contribution in the national economy is estimated to be 1216% to the total Gross Domestic Product (GDP), 30-35% to the agricultural GDP [1]; 19% to the export earnings [2]; and 31% of the total employment [3]. For the reason stated above scarcity of grazing land and livestock feed shortages are critically severe in Ethiopia in general and in the Benishangul-Gumuz region in particular. Vicia dasycarpa, V. villosa, and Vicia atropurpurea have creeping or climbing growth habits, whereas Vicia narbonensis and Vicia sativa have erect growth habits These genetic differences are the basis for variation in nutritive values, as well as the production, utilization, and various management practices [11]. This shows that the different Vicia species and their accessions need to be assessed for the nutritional quality differences under the different soil types and climatic conditions [10]. This study was executed with the objectives to evaluate biomass yield performance of Vicia species and accessions at Assosa and Tongo, under two climatic conditions of the Benishangul-Gumuz region
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