Evaluation of Double Cropping System for Sorghum Production at Fedis, Eastern Ethiopia

Abstract

Mono-cropping of sorghum is usual practice by small holders in Eastern Hararghe zone which aggravates the infestation of striga in case of susceptible varieties and has risk of crop failure in most cases due to erratic and unreliable rainfall. Thus, it was important to undertake research on cropping system which can make the farmers less vulnerable to current changing climate. Thus, an experiment was done to assess the effect of double cropping on yield, and yield components of the sorghum and compare the productivity of the double cropping with the single cropping system. The study was conducted at Fedis Research station, Eastern Hararghe during cropping season of 2015 by including two sowing time the first in April and the other during July using RCBD design. The treatments consisted were twelve including two farmers’ practices (long cycle sorghum and July planting of improved sorghum varieties) and the remaining ten treatments were double cropping of common bean and mung bean each with two varieties, lablab, cowpea, buckwheat, pearl millet, sorghum and bread wheat as preceding crops and sorghum variety Gubiye as succeeding crop. Overall, the preceding crops showed highly significant (p <0.01) difference on days to 50% flowering, days to maturity, grain yield and above ground dry biomass. The earliest days to 50% flowering were buckwheat (25.67 days) followed by common bean (var. Batu) 36 days and mung beans (var. Borada and N-26) with 38 and 38.33 days respectively. The highest above ground dry biomass was obtained from lablab (var. 147) (6116 kg ha-1) while the highest economic benefit was recorded from mung bean (var. N-26)(30315 ETB ha-1). During succeeding crops days to 50% emergence, days to 50% flowering, days to maturity, plant height, panicle length, grain yield and thousand kernel weight were highly significantly(p < 0.01)affected by the preceding crop while above ground dry biomass and harvest index were significant (p < 0.05) during the study. The latest days to 50% flowering (160.67 day) and highest days to maturity (221 day), above ground dry biomass (6119 kg ha-1) and grain yield (3369 kg ha-1) were observed for the local sorghum. However, highest grain yield was obtained from local sorghum followed by common bean (var. Batu)-Gubiye, common bean (var. Awash melka)-Gubiye and mung bean (var. N-26)-Gubiye sequences with 3369, 2342, 2107 and 2094 kg ha-1, respectively. Thus mung bean (var. N-26)-Gubiye sequence can be considered as profitable cropping sequence and recommended.