National Agricultural Research Institute Research Articles

Lupinus mutabilis Breeding in the Andes of Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia: A Review

Lupinus mutabilis, also known as tarwi or chocho, is an important agricultural species that has been cultivated in South America since ancient times. Tarwi is native to the Andean regions of Peru, Bolivia, and Ecuador and has very high protein content. Despite its high nutritional value and promotion efforts by regional researchers and breeders, tarwi is not a widely cultivated crop in its center of origin. In this review, we present the work carried out by public breeding programs of L. mutabilis at national agricultural research institutes, universities, and other institutions in Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia. The main breeding method used in the Andes to improve local landraces has been mass selection to adapt lines to specific environments. At least 25 cultivars or ecotypes have been selected and released over the last 40 years using this breeding system. Nevertheless, breeders are currently struggling to develop new varieties that are high yielding, suitable for mechanized harvesting, have a low content of alkaloids or other anti-nutritional properties, and resistant to anthracnose (Colletotrichum acutatum). Therefore, it is necessary to reassess the potential of this crop and invest in its research to incorporate new techniques and breeding strategies to optimize the development of new varieties in the Andes which address the current cultivation challenges of the species.

THE CONTROL OF WEEDS PRESENT IN THE RAPE CROP FROM NARDI FUNDULEA

This paper present the results obtained at National Agricultural Research and Development Institute Fundulea, during 2020-2022, according to the herbicide treatments: : Galera Super (40 g/l aminopyralid +240 g/l clopyralid+80 g/l picloram), Galera Super (40 g/l aminopyralid +240 g/l clopyralid+80 g/l picloram), Korveto (5g/l halauxifen-metil+ 120g/l clopyralid), postemergently (rape, BBCH 12-13 in autumn) and postemergently (rape, BBCH 33-39 in spring) applied for the weeds controlling from the rape crop. The main objective of this work focused on the study of the selectivity and effectiveness of the application of herbicide treatments to combat the weeds present in the rape crop.The herbicides must be correlated with the infestation degree of weed, the spectrum and dominance of weeds, the time of application, the technical potential for efficacy, the local climatic conditions.

La expansión de la palma aceitera en Ecuador desde la revolución verde, 1961-2021

This article focuses on the scientific, political and entrepreneurial networks that favored the expansion of the oil palm in Ecuador (1961-2021) during the Green Revolution period, which involved the promotion of crops for industrial transformation. The purpose is to highlight the articulation that emerged around the oil palm and the relationship between the National Agricultural Research Institute (Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Agropecuarias, INIAP) and the National Association of Palm Producers (Asociación Nacional de Cultivadores de Palma, ANCUPA). The analysis is based on data from the INIAP archives at the INIAP-Santa Catalina Experimental Station. The main conclusion is that palm expansion responded to a cultural assemblage of power relations in which physical, social, financial, scientific and technical elements converged.

Relationship between strains of Holstein cows, feeding strategies and udder health

Factores relacionados con el animal y el ambiente pueden afectar la frecuencia de mastitis, siendo la genética y la estrategia de alimentación algunos de dichos factores. El objetivo de este estudio fue analizar la frecuencia de mastitis clínica y los recuentos de células somáticas (RCS) de vacas Holando de dos biotipos, Norteamericano (NA) y Neozelandés (NZ), bajo dos estrategias de alimentación (pastura o mixto). En la Unidad Experimental de Lechería de INIA La Estanzuela (Colonia, Uruguay) fueron agrupadas 120 vacas en 4 tratamientos según la combinación de biotipo y estrategia de alimentación (n=30). La cantidad de vacas con mastitis clínica y los RCS fueron registrados mensualmente durante una lactación. Hubo una interacción entre el biotipo y la paridad de las vacas (primíparas y multíparas) (P=0,04) para la frecuencia de mastitis. Vacas primíparas NA presentaron menor probabilidad de presentar mastitis clínica (ODR: 0,003). Por el contrario, las vacas multíparas NA fueron las que presentaron mayor probabilidad de experimentar mastitis clínica (ODR: 0,12), mientras que las vacas de origen NZ mostraron valores intermedios (ODR primíparas: 0,082; ODR multíparas: 0,066). La estrategia de alimentación no afectó la frecuencia de mastitis ni los RCS. Tampoco el biotipo afectó el RCS. En conclusión, sin importar la estrategia de alimentación, la frecuencia de mastitis clínica fue diferente según el biotipo, pero estas diferencias fueron influenciadas por el número de partos de los animales. Los RCS no fueron afectados por la estrategia de alimentación o el biotipo animal.

Population Dynamics and Effect of Seed Treatment on Plutella xylostella Control in Romania

This paper presents a three-year study concerning the effectiveness of the OSR seed treatment with the cyantraniliprole active ingredient in controlling the DBM larvae attack in autumn and four-year monitoring of the DBM flight pattern, using pheromone sticky traps. The experiment and the monitoring were conducted at the experimental field from the National Agricultural Research and Development Institute (NARDI) Fundulea in Southeast Romania. For the field assessments, each OSR sampled plant was photographed in macro mode, and then images were downloaded and magnified on the PC screen to determine the DBM larva attack. The traps were placed in the OSR crop from mid-March till December and checked twice weekly. Data from the field assessment revealed a higher pest attack on OSR plants on 11 November 2020, when the DBM larvae attack degree was 16.26% in the untreated variant and 11.24% in the variant with treated seeds. The results evidenced unusually higher activity for the diamondback moths during November 2019, 2020, and 2022; the beginning of December 2020 and 2021; and mid-December 2022. This is the first report from the Romanian scientific literature concerning higher DBM attacks at OSR plants in autumn and high moth activity during November and December.

Access to credit and agricultural productivity: Evidence from maize producers in Benin

Access to agricultural credit is still a challenge in developing countries. The weakness of agricultural financing prevents producers from acquiring the modern technologies that are essential for the development of their activity. This paper aims to determine the impact of access to credit on agricultural productivity in Benin using alternative measures of productivity. To do this, we use the endogenous switching regression model to control for potential selection and unobserved heterogeneity issues associated with this impact analysis. The data used comes from the statistical databases of the National Agricultural Research Institute of Benin. The results show that the adoption of improved seeds, the geographic location, the area sown and member of peasant organization determine producers’ access to credit are factors that determine producers’ access to credit. Farmers’ access to credit generates an estimated gain of 40.07% and 31.97% respectively for production per hectare and production per FCFA invested. These results require a comprehensive and coherent public action.

THE INFLUENCE OF GENOTYPE, SOIL TILLAGE AND FERTILISATION ON CARBON SEQUESTRATION IN MAIZE

The increase in the concentration of greenhouse gases in the Earth’s atmosphere, especially that of CO2, is a major concern because it is the main source leading to global warming, and its impact on climate change is still widely studied. The intensity and frequency of drought and flooding increase due to the change in climate, which has a negative impact on crop productivity and food security. The aim of this paper was to demonstrate the role of corn in carbon sequestration based on plant biomass and soil organic carbon accumulation. We presented the main factors that contribute to carbon sequestration and concrete examples regarding the capacity of corn hybrids created at National Agricultural Research and Development Institute (NARDI) Fundulea, as well as aspects regarding the importance of soil tillage and fertilisation. In contrast to genotypes in which this ratio was lower, maize genotypes that demonstrated a rise in the root:stem ratio under drought stress conditions produced more biomass, suggesting that the roots of these genotypes can grow at water potentials where stem growth is inhibited, which are attributes that also prove their good potential for carbon sequestration under climate change conditions. The organic carbon content in the superficial soil layer decreased with the intensification of the degree of soil mobilisation (9.95% when working the soil with the chisel, 17.91% for ploughing), but fertilisation had a beneficial effect. The biomass was higher than that of the unfertilised soil. This means that a higher carbon input has a positive influence on the carbon stock in the soil.

RESEARCH ON THE SELECTIVITY AND EFFICACY OF HERBICIDES FOR CONTROLLING WEEDS FROM THE WHEAT CROP IN PEDOCLIMATE CONDITIONS FROM NARDI FUNDULEA

This paper present the results obtained at National Agricultural Research and Development Institute Fundulea, during 2021-2022, according to the new herbicide treatments: Floramix (70,8 g/kg piroxsulam + 14,2 g/kg florasulam + 70,8 g/kg cloquintocet-mexil - safener) + Dasoil 26-2 N (Adjuvant); Pallas (7.5% piroxsulam + 7.5% cloquintocet-mexil safener) + Adjuvant; Omnera + Foxtrot 69 EW (135 g/l fluroxypyr + 30 g/l thifensulfuron metil + 5 g/l metsulfuron metil 69 g/l fenoxaprop-P-etil + 34,5 g/l cloquintocet mexil - safener) și Pixxaro Super (2 g/l halauxifen-metil + 280 g/l fluroxipir meptil + 12 g/l cloquintocet-mexil), postemergently applied for the weeds controlling from the w. wheat crop. The main objective of this work focused on the study of the selectivity and effectiveness of the application of herbicide treatments to combat monocotyledonous and dicotyledonous weeds present in the wheat crop. Wheat is an important crop affected by many weeds which, fortunately, can be effectively controlled by specific applications of herbicides. The herbicides must be correlated with the infestation degree of weed, the spectrum and dominance of weeds, the time of application, the technical potential for efficacy, the local climatic conditions.

Genetic diversity of Moroccan date palm revealed by microsatellite markers.

The genetic diversity between 23 Moroccan date palm cultivars collected from the National Palm Collection at the INRA (National Agricultural Research Institute) experimental field in Zagora was assessed using SSR markers that are specifically designed for date palm. Among the 16 tested SSR, 13 were successfully amplified, and were selected to carry out this study. 208 bands were amplified, ranging from 10 to 25 bands per cultivar with an average of 16 alleles per cultivar. The value of heterozygosity of the studied markers ranged from 0.11 to 0.30. The pairwise genetic distances between those cultivars ranged from 0.06 to 0.46. The hierarchical cluster analysis distributed the 23 genotypes into four different groups of one to ten cultivars.

Using Outcome Trajectory Evaluation to Assess HarvestPlus' Contribution to the Development of National Biofortification Breeding Programs.

Improving policies-broadly defined-is at the heart of the structural transformation agenda. This paper describes the use of a new evaluation method-outcome trajectory evaluation (OTE), based on both evaluation and policy process theory-to explore the influence of HarvestPlus, a large and complex research for development program focused on improving nutrition, on a specific policy outcome, namely the establishment of biofortification crop breeding programs in national agricultural research institutes in Bangladesh, India, and Rwanda. The findings support claims of significant HarvestPlus contributions while also raising issues that need to be monitored to ensure sustainability. The paper also discusses the pros and cons of the OTE approach in terms of methodological rigor and the accumulation of learning from one evaluation to the next.

Determinants of smallholder farmers’ willingness -to -pay for soyabean production inputs in northern Ghana

Farmers in northern Ghana have been cultivating soyabean with very little or no agro-inputs due to cost and limited accessibility. Use of quality agro-inputs can significantly improve the productivity of soyabean. This study assesses farmers’ current use of soyabean production agro-inputs, identifies challenges faced by smallholder farmers in soyabean cultivation and assesses factors influencing farmers’ willingness-to-pay (WTP) for soyabean inputs (determinants) in northern Ghana. Four hundred (400) smallholder soyabean farmers were sampled using a multi-stage sampling method. In stage one, the study area was stratified into three regions, northern, upper east and upper west regions. Stage two encompassed purposive sampling of eight (8) districts across the three northern regions famed for soyabean production. Data was collected using a semi-structured questionnaire, key informant interviews and focus group discussions were conducted.. Descriptive statistics were performed and a contingency valuation method (CVM) was used to assess key determinants that influence farmers’ WTP for soyabean inputs. The results show that 74 % of the respondents were willing to pay for the soyabean inputs. However, 43, 47.3, 39.5 and 49.5 % of respondents were willing to pay at the bid price of 1.06/kg, 3.98/litre, 31.91/50kg bag and USD 5.32/100g sachet for certified seeds, herbicide (glyphosate), TSP fertiliser and inoculants, respectively. Age, household size, access to credit, participation and gains made from on-farm demonstrations significantly influenced farmers’ willingness to purchase certified soyabean seeds. Factors that significantly influenced farmers’ willingness to purchase glyphosate included household size, purpose and experience in soyabean production. In the case of triple superphosphaste fertiliser (TSP), access to extension services, participation and gains from farm demonstrations and distance to the nearest agro-input shop were identified as key determinants. Farmers’ willingness to purchase inoculants markedly correlated with age, credit, participation in on-field demonstrations, membership of farmer-based organisation and experience in soyabean production. The results of this study form a basis for making a business case for agro-input companies to invest in the distribution and sale of the newly introduced soyabean production inputs in northern Ghana. Development and promotion of early maturing and drought tolerant soyabean varieties by the National Agricultural Research Institutes are required to enable farmers to cope with the changing climatic conditions which pose a threat to soyabean production in northern Ghana. Key words: Grain legumes, savanna, purchasing power, agricultural inputs, farmers

Awareness and Use of Electronic Resources as Predictors of Scholarly Publication Output of Researchers in National Agricultural Research Institutes in Nigeria

The study that directed this article examined the extent of awareness of e-resources, their frequency of use and the prediction of scholarly publication output among researchers in National Agricultural Research Institutes (NARIs) in Nigeria. The survey research method of co-relational type was adopted for the study. The population for the study comprised researchers in 15 NARIs in Nigeria. Total enumeration was used, and the total population of the identified researchers was 1 089. A questionnaire was the main instrument for the study, and out of 1 089 questionnaires distributed, 868 were returned, giving a return rate of close to 80%. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics, which included means, percentage, standard deviation and variance. The findings showed a high awareness of e-resources among researchers. It also confirmed a moderate level of use of e-resources among the researchers. The study found a correlation between awareness and the use of e-resources. Also, from the study, it was discovered that the awareness and use of e-resources determined the scholarly publication output of researchers. Recommendations were made on the findings of the study, namely that library managements within NARIs should endeavour to sustain the awareness of e-resources among researchers through the deployment of new and relevant approaches so that their productivity will not decline.

Application of Ceres-Millet model of DSSAT for simulating millet varieties under different sowing windows in Niger

ABSTRACT Choosing an appropriate variety and planting date could help farmers increase the recurrent low pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br.) yields recorded in Niger. Field experiments were conducted at the National Agricultural Research Institute of Niger (N’Dounga) during the 2016 and 2017 rainy seasons to evaluate the performance of the CERES-Millet model in simulating the growth and yield of pearl millet varieties. Treatments consisted of two sowing windows (late June and mid-July) and four varieties (HKP, ZATIB, CIVT, and H80-10 GR) arranged in a split-plot design with three replications. Sowing dates were allocated to the main plots, whereas varieties were assigned to the subplots. The data collected on days to 50% flowering, days to physiological maturity, grain yield, and above-ground biomass during 2016 and 2017 were used to calibrate and evaluate the CERES-Millet model for simulating sowing windows. The model was used to simulate the long-term effects of different sowing windows using long-term historical weather data from 1983 to 2017 in Kollo. The results for model calibration showed that simulated growth and yield of millet were in good agreement with their corresponding observed values. The d-index was 0.99 for days to anthesis, 0.97 for days to physiological maturity, 0.93 for grain yield, and 0.79 for above-ground biomass. The results for both calibration and evaluation showed that normalized root mean square errors were less than 10%. The values of the d-index were also within the acceptable range for all the parameters. Therefore, the CERES-Millet model was robust enough to successfully simulate millet growth and yield in Niger. Seasonal analysis revealed that sowing should be done from early June to mid-June for ZATIB and H80-10 GR varieties. However, it should be done from early June to late June for CIVT and from mid-June to early July for HKP.

Grain Morphometry Analysis of Romanian Winter Barley Cultivars Registered during 1959-2019 Period

Grain morphometry is presently among the main targets of modern barley breeding. Three yield trials with winter barley cultivars were performed in the 2018-2020 period at the National Agricultural Research and Development Institute Fundulea in order to analyze the weight of thousand grains and grain morphometry (grain length, grain width, grain area, grain circularity, grain length-width ratio, and factor form density) of six and two-row registered Romanian winter barley cultivars. Acquired image analysis of grains produced by 25 winter barley cultivars in three years with different grain filling conditions, showed that variation of climatic conditions significantly influenced the thousand grain weight (TGW), grain length (Gl), grain width (Gw), grain area (Ga), grain circularity (Gc), grain length-width ratio (L/W ratio) and factor form density (FFD). The barley cultivars were significantly different for all studied traits, which underlined a high level of diversity. All traits were on average different between six-row and two barley cultivars. TGW was highly correlated to Ga, Gw, and FFD. The PCA analysis revealed that PC1, PC2, and PC3 explain 99.1% of the amount of variation. Our paper provides extended information and the newest grain morphometry insight of an old, oldest, and modern barley germplasm released in three different breeding periods.

Evaluating farmers\u2019 perception toward the effectiveness of agricultural extension services in Ghana and Zambia

BackgroundIn this study, we present the current situation and the role of agricultural extension services for farmers and indicates the potential solutions for the optimum effectiveness of these services. Thus, we investigate the vital determinants influencing the farmers’ attitudes toward using agricultural extension services in Ghana and Zambia.MethodsIn this study, we used a mixed-method research analysis of data from a household survey of 240 farmers and 8 key informant interviews in the Upper West Region of Ghana and the Southern Province of Zambia.ResultsThe significant factors affecting the association of agricultural extension officers with farmers are regular meetings, demand for services and productivity, and the adoption rate of technology. Notably, approaches based on information communication technology indicators include owning cell phones; further, having radio access significantly affects agricultural practices. However, the role of gender, access to credit, and owning a television would influence food safety and nutrition.ConclusionsUnderstanding the critical determinants will provide potential solutions to national agricultural research institutes, private research entities, and policymakers to scale-up the effectiveness of agricultural extension services, particularly in Ghana and Zambia.

Functional Capacity Needs Assessment for The Agroforestry Researchers in Agricultural Innovation System

Capacity needs assessment (CNA) is a procedure of assessing genuine existing capacity gaps within group members concerning knowledge, skills, strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats, assets, and supplementary elements obligatory for them to accomplish the pre-specified objectives. This study was undertaken to evaluate the existing capacity gaps among agroforestry researchers’ group through a closed and structured questionnaire with the six different topics consisting 24 different indicators to evaluate the existing capacity gaps among 30 participants involved with agroforestry research from different universities and the National Agricultural Research Institutes using MS Excel data schoring sheets during November 2018 to February 2019. The study focuses different functional capacity, like, capacity to navigate the complexity, collaboration, learning and reflection, engage in strategic and political processes. Age, sex, education, and occupation were the independent variables used for functional capacities. Among all the age groups, above 55 years old agroforestry researchers secured the highest score in most of the topics. Based on the analysis of the scores, the existence of opportunities to better know each other and improve collaboration recorded the highest score (2.59) which considered the major capacity strengths, and understanding of knowledge flows recorded the lowest score (1.65), which was major capacity weaknesses of the niche, individually. Within them, females participant reported greater responsible leadership and more cooperative among each other. This research concluded that agroforestry researchers need strong collaboration and well known to each other for minimize the capacity gaps in agroforestry research. The tudy suggested to estabilish “National agroforestry research and development Institute” for effective and efficient agroforestry research and development by the government of Bangladesh and the concern ministry. SAARC J. Agric., 19(1): 269-279 (2021)

History and progress in genetic improvement for enhancing rice yield in sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract Genetic improvement has been given high priority in rice research for development in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). This paper provides an overview of historical efforts of genetic improvement in SSA focused on improving rice productivity. It further describes yield gain of new rice varieties evaluated in recent field experiments in four selected breeding target domains, and summarizes adoption studies on rice varieties. Efforts to develop rice varieties adapted to diverse rice production systems in SSA have been made by several research organizations, including national agricultural research institutes, bilateral organizations, and three CGIAR centers. The efforts have resulted in the release of around 570 rice varieties in 10 major rice-producing SSA countries by 2020. Among these varieties, the most well-known are interspecfic upland rice varieties “New Rice for Africa (NERICA)” that were developed from crosses between improved Oryza sativa tropical japonica and Oryza glaberrima varieties. However, recent field assessements demonstrated that upland rice yield can be further improved through introduction of upland indica materials from Asia. In contrast, lowland interspecific rice varieties out-yielded the previously released improved O. sativa varieties in selected SSA countries. Field assessments in Senegal and Madagascar did not demonstrate the yield advantage of the recently-developed varieties including hybrids over best performing ones released before. The adoption level of improved varieties in terms of share of area occupied by improved varieties in 18 SSA countries was 40 % in 2008 with old varieties that were released before 2000 being dominant and 7% of the total rice area occupied by NERICA varieties. Especially in irrigated and rainfed lowland rice systems, the majority of dominant varieties were still those introduced from Asia. Panel data between 2002 and 2019 from the Senegal River Valley also confirmed this, and Sahel 108, which was introduced from Asia and released in Senegal in 1994, accounted for >70 % of the total rice area in both the wet and dry seasons in 2019. The implications of this review for future rice genetic improvement and varietal replacement in SSA are discussed.

Nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium mass balances in an irrigated quinoa field

Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) needs to increase food productivity to alleviate food insecurity exacerbated by climate variability and increasing food demand. Balancing macronutrient inputs is essential for sustaining yields, increasing farmer’s income and minimizing environmental costs deriving from fertilizer misuse. The present study calculates the nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) mass balances and estimates macronutrient inputs and outputs of a quinoa field cultivated under full and deficit irrigation conditions (100 and 50% crop evapotranspiration - ETc), in either the presence or absence of N fertilizer (100 and 0 kg ha–1 of N). The emerging findings show that to produce one ton of quinoa biomass (including seeds, stems and leaves) 12.7, 1.6 and 35.5 kg ha–1 of N, P and K, respectively, need to be added into the soil. While N and K are required at medium to fairly high amounts, P is needed in lower amounts. Hence, fertilizers in the form of potassium nitrate (KNO3) are more suitable than those with higher phosphorus concentrations, for example phosphate (PO43–). Overall, evidences from field experimentations are necessary for integrating farming input recommendations on crop agronomic guidelines, driven by national agricultural research institutions, and for promoting sustainable agriculture in SSA.
 Highlights - 12.7, 1.6 and 35.5 kg ha–1 of N, P and K, respectively, are required to produce 1 ton of quinoa biomass.- Seed yields of 1380 kg ha–1 can be attainded under full irrigation and 100 kg ha–1 of N. - MAPE values of –7.5, +4.3 and +3.3 between N, P, K mass balance calculations and observed values in the field.

Profile of Extension Professionals and their Perception of Agricultural Extension Service Delivery: A Case of National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute, British Guyana

Background: Agricultural extension plays a critical role in amplifying agricultural productivity and profitability of farmers and improving the livelihoods of rural communities. In an agricultural dependent country like Guyana, effective agricultural extension service delivery is essential to reduce poverty and improve food security. Methods: This study was carried out to determine the efficacy of the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute agricultural extension service delivery as perceived by researchers and extension officers. During 2019-2020 data were collected from researchers and extension officers via questionnaires, group discussion and interviews. Percentage and chi-square analysis were used to analyze the collected data. Result: The major findings of the study were that (45.8%) of researchers and (43.8%) of extension officers said they sometimes collaborate with each other whereas (29.2%) of researchers and (37.5%) of extension officers said they do not collaborate with each other. Extension professionals (42.5%) perceived that farmers were hesitant to adopt newly researched technologies because they preferred to continue with the practices they already know. In addition, (35%) of extension professionals perceived that more emphasis shall be placed on the number and quality of training programs offered to farmers in order to improve agricultural extension service delivery.

Response of Green Gram (Vigna Radiata (L.))Wilczek to Inter Row Spacing and Phosphorus under Semi-arid Conditions of Eritrea

Green gram (Vigna radiata (L.) wilczek,) commonly known as moong or mung bean or golden gram was introduced to Eritrea as a pulse crop by Ministry of Agriculture at its National Agricultural Research Institute (NARI) in collaboration with Association for Strengthening Agricultural Research in Eastern and Central Africa (ASARECA) in 2012. But its agronomic practices for semi-arid conditions of Eritrea are not yet standardised. Therefore, to find the optimum inter row spacing and phosphorus dose for its higher productivity, a field experiment was conducted at the experimental farm of Hamelmalo Agricultural College, Keren, Eritrea during summer 2015 and 2016. The experiment was conducted in randomised complete block design (RCBD) with 12 treatment combinations of two factors consisting of four inter row spacing (Broadcast, 18 cm, 30 cm, and 45 cm) and three phosphorus levels (0, 20 and 40 kg P2O5 ha-1) each replicated thrice. The results of the study revealed that sowing of K-26 bold seeded variety either by broadcast method or at 18 cm inter row spacing at10 cm plant to plant spacing fertilized with 40 kg P2O5 ha-1 through DAP fertilizer drilled at the time of sowing proved significantly superior to increase growth, yield attributes and seed yield of green gram.