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ISSN: 2360-7874 |
Academic Research Journal of
Agricultural Science and Research |
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Vol. 7(7), pp. 380-384, November 2019 Research Effect of Plant Population and Variety on Yield and Yield Related Traits of Sweet Potato (Ipomea Batatas) Under Irrigated Areas of Middle Awash Valley of Ethiopia
Muluken Demelie1, Fasil Tadesse Tewolde1*, Abiyot Aragaw2 and Dandena Gelmesa3
Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia1 International Potato Center (CIP), Ethiopia2 Haramaya University, ISSD, Ethiopia3
*Corresponding author (tadessefasil9@gmail.com)
Accepted 21 November 2019
This experiment was conducted at Werer Agricultural research center for two consecutive years (2011/12-2012/13) with the objective of determining optimum plant population of sweet potato for irrigated areas of middle Awash valley. Two varieties of sweet potato; Koka-6 and Kudadie having different growth morphology and factorial combination of inter row (60, 80, 100, 120 cm) and intra row (30, 40, 50 cm) spacing were evaluated in split plot design replicated three times with varieties as a main plot and spacing as a sub plot. The combined analysis of variance over two years revealed that tuber, above ground biomass and average tuber weight were not significantly (p<0.05) affected by variety. However, plant spacing from 60*30 cm to 120*50 cm significantly (p<0.01) affected marketable tuber yield and average tuber weight. Lower marketable tuber yield were recorded when plant population reduced from 60*30 cm to 120*50 cm spacing. The highest tuber yield (16.6 t/ha and 15.7t/ha) were obtained at a closer spacing of 60*40 and 60*30 cm, respectively, having higher yield advantage of 26.9% than the spacing so far used in the area. The lowest yield (9.9t/ha) was obtained at wider spacing of 120*40 cm. A closer spacing of 60*30 cm had the lowest unmarketable yield (10.4t/ha). Greater above ground biomass yield (38.6t/ha) was obtained at wider spacing of 120*30 cm and lowest yield (31.1t/ha) was obtained at closer spacing of 60*30 cm. In general, appropriate plant population is critical to maximize sweet potato yield. This finding disproved the spacing so far used in the middle Awash valley (100*40 cm between rows and plants, respectively). Hence, it is necessary for agro-pastoralist in middle Awash valley and areas with similar agro-ecology to use a spacing of 60*30 cm for higher marketable yield.
Key words: plant population, yield, variety, tuber size
How to cite this article (APA Style): Muluken D., Fasil T.T., Abiyot A., Dandena G. (2019). Effect of Plant Population and Variety on Yield and Yield Related Traits of Sweet Potato (Ipomea Batatas) Under Irrigated Areas of Middle Awash Valley of Ethiopia. Acad. Res. J. Agri. Sci. Res. 7(7): 380-384
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