Affiliation:
1. Bako Agricultural Research Center, PO Box 03, Bako, Ethiopia
2. Jimma University, PO Box 378, Jimma, Ethiopia
Abstract
Production of finger millet and vetch species in Ethiopia targets mostly on sole cropping system without considering the relative performance of varieties of varying seeding ratios under finger millet/vetch intercropping. Thus, this study was conducted to evaluate grain yield and yield components of three vetch species and finger millet intercropped at different seeding ratios. Factorial combination of three vetch species and five seeding ratios (0 : 100, 25 : 75, 50 : 50, 75 : 25, and 100 : 0% finger millet: vetch) were laid out in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications. Analysis of variance showed that intercropping had a significant (
) effect on plant height, heads per plant, fingers per head, and grain yield of finger millet. The highest grain yield (2058.75 kg ha−1) of finger millet was harvested from a treatment combination of 75% finger millet + 25% Vicia villosa. Analysis of variance also showed that plant height, leaves per plant, branches per plant, pods per plant, seeds per pod, and seed yield of vetch species had significantly varied (
) for the tested treatments. Maximum and minimum seed yields (236.19 and 106.45 kg ha−1) of vetch were harvested from 25% finger millet + 75% Vicia sativa and 75% finger millet + 25% Vicia villosa, respectively. LER and RCC were improved due to intercropping different species of vetch with finger millet at various seeding ratios. The highest total LER (1.146) and RCC (3.00) were obtained from 75% finger millet + 25% Vicia villosa. Thus, it can be concluded that in Bako and similar agroecologies, where feed shortage is a critical problem, intercropping of 75% finger millet + 25% Vicia villosa can be used to alleviate the existing feed shortage in smallholder farming system.
Funder
Oromia Agricultural Research Institute
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