Evaluation of Biocontrol Agent and Wheat Straw Mulch on Yield and Yield Components of Groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) Genotypes in Central Tigray, Northern Ethiopia

Abstract

Groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) is the 13^th and 4^thmost important food and oil seed crops in the world. Groundnut is a source of vitamin E. However, due to low soil fertility, drought stress, fungal diseases and lack of appropriate management, production has been constrained qualitatively and quantitatively in the study area. Trichoderma harzianum and Wheat straw mulch could increase the growth performance of groundnut and soil moisture content at maturity and near harvest to overcome terminal drought stress. Therefore, a field experiment was conducted in Rama, Central Zone of Tigray, northern Ethiopia, to evaluate the effects of wheat straw mulch and T. harzianum on yield and yield components of groundnut genotypes (ICGV00308, ICIAR19BT, Werer-961 and Rama local). The treatments were arranged in factorial randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications. Results showed that groundnut genotypes, T. harzianum and wheat straw mulch highly significantly (p<0.01) affected plant height with the tallest plant height 25.40, cm was recorded from Rama local while the shortest 23.15cm from ICGV00308.The highest (37.06) mean number of seeds per plant was obtained from ICGV00308 treated with wheat straw mulch, followed by (32.05) and (32.91) from ICIAR19BT treated with wheat straw mulch and Rama local treated with T. harzianum and wheat straw mulch respectively. Higher 28.44 and 24.97 numbers of pods per plant were recorded on ICIAR19BT and ICGV00308 genotypes, respectively that were mulched with wheat straw. ICGV00308 genotype produced the highest seed yield per plant (14.69 g), hundred seed weight (51.00 g) and total seed yield (1.00 t ha^-1) as compared to the other genotypes.

Keywords: groundnut genotype, T. harzianum and wheat straw mulch.

DOI: 10.7176/JBAH/9-13-04

Publication date:July 31^st 2019