Response of Seed Rates and Row Spacing on Growth, Yield and Yield Components of Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) Crop

Abstract

The main goal of this review study is to provide an overview of wheat production management requirements in general and specifically in Ethiopia, comparing with current research trends and to make some recommendations on the appropriate seed rates for growth, yields, and grain quality wheat. This paper reviewed that application of a well-balanced seed rates under optimum environment availability of which may help in improving growth, yield and grain quality of wheat. To optimize seed rate and plant density of wheat, some experiments have conducted so far across most wheat growing areas of Ethiopia. The field experiments were carried out in different times at Kulumsa Agricultural Research Center from July to November 2012 and from June to November 2018 cropping seasons. Four varieties (Digalu, Dandea, Kekeba and Shorima) and five seed rates (100, 125, 150, 175, 200 kg ha-1) The experiment was laid out as a randomized complete block design with a factorial arrangement and replicated three times. On the hand, in the 2018 cropping season, three bread wheat varieties (Shorima, Dendea and Hidassie representing different seed sizes of small, medium, large respectively and four plant populations of 250, 300, 350 and 400 seeds m-2 were tested. Four levels of seed rates (75, 100, 125 and 150 kg/ha) and three row spacing (20, 25and 30 cm) were tried. the same type of experimental studies with the same nature of objectives were also carried out during the 2015 main cropping season at Awtaro Woreda, Wolaita Zone, The result of the experiments showed significant difference for number of tillers, plant height, grain yield, and seed test weight. But using of different row spacing had no significant effect on parameters that have been taken except the plant height; however plant height, number of tiller per plant, spikelet per spike, grains per spike, biological yield, grain yield & straw were significantly affected by different seed rate. But since the current results are gained from just one crop in some limited districts, conducting repetitive field experiments on different crops other than wheat at the wide-ranging of regions in the national level is suggested in order to confirm the current results on different crops & in the entire farming lands of the country.

Keywords: Plant Population, Row Spacing, Seed Rate, Variety, Wheat Yield

DOI: 10.7176/JNSR/10-3-05

Publication date: February 29^th 2020