Review on Effect of Soil Acidity on Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) Producing Central Highlands of Ethiopia

Abstract

Barley is an important  food crop grown in diverse agro-ecology, different seasons and production systems of Ethiopia. Soil acidity is now a serious threat to barley production in most high lands of Ethiopia and about 43% of the Ethiopian high land with altitude of >1500 arable land are affected by soil acidity. Acidic soils  affected areas of Ethiopia found at western and southwestern, northwestern part of the country. Barley is considered to be more sensitive to acidic soils. The initial toxic effects of acid soil are stunted and shortened root growth then delay barley germination and initiation. This continued by delay of  days to heading and days to maturity, decrease of plant height and increase severity of foliar diseases. Finally the overall effect of soil acidity is significantly expressed on biomass and grain yield  and yield components barley.

Keywords:Barley, Soil acidity stress

DOI: 10.7176/JNSR/9-1-03

Publication date: January 31^st 2022