Effect of Inter and Intra Row Spacing on Growth, Yield Components and Yield of Hybrid Maize (Zea mays L.) Varieties at Haramaya, Eastern Ethiopia

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DOI: 10.4236/ajps.2019.109110    1,410 Downloads   5,547 Views  Citations

ABSTRACT

The national average yield of maize is by far lower than the world average yield. Plant density is one of the factors that affect yield. Therefore, knowing the appropriate agronomic practices are paramount importance to maximize maize production in Ethiopia. A field experiment was conducted under rainfed conditions in 2015 and 2016 during the main cropping season at Haramaya to determine the effects of inter and intra row spacing on growth, yield components, and yield of hybrid maize varieties. The experiment consisted of the factorial combinations of two hybrid maize varieties (“BH-661” and “BH-QPY-545”), two inter-row spacing (65 and 75 cm) and three intra-row spacing (25, 30 and 35 cm) in a 3 × 2 × 2 factorial in a randomized complete block design experiment with three replications of each treatment combination. Aboveground dry biomass yield and grain yield were influenced by interaction effect of inter row spacing, intra row spacing and year. The highest aboveground dry biomass yield (31.36 t·ha-1) and harvest index (47%) were obtained for varieties BH-661 and BH-QPY-545 in 2016 and 2015, respectively. The highest aboveground dry biomass yield (31.29 t·ha-1) and grain yield (11.67 t·ha-1) were obtained in the combination of 75 cm × 25 cm in 2016 cropping season. Therefore, it can be concluded that optimum inter and intra row spacing combination in the study area for the maximum grain yield was 75 cm × 25 cm for both varieties under adequate amount and regular distribution of rainfall.

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Kebede, M. (2019) Effect of Inter and Intra Row Spacing on Growth, Yield Components and Yield of Hybrid Maize (Zea mays L.) Varieties at Haramaya, Eastern Ethiopia. American Journal of Plant Sciences, 10, 1548-1564. doi: 10.4236/ajps.2019.109110.
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