TITLE:
Effect of Inter and Intra Row Spacing on Growth, Yield Components and Yield of Hybrid Maize (Zea mays L.) Varieties at Haramaya, Eastern Ethiopia
AUTHORS:
Mekuannet Belay Kebede
KEYWORDS:
BH-661, BH-QPY-545, Plant Density, Yield
JOURNAL NAME:
American Journal of Plant Sciences,
Vol.10 No.9,
September
17,
2019
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.