EFFECT OF ROW SPACING ON YIELD AND YIELD COMPONENTS OF BREAD WHEAT (Triticum aestivum L) VARIETIES AT SHESHEMENE DISTRICT, WEST ARSI ZONE IN OROMIA REGIONAL STATE.

Abstract

Wheat is among important cereal crops produced by many farmerrs in Ethiopia, having a great nutritional and economic importance. However its productivity has been constrained due to various biotic and abiotic factors. An experiment was conducted at Farmers’ Training Centre of Sheshemene, West Arisi zone of Oromia Region in Ethiopia in 2021 main cropping season, to study the response of different wheat varieties to various row spacing. The experiment was laid out in RCBD design with Factorial Arrangement having four replications. Four varieties of Bread wheat (Shorma, Pavon 76, Ogolcho and King bird) and three row spacing (15, 25 and 35 cm) were studied during the course of study. The interaction effect of variety and row spacing were not significant in yield, plant height and harvesting index and characters studied. The effects of row spacing was not significant either on number of tillers, spike length and days to maturity. However, the effect of row spacing was significant (P<0.05) on harvest index, ,number of seeds per spike, thousand seed weight ,plant height, total biomass weight, days to heading and grain yield. For each trait the maximum value was obtained at row spacing of 15 cm. The effect of variety was significant on all parameters . Variety shorma had the maximum values in number of tillers(10.2), plant height (81.8 cm), total biomass weight (4.39g), grain yield (4405 kg/ha), spike length (7.32cm), number of seeds per spike (57.0kg), and thousand seed weight (37.5 gram). The use of Variety Shorma on spacings of 15cm can be recommended for production of bread wheat for the study area and other areas with similar agro ecologies.Based on reaserch finding15cm spacing gives highire yield with variety shorma .Therfore the effect of row spacin on yield and yield component of bread wheat varieties need father reaserch.