DETERMINATION OF APPROPRIATE TIME AND EFFICIENT METHOD OF SEED HARVESTING FROM ANDROPOGONGAYANUS AT BENISHANGUL-GUMUZ, WESTERN ETHIOPIA

DETERMINATION OF APPROPRIATE TIME AND EFFICIENT METHOD OF SEED HARVESTING FROM ANDROPOGONGAYANUS AT BENISHANGUL-GUMUZ, WESTERN ETHIOPIA
ALEMAYEHU ABEBE*, MULISA FAJI AND SOLOMON MENGISTU
1Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research,
Assosa Agricultural Research Center, P. O. Box 265
*(e-mail : alabe_2008@yahoo.com)
(Received : 19 October 2016; Accepted : 15 December 2016)

SUMMARY

This study was done to determine efficient method and appropriate time of harvesting seed from Andropogongayanus thereby delivering the information and knowledge to private and public forage seed producers.The study was conducted in research field of Assosa Agricultural Research Center for three consecutive years with treatment set up of factorial combinations of four harvesting methods and four harvesting times with four replications. The harvesting methods were hand plucking/mowing of ripened panicle, shaking the panicle at harvesting allowing the ripe seeds to fall in nylon net collecting bags attached to stems, sweeping of fallen seeds from the ground after previously cutting of the dry stems and mowing of panicle with half-mature seed and sweating it in a shade. Time of harvest schedule defined by number of days after peak anthesis; and the treatments were 14th, 21st, 28th and 35th days. Data were analyzed by SPSS computer software using GLM procedures. The overall mean seed yield and germinable seed yield (kg/ha) recorded in the study were 561.3 and 309.9, respectively. Highly significant (P<0.001) yield differences were recorded for germinable seed among harvesting methods and time of harvesting. The interaction of harvesting method and harvesting time was also significant (P<0.05).The most efficient method and appropriate time that maximum germinable seed yield attained was sweating on 28th day followed by mowing on 21st day; and the least germinable seed yield was attained by sweeping on 14th day. Thus, we recommend farmers and seed producers growing Andropogongayanus in Benishangul-Gumuz and in similar agro-ecologies to harvest seed by sweating on 28th day after peak anthesis..

Key words: Benishangul-Gumuz, germination, seed maturity, shattering, tropical grasses

FR 42(3) 143-148