The Effects of Sowing Date and Variety on Yield and Yield Components of Teff under Irrigation in Northwestern Amhara, Ethiopia

Teff cultivation under irrigation is emerging as a new practice in Amhara region, Ethiopia. Thus, teff production under an irrigation environment necessitates optimization of agronomic practices, including the sowing dates. Therefore, the experiment was carried out to determine the optimal sowing date for teff production in Koga irrigation scheme during the 2021-2022 season. A field experiment was designed with treatments consisting of two varieties (Quncho and Tsedey) having different maturity periods and seven planting dates (November 1st, November 15th, December 1st, December 15th, January 1st, January 15th, and February 1st). The treatments were arranged in a split-plot design with three replications. Variety was considered as the main plot factor and the sowing date as the sub-plot factor. Data on plant height, days to maturity, panicle length, grain yield, and biomass yield were collected and subjected to analysis of variance. The combined analysis of variance over the years showed a significant difference in response to varieties and sowing date on grain yield. However, the interaction effect was not significant. The long maturing variety, Quncho, had a higher grain yield than the medium maturing variety, Tsedey. Concerning the sowing dates, the treatment sown on December 1st recorded the highest grain yield (2528 Kg ha-1), which was statistically similar to December 15th sown treatment. Therefore, December 1 to 15th could be recommended as optimum sowing dates for late maturing teff varieties like Quncho in Koga irrigation scheme and similar agro-ecologies. However, if double cropping is a target, the early maturing variety, Tsedey, could be a better alternative using the aforementioned sowing dates.