Effects of plant density and fertilizer nitrogen on some agronomic characters and grain yield in bambara groundnut (Voandzeia subterranea). 1. Preliminary studies

Doku, E. V., Department of Crop Sciene, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Ghana, , Lego, Ghana; Whyte, J.B.A., Department of Crop Sciene, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Ghana, , Lego, Ghana

Effects of plant density and fertilizer nitrogen on some agronomic characters and grain yield in bambara groundnut (Voandzeia subterranea). 1. Preliminary studies

1978

Doku, E. V., Department of Crop Sciene, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Ghana, , Lego, Ghana | Whyte, J.B.A., Department of Crop Sciene, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Ghana, , Lego, Ghana

On per plant basis, total dry weight and dry weight of grain, numbers of flowers and pods decreased with increasing plant population. However, it appears these decreases were not high enough to lower values expressed on per hectare basis which, therefore, continued to increase with increasing population. Plant height and leaf area index also increased with increasing population. On the other hand, reproductive efficiency was not affected by population density. Fertilizer N had no significant effect on any of the characters studied. It is suggested that this lack of response to N could be due to the fact that the crop has only been recently cultivated in an area (the Sudan savanna) where adaptation to very low soil N status was a major strategy for survival. Its inbreeding habit would also resist the introduction of high yielding genes from other sources into existing pure lines. It appears current grain yield levels are just not high enough to elicit a demand for greater utilization of soil N by the plant.

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