Abstract

Inappropriate ploughing and weed control practices are among the major limiting factors for teff productivity in Ethiopia. Hence, this study was conducted to evaluate the effect of ploughing and weeding frequencies on growth and yield of teff varieties in Mirab Abaya district of southern Ethiopia during short cropping season of 2019. The treatments as combinations of three levels of ploughing (ploughing six times, four times and once), three levels of weeding frequency (no weeding, weeding once at tillering, weeding twice at tillering and stem elongation stages of the crop) and two varieties of teff (local and improved variety Quncho) which were laid out in split-split-plot design using ploughing as a main plot factor, weeding as subplot and variety as sub-subplot treatment with three replications. Data on phenological, growth and yield, and yield related parameters were collected and analyzed using General Linear Model (GLM) procedures of SAS 9.0. Weeding twice at tillering and stem elongation stage increased yield by 20% over the un-weeding treatment. The highest grain yield (1193 kg/ha) was obtained when ploughing six times combined with weeding twice for improved teff variety (Quncho) followed by (1135 kg/ha) the combination of ploughing four times and weeding twice for the local variety. However, ploughing four times combined with weeding twice at tillering and stem elongation stage for improved teff (Quncho) variety was found to be economical practice with the highest net benefit (27,503.4 Ethiopian birr/ha) and marginal rate of return (5800%). This practice, therefore, may be recommended for higher yield and profitability of Quncho variety in the study area and other similar environments.

Key words: Teff, grain yield, biomass yield, economic analysis, harvest index, Quncho.