Drainage, sowing date and variety effects on chickpea grown on a Vertisol in Ethiopia

A field experiment was conducted for three years at Ginchi in Ethiopia to study the effects of three drainage methods [broad-bed-and-furrow (BBF), ridge-and-furrow (RF) and flat beds (FB)] arranged as main plots. Sub-plots comprised a factorial combination of four sowing dates (18 and 31 August, and 14 and 28 September) and three Desi-type chickpea varieties (Worku, Akaki and a landrace) in a split-plot design with three replications. Improved drainage methods (BBF and RF) increased chickpea seed yield by an average of 45% over the flat seedbed. There was a quadratic relationship between seed yield and sowing date with a peak yield in mid-September. Improved varieties (Worku and Akaki) yielded 15-19% more than the local check. Improved varieties were significantly more yielding than the landrace variety under the improved drainage system but not under the flat bed system. Also, improved varieties yielded significantly more than the landrace variety in the first three sowing dates when waterlogging was a problem but not in the last sowing date after which drought stress normally sets in. Sowing of improved chickpea varieties in mid-September using BBF could markedly increase productivity of chickpea on Vertisols in Ethiopia.