Effects Of Tillage Method And Sowing Time On Growth, Water Use And Yield Of Chickpea (Cicer Arietinum L.) In Kenyan Dry Highlands

ABSTRACT

The need to provide sufficient protein food for an increasing population that is mainly

resource poor requires opening up of marginal land for growing appropriate pulses such

as chickpea. An experiment was carried out at KARI-Naivasha situated at an altitude of

1900 m, characterized with clayey to sandy loam soils in a split plot of randomized

complete block design over two seasons (December 29, 2004 to May 26, 2005 and June

21 to November 15, 2007). The objective was to investigate the production of kabuli

chickpea in Kenya as affected by tillage methods (main plots) and sowing times

(subplots) and the effects of these factors on water use and yield of the crop. The overall

mean height ranged from 39.7 to 47.7 cm under tillage methods with strip tillage

resulting in relatively taller plants than the other tillage methods. Sowing times gave plant

heights of 41.5 – 46.4 cm with early sown crops being relatively taller than late sown

crop in both seasons. The leaf area index ranged from 2.50 to 3.31 and 4.22 to 5.44 under

tillage methods in Season I and II, respectively. The corresponding values of LAI in the

respective two seasons under sowing times were 2.80 to 3.20 and 3.59 to 5.69. The crop

took 32.5 to 35.5 days to first flower and 61.8 to 61.4 days to 50% flowering in Season I

and II, respectively. The mean time to physiological maturity was 120 days showed

significant differences among tillage methods in both seasons. The time to first flower

and 50% flowering however had non-significant differences (P