DOI: 10.11648/j.ajpb.20261103.19 ISSN: 2578-8337

Comparative Effects of Fenugreek Rotation with Bread Wheat to Enhancing Wheat Productivity at Highland and Mid-altitudes of Bale, South-eastern Ethiopia

Chala Gutema
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In the Bale zone, the farmers dominantly rely on the monoculture of wheat, which currently imposes its detrimental consequences on the depletion of soil fertility and has a high risk of low crop production. Therefore, an on-farm experiment was conducted to determine the importance of rotating fenugreek with bread wheat there; to determine the effects of fenugreek rotation with bread wheat on the yield components and yield of bread wheat varieties at Bale; and to study the compatibility and productivity of the fenugreek and bread wheat rotation system under the Bale highlands and mid-altitudes of East Bale. The growth and agronomic traits of fenugreek and bread wheat were affected by rotations. The highest plant height of fenugreek (50.67 cm) was recorded from the Burqa variety when grown, followed by the Senate variety of bread wheat. The highest bread wheat plant height (108.0 cm) was recorded when the Senate variety was grown, followed by the Hundaol variety. The number of primary branches per plant in fenugreek was observed to be high when it was planted after bread wheat. The maximum number of pods per plant (21.80) was obtained when Hundaol planted the following Senate variety. The maximum spike length (6.50 cm) was recorded when the Galan variety was planted after the Hundaol varieties of fenugreek, and the highest number of seeds per pod (12.87) was obtained from the Burqa variety of fenugreek when grown with the Senate variety of bread wheat. The highest number of seeds per spike (53.70) was obtained when wheat grew after a wheat-fenugreek-wheat rotation. The maximum seed yield of fenugreek (1647 kg ha⁻ 1 ) was recorded when it grew after wheat. On the other hand, the maximum grain yield (6232 kg ha⁻ 1 ) in wheat was gained when Senate grew after fenugreek. The minimum seed yield of fenugreek and wheat grain yield was obtained from monocropping. This experiment revealed that the first wheat following a fenugreek precursor crop in rotation resulted in superior grain yields of bread wheat. Low grain yields were obtained from the continuous wheat rotations at Bale. The result indicates the need to encourage the adoption of appropriate wheat rotations by farmers in the highlands of the Bale zone and similar agroecologies.

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