Potential of feed-food double-cropping in central highlands of Ethiopia

Abstract

The potential of feed-food double-cropping was evaluated at Ginchi, Ethiopia, for two years with the objective of evaluating herbage yields of fodder crops and the subsequent effects on grain yields of chickpea and grass pea. Early maturing oat (79Ab382 (TX) (80SA95); 79CP84 (Coker SR. res) 80SA130; SRCP X 80Ab2806; C7512/SRCP X 80Ab 2252 and CO X SRCP X 80Ab2291) and common vetch (Acc. No. 2490; Acc. No. 2742) were selected and planted on lands reserved for chickpea/grass pea at the start of the main rainy season. Following forage harvest, chickpea and grass pea were planted on all plots and control fallow plot (farmers’ practice). A randomized complete block design with three replicates was used. Vigor (potential growth), plant height, herbage yield of forage crops, and grain yields of chickpea and grass pea varied across years. Higher average herbage yield (3.36 t ha^–1) was obtained from oat–common vetch mixtures compared to a fallow system (1.11 t ha^–1). Moreover, grain yields of chickpea and grass pea grown as a double-crop following oat–common vetch were more or less similar to yields obtained under a fallow system except in the case of chickpea following T6 (oat SRCP X 80Ab2806 × Vicia sativa acc. No. 2742). From this study, it was concluded that double-cropping of early-maturing, improved forage crops and residual soil moisture-based planting of chickpea and grass pea could improve feed availability, and labor and land productivity.

Keywords:

• fodder
• food legumes
• oat
• common vetch
• double-cropping

Funding

The authors are indebted to Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR) for financial support and personnel involved in the implementation of this work (Mr Gebremedhin Hagos, Getachew Gudeta, Felekech Asfaw, Asres Merso, Andarge Shewareged, Gurmu Wordofa, and Degissa Keneni). We also thank Dr Thorne Peter for critical review of the manuscript.