Finger millet (Eleusine coracana L.) grain yield and yield components as influenced by phosphorus application and variety in Western Kenya

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Date
2016Author
Wafula, Wekha N.
Nicholas, Korir K.
Henry, Ojulong F.
Siambi, Moses
Gweyi-Onyango, Joseph P.
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Finger millet is one of the potential cereal crops that can contribute to the efforts of
realization of food security in the Sub-Saharan Africa. However, scientific information available
with regards to improving soil phosphorus supply and identification of P efficient varieties for the
crops potential yield is limited. In order to investigate the effects of P levels on yield components
and grain yield On-station field experiments were conducted in two sites of western Kenya during
the long and short rain seasons of 2015. The experiment was laid out in a Randomized Complete
Block Design in factorial arrangement with four levels of P (0, 12.5, 25 and 37.5 kg P2O5 ha-1 and
three finger millet varieties (U-15, P-224 and a local check-Ikhulule) and the treatments replicated
three times. The increase of phosphorus levels significantly (P≤0.05) increased the grain yield
over the control up to 25 kg P2O5 ha-1 during the long rain seasons and 25 kg P2O5 ha-1 during the
short rain seasons in both sites. Interactions at P≤0.05 were revealed on the grain yield where
improved variety P-224 at 25 kg P2O5 ha-1 produced the highest grain yield of 4.74 t.ha-1 in Alupe
and 4.77 t.ha-1 in Kakamega and the consistent results suggest that the combination is highly
recommended. Therefore the use of judicious and proper rates of P fertilizers can markedly
increase the grain yield of finger millet in western Kenya
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http://www.tropicalplantresearch.com/archives/2016/vol3issue3/088.pdfhttp://ir-library.ku.ac.ke/handle/123456789/15451