Effects of Sowing Date on the Growth, Yield and Honey Bee Foraging Intensity of Buck Wheat (Fagopyrum esculentum) at Bako Agricultural Research Center
Tusa Gemechu,
Amsalu Arega
Issue:
Volume 3, Issue 1, March 2018
Pages:
1-4
Received:
28 July 2017
Accepted:
21 December 2017
Published:
31 January 2018
Abstract: The flexibility and wide adaptation of buck wheat recently led it to be grown on different agro ecology, even though it is not native to our country. A field experiment was conducted to study the effects of sowing date on growth, yield and honey bee foraging intensity of buckwheat at Bako Agriculture Research Center. There were 5 treatments with the first treatment sown on July, 15 having 10 days different between each treatments with three replications laid out in Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD). The experimental result showed that there was significance difference White seeded Variety (V2) of buckwheat having 37 days stay with flowering which is planted in the Mid July and early August with the mean value of about 31 days with extended flowering period and proceeds prolifically for about a month before gradually tapering off as the plant matures. From the result above buckwheat was mature in 11 weeks. The later buckwheat is planted, the faster it will mature. Therefore, speed of maturity depends on the planting date. Grain yield of buckwheat under different sowing date were highly significant (p ≤ 0.05) highest grain yield for both Varieties planted in mid July and late July with the lowest grain yield observed for both Varieties planted in the late August with the mean value of 14.40ku/ha. The result clearly indicates that foraging intensity of honey bees at different flowering stage of the buck wheat has been significantly different at first week flowering and second week of flowering stage with mean value of 36 and 31 bees/m2/10min. The intensive visitation of honey bees with the mean value of 22 bees/m2/10min and 13 bees/m2/10min at early in the morning (08:30-08:40 am) and (04:30-04:40 am) has been observed respectively.
Abstract: The flexibility and wide adaptation of buck wheat recently led it to be grown on different agro ecology, even though it is not native to our country. A field experiment was conducted to study the effects of sowing date on growth, yield and honey bee foraging intensity of buckwheat at Bako Agriculture Research Center. There were 5 treatments with th...
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