African Journal of
Agricultural Research

  • Abbreviation: Afr. J. Agric. Res.
  • Language: English
  • ISSN: 1991-637X
  • DOI: 10.5897/AJAR
  • Start Year: 2006
  • Published Articles: 6863

Full Length Research Paper

Effect of mounding times on yield of Bambara groundnut (Vigna subterranea (L.) Verdc.) landraces in Sahel-Burkina Faso

Mahama OUEDRAOGO1*, Bertin ZAGRE M’BI1, Søren Thorndal JØRGENSEN2 and Fulai LIU2      
1Institut de l’Environnement et de Recherches Agricoles (INERA), 04 BP 8645 Ouagadougou 01, Burkina Faso. 2Department of Agriculture and Ecology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Højbakkegaard Allé 13, DK-2630 Taastrup, Denmark.  
Email: [email protected]

  •  Accepted: 13 August 2012
  •  Published: 21 August 2012

Abstract

Bambara groundnut (Vigna subterranea (L.) Verdcourt) was grown in the Sahel area of Burkina Faso in 2010 and 2011. Three mounding periods – 2 WAS (two weeks after sowing), 4 WAS and 7 WAS – were combined with two landraces in a randomized complete block design experiments (RCBD). These two landraces showed significant differences (P<0.05) for seed yield per plant, one hundred seeds weight and average yield. Mounding at 4 WAS induced a delay of 50% flowering (14 to 15 days) in comparison to mounding at 2 and 7 WAS. Mounding at 4 WAS reduced seed yield per plant by 9% in comparison with mounding at 2 WAS and by 29% in comparison with late mounding at 7 WAS. Mounding at 2 and 7 WAS led to the highest seed yield across the two years. Late timing at 7 WAS generated an average annual yield of 1461 kg/ha, followed by early mounding at 2 WAS with1144 kg/ha and medium mounding at 4 WAS with 887 kg/ha. Therefore, in the Sahelian agro ecological zone, farmers must avoid mounding at 4 WAS for landraces having a cycle which takes less than 90 days because it has a significant negative impact on Bambara groundnut yield.

 

Key words: Bambara groundnut, mounding, yield, Sahel, agro ecology, landrace.