Abstract

Tepary bean is a crop that is slowly gaining momentum into the cropping system of Botswana. A study was conducted to determine the effect of planting date on yield and yield components of tepary bean and identify the optimum sowing of the crop. A rain-fed experiment was conducted for two seasons (2012 to 2014), using a randomized complete block design replicated three times in a split plot with three sowing dates in main plots and the nine genotypes in sub plots. Genotype × planting date interaction was not significant among the characters (100 seed weight, shoot dry weight, seed yield, crop loss, plant population, and plant height) which implied stability of the utilized genotypes. However, planting dates and year, and also the interaction between planting date and year were highly significant (P>0.001) for all the characters. Plant height had greater association with shoot dry weight (0.783), 100 seed weight (0.70) and seed yield (0.65), suggesting that it is a character which can be useful in selection for improving the tepary bean productivity. Sowing tepary bean in December and January were found to be good options for farmers in the southern part of Botswana.

Key words: Genotype, planting date, tepary bean, yield, yield components.