article · Journal of Tropical Crop Science
Lentil productivity in the central highlands of Ethiopia is severely limited by waterlogging and unclear sowing schedules on heavy vertisol soils. Field trials carried out across two cropping seasons in the Legehida and Wereilu districts evaluated combinations of planting times across July, August, and September, alongside land preparation methods comparing flat beds to raised beds with drainage. The trials demonstrated that early planting on raised drainage beds produces substantial productivity gains. In Legehida, early planting on raised beds boosted grain yields by over one thousand per cent and biomass by more than six hundred per cent compared to late planting, while also markedly outperforming traditional flat bed practices. Similar significant improvements were observed in Wereilu. Sowing lentils early on 120 centimetre wide raised beds provides a practical and environmentally sustainable approach to managing waterlogging and improving crop yields in vertisol regions.
Vertisol soils are prone to severe waterlogging, which stifles the growth of crucial pulse crops like lentils. By identifying clear planting windows and simple physical land shaping techniques, growers can avoid extensive crop failure. These findings offer practical, low cost field management strategies to enhance food security and crop output in vulnerable highland agricultural systems.
This research provides applied and field tested land management recommendations ready for deployment by smallholder farmers, extension services, and agricultural development programmes. It enables the creation of targeted agronomic guidance packages and low cost mechanisation tools for forming 120 centimetre raised beds, helping reduce seasonal crop losses in waterlogged environments without requiring complex chemical inputs.
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In Ethiopia’s central highlands, lentils are the second most important pulse crop, but their productivity is constrained by waterlogging and a lack of clear recommendations on optimal planting times. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of various soil drainage techniques for lentil sowing, determine the optimal planting time for vertisols, and develop environmentally sustainable management strategies for lentil cultivation. Field experiments were conducted during the 2022 and 2023 cropping seasons in the eastern Ethiopian highlands, specifically in the Legehida and Wereilu districts of the Amhara region. The study tested three planting times (July, August, and September) and two land management practices (sowing with drainage on raised beds and sowing on flat beds) arranged in a factorial randomized complete block design (RCBD). The results showed highly significant differences in both locations. In Legehida, early planting on raised beds increased yield by 1004.78% and biomass by 642.13% compared to late planting. Yields were 1184.67% higher with raised beds than with flat beds or traditional farmer practices, which also showed a 541.86% increase in biomass. Similarly, in Wereilu, early planting on raised beds resulted in a highly significant improvement (p ≤ 0.05) over farmer practices. Therefore, in vertisol areas prone to waterlogging, early sowing of lentils on 120 cm wide raised beds after drainage is an effective strategy to enhance yield and biomass production.
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DOI: 10.29244/jtcs.12.02.473-481
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