Effect of Seed Rate and Row Spacing on Yield and Yield Components of Rain Fed Lowland Rice (Oryzasativa L.) Variety

Abstract

Rice (Oryza sativa L.), is one of the most important food crops and is considered as a major source of calories for more than half of the global population (Carrijo et al., 2017), covers 11% of total arable land (Khush, 2005). Rice has become a commodity of strategic significance across many African countries (Hegde and Hegde, 2013). It is also the most rapidly growing food sources across the continent due to the great urbanization in Africa more than any other region in the world. Rice consumption is increasing faster than that of any other food staple in Africa at about 5.5% per year (2000-2010 average). This increase is driven by urbanization and related changes in eating habits, and population growth (Seck et al., 2012).Africa has sufficient land and water resource to produce enough rice to feed its own population and, in the long term, generate export revenues. Rice cultivars, rice-based cropping systems and the rice itself will, however, have to undergo adaptations and improvements in order to meet future demands for both food security of the growing population and environmental conservation (Asch and Brueck, 2010). Rice productivity in Africa is generally low about 1 t ha-1 in uplands, 1 to 2 t ha-1 in rain fed lowlands and 3 to 4 t ha-1 in the irrigated zones and a range of factor explains this low productivity (African Rice, 2010). Ethiopia has a huge potential in both rain-fed and irrigated areas for rice production, which is, estimated about thirty million ha (MoARD, 2010; CSA, 2012) According to the National Rice Research and Development Strategy of Ethiopia, the trend in the number of rice producing farmers, area allocated and production showed high increase especially since 2006 (NRRDSE, 2009). Area rose from 6,000 hectares in 2005 to nearly 222,000 hectares in 2010 and paddy production from 15,460 tons to 887,400 tons, at the same time, the number of rice farmers increased from 18,000 to more than 565,000 (MoARD, 2010).At the Fogera plain, rice plays an important role in relaxing the problem of food-insecurity of the farming community. Besides, rice is among the target commodities