Yield Response of Bambara Groundnut [Vigna subterranea (L.) Verdc.] to Fertilizer Application and Plant Spacing

Abstract

Background: An experiment was conducted at Nkoranza in the Bono-East Region and Ejura Sekyedumase in the Ashanti Region of Ghana from July to December, 2021 to evaluate the effects of P based fertilizer and plant spacing on leaf area, leaf area index and seed yield and yield components of Bambara groundnut. Methods: The experiment was a 3 x 3 factorial, arranged in a Randomized Complete Block Design with three replicates. The first factor was plant spacing with three levels, including 50 cm x 20 cm, 40 cm x 20 cm and 40 cm x 25 cm, while the second factor was application of P based complex fertilizer (NPK 11:22:20) with three levels, including 0 kg/ha, 30 kg P/ha and 60 kg P/ha. Result: Results of the study revealed that leaf area, leaf area index, yield components and seed yield of Bambara groundnut were significantly affected by plant spacing. Wider spacing of 50cm row was better than 40cm. Fertilizer application had mixed responses, with no significant impact when the plant density was 10 m-2, whereas under a plant density of 12.5 m-2 there was a response to 60 kg P based fertilizer application, which needs further study.