Agrotechnology

Abstract

Response of Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L.) For Growth Stage Based Deficit Irrigation at Wondo Genet, Ethiopia

Ayele Debebe*, Elias Meskelu, Henok Tesfaye, Seble Bekele, Yitagesu Nurga

Growth stage based deficit irrigation is an important way of managing irrigation water by identifying the most sensitive growth stages to apply the required amount of water on these sensitive growth stages. A field experiment was conducted at Wondo Genet Agricultural Research Center, Ethiopia, latitude 8°25'59'', longitude 39°01'44'' and altitude of 1800 m.a.s.l to investigate the effect of water stress at different growth stage on yield and water productivity of rosemary. A combination of four deficit levels (100%, 85%, 70% and 55% ETc) and four growths stages (initial, development, mid and late) were used as treatments with three replications to evaluate the yield and yield component of rosemary in split plot arrangement. Different growth stage based deficit irrigation significantly affected all recorded yield and yield components of rosemary including its water productivity. Significantly higher yield and yield components were associated with treatments that receive 100% ETc at all growth stages and lowest one was recorded on treatments that receive 55% ETc at mid growth stage. Mid stage was sensitive to moisture stress than other growth stages. Therefore, for better production of rosemary avoiding moisture stress at mid stage is needed and stressing other growth stages up to 70% ETc is possible or has no that much impact on yield and yield component of rosemary.

Published Date: 2025-04-11; Received Date: 2024-02-03