The Impact of Plant Spacing and Landraces on the Growth and Yield Traits of Bambara Groundnut (Vigna subterranea) in the Field

Bambara groundnut production and research ignored at one’s risk, considering that this hardy crop yields well in mixed cropping, marginal lands, and off-season. To investigate effect of plant spacing x landraces, a replicated randomized complete block design was utilized. The treatment set consisted of two Bambara groundnut landraces (i.e., Ikwo Landrace-1 = V1 and Nsukka Landrace-2 = V2) and three plant spacing: P1 = 12 x 45 cm2, P2 = 20 x 45 cm2, and P3 = 55 x 45 cm2 equivalent to 182,149; 111,334, and 40,485 plants ha-1, respectively. Shoot height and petiole length were not significantly different. Significant differences existed between the number of leaves at 4 and 6 weeks after sowing. Plant spacing2 x Landrace-1 interaction produced significantly more 100-seed weight (287.6 g), followed by Plant spacing1 x Landrace-1 (248.1 g) and Plant spacing2 x Landrace2 (190.6 g). Landrace-1 produced a higher 100-seed weight (239.19 g), compared to Landrace-2 (126.63 g). Plant spacing 2 produced more 100-seed weight (239.08 g) followed by Plant spacing 3 (196.87 g). Seed yield from Plant spacing2 x Landrace-1, Plant spacing3 x Landrace-1, and Plant spacing1 x Landrace-1 (2330.4, 2127.2, and 1049.4 kg ha-1, respectively) were significantly higher compared to the other treatments. Landrace-1 produced a higher seed weight (1835.66 kg ha-1) compared to Landrace-2 (911.2 kg ha-1). Plant spacing 2 produced more seed weight (1638.8 kg ha-1), followed by Plant-spacing 3 (1586.52 kg ha-1). Finally, plant spacing2 followed by Plant spacing3 and Landrace-1 are highly recommended for Ebonyi State, southeastern Nigeria.