EVALUATION OF MORPHOLOGICAL TRAITS OF BARLEY (Hordeum vulgare L.) GENOTYPES IN DIFFERENT INTER-ROW SPACINGS AND NITROGEN RATES UNDER IRRIGATION

A field experiment was carried out in 2020/2021 irrigated season at the National Root Crop Research Institute, outstation, Vom, Jos South Local Government Area in Plateau State, (Longitude 8°53' E, and Latitude 9º56' N) 1,217 m above sea level. The aim was to evaluate the effects of barley genotypes in different inter-row spacing and nitrogen rates for barley production. The treatments consisted of three barley genotypes (Traveler, Zhana, and Arupo‘s’), four nitrogen levels (0, 80, 100, 120 kg N ha-1), and three inter-row spacing (20, 30, and 40 cm). The experiment was conducted using a split-split plot design (SSPD) with three replications. The results indicated the treatments had significant effect in plant height and grain yield. The study's findings indicate that utilizing the genotype traveler with an inter-row spacing of 20 cm and applying 120 kg of nitrogen per hectare resulted in the highest grain yield of 1238.5 kg per hectare. Additionally, the interaction between the varieties and nitrogen rates had a significant effect on grain yield. The application of 120 kg N ha-1 notably affected plant height, tiller count, and grain yield for all the genotypes examined in the research.