Effect of inter- and intra- row spacing on yield and yield components of chickpea [Cicer arietinum (L.)] under residual moisture in Dembia and Takusa Districts, Central Gondar Zone, Ethiopia

Ethiopia leads Africa in chickpea production, contributing 40% of total output; however, national average yields remain below 2 t ha⁻¹, far below the attainable yield of about 4 t ha⁻¹, largely due to suboptimal plant density. This study assessed the optimal inter- and intra-row spacing to improve chickpea productivity under residual soil moisture conditions in central Gondar. Field experiments were conducted on vertisols in Dembia and Takusa districts using Desi- and Kabuli-type varieties. Four inter-row spacing (20, 30, 40, and 50 cm) and three intra-row spacing (5, 10, and 15 cm) were evaluated against the recommended 40 cm × 10 cm in a randomized complete block design with three replications. Phenology, growth traits, yield components, and grain yield were analyzed using SAS version 9.0, and treatment means were separated using the Least Significant Difference (LSD) test at the 5% significance level. Grain yield was significantly ( p < 0.05) affected by the interaction of inter- and intra-row spacing across locations. The highest yields were achieved at 30 cm × 5 cm, with 2150 kg ha⁻¹ for Desi and 2050 kg ha⁻¹ for Kabuli, whereas 50 cm × 15 cm yielded the lowest. The findings recommend 30 cm × 5 cm spacing to maximize chickpea productivity in the agro-ecological conditions of Vertisol under residual moisture systems in northwestern Ethiopia and similar agro-ecologies. Future studies should validate the recommended spacing across multiple locations and seasons under diverse agro-ecological conditions.