Grain Yield of Rice, Corn, and Sorghum to Low External Input Agriculture Practices in Maliana, Bobonaro, Timor Leste

Abstract

A farmers’ field yield trial during the 2018 dry season was conducted in Maliana, Bobonaro District, Timor Leste to evaluate the compatibility of selected hybrid and inbred varieties of rice, maize, and sorghum to low external input crop management practices common to subsistence farmers in the region. In rice, grain yield performance as influenced by genotype (hybrid or inbred) and planting density (single or double row spacing) was assessed by measuring grain yield and selected agronomic traits. In rice, grain yield was not significantly different, between hybrid and inbred varieties, but higher planting densities gave 17-27% advantage for hybrids and 36-45% for inbred varieties. The observed yield from farmers’ field was, however, 60-70% lower than yield obtained from experimental fields.  Agronomic traits (plant height, tiller, panicle, and spikelet counts) were found to have very strong genotype x planting density interaction effects, and although post-hoc analyses revealed marginal differences on selected yield-related components between the two planting densities, these differences were not statistically significant, and did not contribute to improvement in rice grain yield.  Hybrid and inbred varieties of maize and sorghum showed comparable yield levels in two independent yield trials, and although agronomic traits showed significant differences between varieties, these did not account for any yield advantage.