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EXPLORATORY AGRONOMY WITHIN PARTICIPATORY VARIETAL SELECTION: THE CASE OF PEANUT IN EAST TIMOR

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 January 2012

ROBERT WILLIAMS ,
REBECCA ANDERSEN ,
ARMANDINA MARCAL ,
LUIS PEREIRA ,
LUIS ALMEIDA  and
WILLIAM ERSKINE
ROBERT WILLIAMS
Affiliation:
Seeds of Life, PO Box 221, Dili, Timor-Leste Centre for Legumes in Mediterranean Agriculture (CLIMA), The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia
REBECCA ANDERSEN
Affiliation:
Seeds of Life, PO Box 221, Dili, Timor-Leste Centre for Legumes in Mediterranean Agriculture (CLIMA), The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia
ARMANDINA MARCAL
Affiliation:
Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Comoro, Dili, Timor-Leste
LUIS PEREIRA
Affiliation:
Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Comoro, Dili, Timor-Leste
LUIS ALMEIDA
Affiliation:
Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Comoro, Dili, Timor-Leste
WILLIAM ERSKINE*
Affiliation:
Seeds of Life, PO Box 221, Dili, Timor-Leste Centre for Legumes in Mediterranean Agriculture (CLIMA), The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia
*
Corresponding author. Email: william.erskine@uwa.edu.au
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Summary

Within the context of participatory varietal selection of peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) in East Timor, this study investigated an approach to identify yield determinants in farmer-managed varietal trials in a type of exploratory agronomy. A singular increase of 47% in peanut on-farm productivity by variety Utamua over local varieties was recorded across agro-ecologies over 616 farmer-managed trials in five cropping seasons. Utamua has larger (c. 70%) seed than local, which resulted in poor germination initially. Farmers then started seed priming, and, by the last two seasons’ trials, 50% of farmers with on-farm trials seed primed. The volume of trials allied with detailed recording of agro-ecological, household and management conditions allowed the identification of factors affecting yield, such as seeding arrangement (two seeds/hill more productive than one seed/hill) and soil pH (pH 7–8.5 more productive than lower pH), using an unbalanced ANOVA design. Farmer innovations in management could be identified within varietal trials highlighting future agronomic possibilities.

Type
Research Article
Information
Experimental Agriculture , Volume 48 , Issue 2 , April 2012 , pp. 272 - 282
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2012

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References

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