Amanuel Kuma Majamo¹*, Mesele Misgan Negash⁴, Yosef Shigute Adem¹, Kokobe Wubayehu Abebe⁵, Muhammed Tsegawu Afrassa³, Mekete Abera Damtew⁵ and Fekadu Talito Hogago²

¹Department of Plant Science, Collage of Agriculture and Natural Resources Management, Wachemo University, Hossana, Ethiopia
²Department of Horticulture, Collage of Agriculture, Wolaita Sodo University, Sodo, Ethiopia
³Department of Dry Land Crop Science, Collage of Dry Land Agriculture, Jigjiga University, Jigjiga, Ethiopia
⁴Department of Plant Science, Collage of Agriculture, Wollo University, Dessie, Ethiopia
⁵Department of Horticulture, Collage of Agriculture, Wollo University, Dessie, Ethiopia

*Corresponding Author:Amanuel Kuma Majamo, Department of Plant Science, Collage of Agriculture and Natural Resources Management, Wachemo University, Hossana, Ethiopia.

Received: July 21, 2025; Published: August 16, 2025

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted during the 2023/24 season at the Demonstration Farm of the College of Agricultural Science, Wachemo University, to evaluate the effects of plant spacing and fertilizer type on the morphological traits, biomass yield, and nutritional composition of fodder beet (variety KF-31). The study employed a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with a split-plot arrangement. Fertilizer treatments included control (T1), 15 tons/ha cattle dung (T2), 250 kg/ha NPSB (T3), and a mixture of 125 kg/ha NPSB plus 7.5 tons/ha cattle dung (T4). Three plant spacings (20, 25, and 30 cm between holes) were assigned to sub-plots. Analysis of variance revealed that fertilizer application significantly (p<0.05) increased root fresh weight, shoot fresh and dry weights, and both green and dry biomass yields. Wider spacing (30 cm) significantly improved root dry weight, whereas closer spacing (20 cm) produced higher overall green and dry fodder yields, likely due to greater plant density. Nutritional analysis showed leaves contained significantly higher crude protein, crude fiber, and ash compared to tubers (p<0.01), while tubers had higher dry matter and nitrogen-free extract. Notably, the combined fertilizer treatment (T4) with the closest spacing (20 cm) yielded the highest root dry weight (p<0.05). These findings indicate that integrating organic and chemical fertilizers with optimized plant spacing enhances fodder beet productivity and nutritional quality. Further studies across different locations and seasons are recommended to validate these results.

Keywords: Fertilizer Type; Fodder Beet; Nutritional Composition; Spacing; Yield

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Citation

Citation: Amanuel Kuma Majamo., et al. “Response of Fodder Beet (Beta vulgaris L.) to Varying Plant Spacing and Fertilizer Regimes: Implications for Morphological Development, Biomass Yield and Forage Quality". Acta Scientific Agriculture 9.9 (2025): 12-23.

Copyright

Copyright: © 2025 Amanuel Kuma Majamo., et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.