ISSN 2360-7971
Abstract
Accepted 25th July, 2017
Frost is a climatic hazard that causes serious damage to standing crop in temperate, tropical and subtropical climates. In Ethiopia, frost commonly occurs at high altitudes where the atmosphere is thin and radiation is faster. The damage is very serious to crops between October and February when temperature falls below freezing point. The research was conducted in Muhir Aklil district which is found in Gurage zone of Southern Nations Nationalities and Peoples Regional State (SNNPRS) of Ethiopia to determine the optimum sowing date that would minimize frost damage. Among all Peasant Administrations in Mihur Aklil district of Gurage zone, Chinbe is the one with severe frost damage. Randomized Completely Block Design (RCBD) with three replications was used in the study. Experiment was conducted on widely cultivated barley variety (HB-1307). During commencement of the experiment, three frost days with night temperatures of -1, 2 and 3 oC was recorded. On the basis of our test, the result depicted that 7 days after the average sowing date, has scored better yield 5.6 t/ha Furthermore, it assures water requirement of the crop during grain filling stage. It is advised then to sow barley 7 days late after the sowing date of the average farmers.
Keywords: climate hazard, frost, frost days, sowing date.