studying grain and green pod yield, and grain yield components as affected by inter- and intra- row spacing in faba bean, barakat cultivar

spreading faba bean (vicia faba) cultivation can enhance the sustainability of cropping systems and have other important benefits. however, there is little information on the various aspects of production management for this crop. then, this experiment was carried out to study the response of some agronomic characteristics of faba bean cv barakat to inter- (15, 30, 45 and 60 cm) and intra-row (5, 10 and 15 cm) spacing. the experiment was conducted at the research field of gorgan university of agricultural sciences in 2009-2010 growing season in a randomized complete block design as factorial arrangement with three replications. the results of analysis and variance indicated the significant effects of inter- and intra-row spacing, and their interactions on green pod, grain and biological yield. the yields reduced as inter-row and intra-row spacing increased with an exception about 15 cm inter-row spacing in which the lowest grain and green pod yield was attained from 5 cm intra-row spacing. there was no significant difference between 10 and 15 cm intra-row spacing in 15 cm inter-row spacing. in this study, the yields increased with increasing plant density between 11 and 67 plants/m2, and with more uniform planting arrangement in even plant density, generally. among yield components, the effect of experimental factors on the seed size was not significant, the seed per pod only affected significantly by intra-row spacing, while the pod number per plant affected by both factors. the change in the pod number/m2 was the main reason for the yield alteration. the obtained results indicated the substantial response of faba bean yield to inter- and intra-row spacing, and the necessity of investigating the interactions between these factors and other factors such as planting date and genotype.