THE EFFECT OF SEEDBED DESIGN ON SORGHUM PRODUCTION IN AN ARID ENVIRONMENT

This paper discusses the effects of three different seedbed designs (f urrow, ridge, and flatbed) on the production of sorghum under the hars h arid environment of the Sultanate of Oman. The demand for forage cro ps has risen significantly during the past decade in the Sultanate coi nciding with the dramatic increase in milk- and meat-producing animals . Techniques for tillage of the seedbed have also changed with the int roduction of new types of agricultural machinery for production of for age crops. Research relative to tillage techniques for seedbed prepara tion for the production of forage crops is required to meet the rising demand. The results of this study indicate that sorghum samples plant ed and grown on the ridge yielded the highest results relative to all categories; number of leaves, number of tillers, root length, giant he ight, and fresh and dry weight. It produced significantly higher mean results in the categories of root length, plant height, and fresh and dry weight compared with both the flatbed and furrow tillage method. S orghum samples from the flatbed treatment area significantly outperfor med sorghum samples from the furrow treatment area relative to the mea n number of plant tillers, and mean fresh weight and mean dry weight. Sorghum samples from the furrow treatment area had significantly more leaves than samples from the flatbed treatment area.