EFFECT OF SOWING DATE ON THE PERFORMANCE OF BAMBARA GROUNDNUT (VIGNA SUBTERRANEAN L. VERDC.) LANDRACES IN THE TRANSITION AND FOREST AGRO-ECOLOGIES OF GHANA

Bambara groundnut is an underutilized and until lately, under researched crop. Its ability to produce some yield where other crops such as groundnut fail has been established. The balanced nutritional quality of the crop coupled with its resistance to drought gives it a crop of choice to achieve food security especially in the dry areas of Africa. Experiments were conducted in 2008 in two agro-ecological zones of Ghana namely, Wenchi (Transition) and Fumesua-Kumasi (Forest) agro-ecologies to determine the effect of sowing dates on the yield of bambara groundnut landraces namely; Burkina, NAV 4, NAV Red, Black eye, Tom, Mottled Red and Ada. Sowings were done in a factorial arrangement in a randomized complete block design with three replications. Pod yields ranged between 3.0 t/ha to 4.4 t/ha and 271 kg/ha to 2.3 t/ha for the various sowing dates in the Transition and Forest agro-ecologies respectively. Minor rainy season sowing of bambara groundnut produced more pod yield than major rainy season sowing. Where irrigation is available, sowing bambara groundnut just before the rains in February and March in the Transition and Forest agro-ecologies of Ghana produce high pod yields.