Journal of Global Agriculture and Ecology

Sorghum production in dryland and Striga-prone areas is constrained by soil-moisture stress, drought, and Striga infestation, resulting in low yields. A field experiment was conducted at the Humera Agricultural Research Center in Kafta Humera District during the 2018/2019 cropping season to evaluate the effects of seedbed type and farmyard manure (FYM) rates on Striga control, soil-moisture conservation, and sorghum yield. The experiment was arranged as a factorial randomised complete block design with three replications. Four FYM rates—0, 2.5, 5.0, and 7.5 t ha⁻¹—and three seedbed types—flatbed, tied ridging with planting in the furrow, and tied ridging with planting on the ridge—were tested using the Gobiye sorghum variety. Data on days to Striga emergence, Striga counts at flowering and harvest, soil-moisture content, and grain yield were subjected to analysis of variance. Application of 7.5 t ha⁻¹ FYM delayed Striga emergence by 17.14% and reduced Striga counts by 33.73% at flowering and 38.73% at harvest compared with the control. Tied ridging and FYM application improved soil-moisture conservation throughout the vegetative, reproductive, and grain-filling stages. The highest grain yield, 3,646 kg ha⁻¹, was recorded when tied-ridge planting in the furrow was combined with 7.5 t ha⁻¹ FYM. These findings indicate that integrating tied-ridge planting in the furrow with 7.5 t ha⁻¹ FYM can improve Striga management, soil-moisture conservation, and sorghum productivity under the study conditions.