One of the major leguminous crops grown in Ethiopia is the chickpea, scientifically known as Cicer arietinum L. To evaluate the effects of planting date and nitrogen rates on the management of Africa bollworm, Helicoverpa armigera in chickpeas, a field experiment was conducted in October 2022 at a farmer's field in the Ambo district. The experiment, structured in a randomized complete block design, and it was replicated three times in the field. The planting dates were categorized as early, normal, and late October 16, 2022, October 26, 2022, and November 06, 2022, respectively. The results revealed that, apart from days to emergence, maturity date, and total pods per plant, all parameters were significantly influenced by the main effects of planting date and NPS rate on managing the African bollworm in chickpeas. The crop planted on October 28th with a 100 kg/ha NPS fertilizer treatment was found to be the most effective in reducing the incidence of H. armigera and achieving a higher grain yield, based on the combination of planting dates and NPS rates.
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