Performance Evaluation and Response of Yield Components and Yield of Bread Wheat to NPK Fertilizers at Hidebu Abote District of North Shewa Zone, Oromia

Abreham Feyisa,Abera Donis,Dereje Girma

doi:10.11648/j.plant.20200802.12

Abstract

A field experiment was carried out on nitisols of Hidebu Abote district, North Shewa Zone, Oromia where wheat production is severely constrained by lack of an appropriate rate and types of fertilizer recommendation to evaluate wheat crop response to NPK fertilizer application. Fifteen NPK nutrients levels were considered and applied as treatments along with control (no fertilizer) at yaya Deka Bora peasant association were arranged in randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications at two farmers field. The ANOVA result indicated that plant height (PH), above ground biomass yield (AGBMY), straw yield (SY), Thousand grain weight (TGW), grain yield (GY) and harvest index (HI) of bread wheat showed significant (P ≤ 0.05) response to the NPK fertilizer application at both sites. The highest AGBMY (13.61 and 12.46 tons ha-1), SY (8.13 and 7.33 tons ha-1) and GY (5475.00 and 5414.33 kg ha-1) were recorded with the application of 69:30:20 NPK fertilizer combination at (site 1 and site 2) respectively and the lowest were recorded on control treatments. However the highest PH (103.8 and 97.27 cm) at site 1 and site 2 was recorded respectively with the application of 92:10:20 NPK nutrients combinations. Both the statically and economical analysis showed that 69:30:20 NPK kg ha-1 of fertilizer application results in higher yield and economically profitable for bread wheat production in the study area. However further research experiment with multi locations, cropping seasons and different bread wheat cultivar have to be required in order to give best conclusive recommendation for the farmers.

Highlights

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is the most important among all cereals used as a food grain in the world
Plant height: The analysis of variance showed that plant height was significantly affected by different levels of NPK fertilizer application at both sites (Table 1)
The result indicated that height increased linearly with each consecutive increase in NPK fertilizers which was attributed to the gradual increase in plant height

Summary

Introduction

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is the most important among all cereals used as a food grain in the world. Ethiopia is one of the largest wheat producing countries in the Sub-Saharan Africa [4]. Ethiopian wheat yields have been consistently well below the East African and world average yields, indicating low productivity of the crop [19]. The central highlands of Ethiopia are historically an important wheat growing region. In this region, wheat ranks second in total area, production and market demand after tef (Eragrostis tef) [7] and is produced across a range of soil conditions, on well-drained highly-weathered reddish-brown soils (Nitisols) and poorly drained heavy dark clay soils (Vertisol) [2, 22]. The national average yield of the crop is estimated at 2.74 tons ha-1 [7], which is very low, compared to the world’s average yield of 3.09 tons ha-1 [10]

Methods

Results

Conclusion