Pre Extension Demonstration of Soil Test Crop Response Based Recommended Phosphorus Fertilizer for Maize in Bako Tibe and Gobu Sayo Districts of Western Oromia, Ethiopia

Abstract

Pre-extension demonstration of soil test crop response based phosphorus fertilizer recommendation for maize was conducted in Bako Tibe and Gobu Sayo districts with the objective of participatory demonstration of soil test crop response based phosphorus recommendation under farmers’ condition in 2022 cropping season. Two treatments were applied (T<sub>1</sub>) blanket Recommendation (T<sub>2</sub>) Soil Test crop response based recommended phosphorus fertilizer with improved maize (BH-661) variety. The trial was conducted on eleven farmers’ fields which were used as replications. Plot size for each treatment was 10m x 20m with the spacing of 35cm and 75cm between plants and rows respectively using seed rate of 25 kg ha<sup>-1</sup> and with recommended optimum N-fertilizer rate of 110 kg ha<sup>-1</sup>. In each PAs, one FREG unit comprising of 20 farmers were established. About 185 (139 male and 46 female) participants were take part on field visit based training held during physiological maturity of maize. The average total biomass with soil test crop response based Recommended phosphorus fertilizer was 32,385 kgha<sup>-1</sup> while blanket recommendation was 27,730 kgha<sup>-1</sup>. Again the average grain yield for STCRBPR was 7,205kg ha<sup>-1</sup> while blanket recommendation was 4,641kg ha<sup>-1</sup>. Similarly, the results of the economic analysis indicated that the use of p-fertilizer based on soil test crop response and the blanket suggestion with MRR 500.93% could yield net returns of 188,029.36 and 119348 ETB per hectare, respectively. As a result, the suggested phosphorus fertilizer based on soil test crop response should be expanded/scaled up to include additional maize producer farmers in the region and surrounding districts.