Effects of NPS Fertilizer Application and Tillage Practices on Yield and Yield Components of Sesame (Sesamum Indicum L.) in Kebribeyah District of Somali Region.

Abstract

Drought and low soil fertility are the main production factors affecting sesame yield. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the effects of NPS fertilization and tillage practices on yield components and yield of sesame. Treatments comprise the combination of three tillage practices (i.e., tied-ridge, flatbed, and no-tillage) and three fertilizations [i.e. fertilizing. 0 kg NPS ℎ????−1 (control), 150 kg NPS ℎ????−1 , and 300 kg NPS ℎ????−1 ] which overall gave nine treatments. Treatments were tested in a randomized complete block in a factorial arrangement and were replicated three times. The results showed that the main effects of tillage and fertilizer on the leaf area index (LAI) were significant and the tide ridge and the 150 kg NPS ℎ????−1 applications recorded the highest LAI while the lowest LAI came from the control and zero-tillage, respectively. The main effects of tillage and fertilizer on plant height, number of branches per plant
(NBPP), number of capsules per branch (NCPP), number of seeds per capsule (NSPC), 1000 seed weight, and seed yield (SYD) were significant, while the interactive effect of tillage and fertilizer was significant only for plant height, NBPP and SYD. Fertilizing 150 kg NPSℎ????−1 with tied ridge tillage recorded the tallest height and number of branches per plant. The application of 150 kg NPS ℎ????−1 recorded the highest number of capsules per branch, the number of seeds per capsule, and the weight of a thousand seeds. The lowest values of these parameters were obtained from the control treatment. Similarly, the main effect of tillage is significant for all recorded parameters. The highest values of these parameters were recorded during tillage on the tide ridge, followed by flatbed, while the lowest values came from the zero-tillage method. The highest yield of sesame seeds was observed in the combined application of
tied ridge with 150 kg NPS ℎ????−1 while the lowest seed yield was from zero-tillage without fertilization. The partial budget analysis result showed that the highest net benefit (38304.79 ETB) was recorded in tied ridge combined with 150 kg NPS ℎ????−1 (T8) followed by flatbed + 150 kg NPS ℎ????−1 (T5) (37422.36). Whereas the highest marginal rate of return (575.1%) was recorded in the combination of flatbed with 150 kg NPS ℎ????−1 (T5). Therefore, based on these results we recommend the use of tied ridge tillage with 150 kg NPS ℎ????−1 to increase sesame yield in the Kebribeyah area. However, for broader applications, the study should be repeated across different locations and seasons.