Response of Bread Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) Varieties to Rates of NPS Fertilizer in Kebribeyah District of Fafen Zone, Somali Region Ethiopia.

Abstract

Bread wheat is also one of the economically important crops in Ethiopia and wheat production is an emerging agriculture practice in the agro-pastoralist community in the Somali Region, Ethiopia. However, recommendations for improved varieties and rates of fertilizer are lacking in potential wheat-producing areas of the region including the Kebribeyah district of Fafen zone. Thus, this research was conducted to determine the effect of NPS fertilizer rates on the grain yield of bread wheat varieties to facilitate fertilizer rate recommendation for wheat production in the district. Three bread wheat varieties (Fentale-1, Kingbird, and Wane) and four rates of NPS fertilizer (0, 50, 100, and 150 kg ℎ????−1) in factorial combination were evaluated in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) in 2023 under rainfed condition. The results of soil samples of the experimental plot indicated that the soil had sandy clay loam in texture, moderate level of total nitrogen, and very low available phosphorus suggesting that the supply of the two nutrients is required to
obtain a high yield of wheat. The results of the analysis of variance indicated wheat varieties, fertilizer rates and interaction of variety and fertilizer had significant effect on plant height and grain yield. Rates of NPS fertilizer and interaction of variety and fertilizer had significant effects on days to 50% Heading and 90% of maturity, several effective tillers/plant, and several kernels/plant, Variety and interaction of variety and fertilizer had a significant effect on spike length and thousand-grain weight (g) while rates of NPS fertilizer had a significant effect on biomass yield (t ℎ????−1) and harvest index(%). The growth and yield components of wheat were higher as the wheat varieties were supplied with NPS fertilizer as compared to the control plot of null fertilizer application. Moreover, Fentale1 and Kingbird bread wheat varieties with the application of 150 kg ℎ????−1 NPS fertilizer produced higher grain yields of 2.73 and 2.7 t ℎ????−1 respectively, though it had no significant difference from yield obtained from some other treatment combinations. However, the obtained higher grain yield of bread wheat varieties with the application of the highest rate 150 kg ℎ????−1 of NPS fertilizer was
higher than the average national wheat yield. Thus, it is concluded the a need for further research on other wheat varieties with varied rates of Urea and NPS fertilizers to identify wheat varieties and rates of fertilizers to produce high yields with acceptable economic rate of return by producers in the study area.