Evaluation of Inorganic Fertilizer Rate on Different Bread Wheat (Triticum aestivum) Varieties at Kofele, Ethiopia
Abstract
Dr. Debela Bekele, Dr. Fasil Shimalis, Dr. Zenebe Mulatu, Dr. Almaz Admasu, Dr. Dereje Dobocha, Dr.Wogayehu Worku
Wheat is one of the globally produced and marketed cereal crops which cover 15% of the total sowing areas of cereal crops in the world. The low productivity of wheat in Ethiopia is mainly attributed to lack of improved agronomic practices. Nitrogen and phosphorus are the major important elements for crop yield. But there is lack of information on optimum fertilizer rate for wheat production in this area (Kofele district of West Arsi zone). Therefore, the objective of this research was to determine the optimum nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizer rate for wheat at Kofele district. This experiment was conducted for two consecutive years in 2016 and 2017 main cropping season. The treatment has two factors (three bread wheat varieties: Digalu, Dendea and Didase and fertilizer rates: 100 kg/ha of urea and 150 kg /ha of DAP, 150 kg/ha of urea and 225 kg/ha of DAP, 200 kg/ha of urea and 300 kg/ha of DAP and 100 kg/ha of urea and 181 kg/ha of NPS). The analyzed data indicated that plant height and seeds per spike of bread wheat was highly significantly affected by main effect of variety. Highest plant height (128.33 cm) and seeds per spike (42.1) were recorded from variety Dendea. Spike length was significantly affected by main effect of variety. The longest spike length (8.3) was recorded from variety Hidase. Wheat grain yield was significantly affected by interaction effect at (p<0.05). Variety Hidase produced the highest grain yield of 6904.4 kg/ha at 200 kg/ha of urea and 300 kg/ha of DAP. Above ground dry weight of wheat was significantly affected by interaction effect. The highest above ground dry weight 18869 kg /ha of wheat was produced from variety Digalu at 100 kg/ha of urea and 150 kg/ha of DAP. Therefore, to get the highest benefit farmers should grow variety Hidase by applying 200 kg/ha of urea and 300 kg/ha of DAP at this area.