The Response of Enset (Ensete ventricosum (Welw) Cheesman) production to Rate and Frequency of N and P Nutrients Application at Areka, in Southern Ethiopia

Abstract

Enset is one of the major food crops supporting many people in Southern Nations, Nationalities andPeople’s Regional State. The crop requires intensive management and high amount of nutrients; however,only limited work has been done on fertilizer requirement of the crop. An experiment was conducted todetermine rate and frequency of N and P fertilizers application for enset production at Areka, Wolaita, inSouthern Ethiopia. Three levels of N (46, 92 and 138 kg/ha), three levels of P (20, 40 and 60 kg/ha), twolevels of frequency of application (one time and two times), and absolute control treatment were arrangedin factorial experiment with randomized complete block design replicated three times. Phosphorus wasapplied as DAP and N was applied as Urea and DAP. Data on plant height, pseudostem height, pseudostemcircumference, leaf sheath number, corm weight, central shoot, bula weight, unsqueezed and squeezedkocho were collected and analyzed. The result indicated that application of N and P nutrients increasedenset production at Areka. Application of 138 kg N and 20 kg P/ha per year two times in the life of the cropgave the highest enset production in all the above parameters. Beside increasing enset production,application of 138 kg N and 20 kg P/ha per year for two consecutive years enabled the enset to mature threeyears earlier as compared to the farmers experience in the area, which takes five years to mature. Inconclusion, application of N and P nutrients more than one time in the life of enset is important to increaseits production and reduce its maturity period. Therefore, application of 138 kg N and 20 kg P/ha per yearfor two consecutive years is recommended for better production of enset at Areka.

Keywords: Enset, Interaction, Kocho, Maturity time