Evaluation of Different Blended Fertilizer Types and Rates for Better Production of Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.) at Yeki District, South Western Ethiopia

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted to assess the effect of different blended fertilizer types and rates on the growth and yield of sorghum in Yeki woreda, Sheka zone, southwestern Ethiopia. Seven treatments: No fertilizer(control); three rates of NPS (69 N, 54 P205, 10 S; 92 N, 72 P2O5, 13 S; 115 N, 90 P2O5, 17 S kg ha-1) and three rates of NPSB (69 N, 54 P205, 10 S 1.07 B; 92 N, 72 P2O5, 13 S 1.4 B; 115 N, 90 P2O5, 17 S 1.7 B kg ha-1) were compared in randomized complete block design with three replications. The results revealed significant (p ≤ 0.05) improvement in biomass and grain yield and yield components of sorghum except for panicle length due to the application of different types and rates. Both fertilizer types and the three rates of each fertilizer gave statistically similar grain yields. When rates of each blended fertilizer were compared the lowest rates gave the highest grain yield but all rates of NPS gave greater yield than their respective rates of NPSB.  The highest (5592.6 kg ha-1) grain yield was obtained from the lowest NPS rate (69 N, 54 P205, 10 S) applied plots. Application of the lowest NPS rate increased grain yield of sorghum by 71.6% and 11.2% over control and NPSB ( at 69 N, 54 P205, 10 S 1.07 B rate ), suggesting that excluding B from NPSB blend will not affect the sorghum production. Partial budget analysis results also revealed that higher net benefit from application of lower rate of NPS. In conclusion, to improve sorghum production and to get better net benefit at the study and similar agro ecology, application of NPS at 69 N, 54 P205, 10 S (150 kg NPS + 90 kg urea top dressed) is recommended.

Keywords: NPSB, NPS, Net benefit, Sorghum, Yield

DOI: 10.7176/JNSR/13-18-01

Publication date:October 31^st 2022