RESPONSE OF BREAD WHEAT (Triticum aestivum L.) VARIETIES TO NPS FERTILIZER LEVELS IN WOLMERA DISTRICT, ETHIOPIA

Abstract

Bread wheat production and productivity are constrained by poor soil fertility and the unavailability of improved varieties in the Wolmera district. Hence, a field experiment was conducted to determine the effect of NPS fertilizer levels on yield and yield components of bread wheat varieties. The treatments consisted of four bread wheat varieties (Alidoro, Wane, Lemu, and Shorima) and five levels of NPS fertilizer (0, 100, 150, 200, and 250 kg ha^-1). The experiment was laid out in a Randomized Complete Block Design in a factorial arrangement with three replications. The main effects of varieties and NPS level significantly (p≤ 0.05) affected phenology, growth, yield, and yield components of bread wheat varieties. The interaction of varieties and NPS levels significantly influenced spike length, leaf area, productive tillers, kernel per spike, above-ground biomass, grain and straw yields, and harvest index of bread wheat. The highest number of productive tillers (6), kernel per spike (62.06), and grain yield (6.3t ha^-1) were obtained from the Lemu variety with the application of 200 kg NPS ha^-1. The grain yield response index showed that the Lemu variety has more potential in grain yield and exceeded the Alidoro, Shorima, and Wane varieties by 53.4, 36.8, and 15.4%, respectively. The highest net benefit of ETB 89,102.5 with a marginal rate of return 840.9% was recorded from the Lemu variety with the application of 200 kg NPS ha^-1. Therefore, the Lemu variety with 200 kg NPS ha^-1 is economically optimal for bread wheat production in the Wolmera area.