Improving food barley productivity in nutrient depleted Ethiopian soils via blended NPSB fertilization
Abstract
Pawlos Eyob and Tarekegn Yoseph*
Food barley is an important crop in the southern highlands of Ethiopia, playing a key role in the local food supply. However, its productivity is limited due to the lack of improved high-yield varieties and the decline in soil quality caused by nutrient depletion. A field trial was, therefore, conducted in the Gorche district during the 2021–022 cropping season to investigate the effectiveness of blended NPSB fertilization and assess economically feasible rates for enhancing food barley productivity. A factorial combination of four fertilizer rates (0, 50, 100, and 150 kg NPSB ha-1) and four barley varieties (Adoshe, HB-1307, EH-1493, and HB-1966) was used in a randomized complete block design with three replications. The results revealed that days to emergence were only affected by varieties. Days to heading, maturity, tillers m-2, grain weight, spike length, height, kernels spike-1, and harvest index were influenced by both NSPB fertilizer and variety. The main and interaction effects notably influenced the total tillers m-2, aboveground dry biomass, grain yield, and straw yield. Of all the combinations, the HB-1307 variety with 150 kg NPSB ha-1 produced the highest grain yield of 4.86 t ha-1 and an economic return of 73,403.20 Ethiopian birr (ETB) ha-1. This combination also had an acceptable marginal rate of return of 2,729.92% when compared to other fertilizer and variety combinations. Based on these results, farmers in Gorche district and similar agroecological areas in Ethiopia are advised to use the combination of HB-1307 variety with 150 kg NPSB ha-1, to achieve better crop productivity, food security, and higher economic returns.