Enhancing Yield and Yield Components of Food Barley (Hordeum Vulgare L.) Through Optimum Nitrogen and Phosphorus Levels in Eastern Amhara, Ethiopia
Abstract
fertility management plays a crucial role in optimizing crop productivity by ensuring an adequate supply of essential nutrients. The appropriate application of plant nutrients requires an understanding of both crop nutrient requirements and soil nutrient supply capacity. This study was conducted during the main cropping seasons of 2019 and 2020 to determine the economically optimum nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizer rates for enhancing food barley production. A factorial experiment was designed using three nitrogen rates (46, 69, and 92 kg N ha⁻¹) and three phosphorus rates (46, 69, and 92 kg P₂O₅ ha⁻¹) in a randomized complete block design with three replications. Before planting the soil samples were collected to know the fertility status of the experimental sites. Data on plant height, biomass yield, and adjusted grain yield were collected and all the collected data were subjected to Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) at the 0.05 significance level using SAS software (version 9.0). Means were separated by the Duncan multiple range test. The results showed that nitrogen and phosphorus fertilization significantly increased both grain and biomass yields of food barley. Yield and yield-related parameters improved with increasing nitrogen and phosphorus rates. The highest above-ground biomass yield (5,466.2 kg ha⁻¹) and maximum grain yield (2,884.6 kg ha⁻¹) were achieved with the application of 92 kg N ha⁻¹ and 92 kg P₂O₅ ha⁻¹, significantly outperforming all other treatments. However, the most economically viable treatment was 92 kg N ha⁻¹ combined with 69 kg P₂O₅ ha⁻¹, which resulted in the highest net benefit (53,592.3 ETB) and a marginal rate of return of 1,597.1%. Therefore, the application of 92 kg N ha⁻¹ and 69 kg P₂O₅ ha⁻¹ is recommended for food barley production in the study area and similar agro-ecological zones, and Future research should be conducted site-specific nutrient recommendations while assessing the sustainability and environmental impacts of high fertilizer applications.
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.46676/ij-fanres.v%25vi%25i.487
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