Evaluation of Balanced Fertilizer Types and Validation of Soil Fertility Map-Based Fertilizer Recommendation for Bread Wheat Production in Bale Highland Southeastern Ethiopia

Abstract

The optimal and appropriate fertilizer recommendation packages for all crops considering the improvement in productivity of small-scale farmers in the country. To evaluate the impact of blended fertilizer on wheat output, a field experiment using a five-treatment, three-replicate RCBD design was carried out during the 2020–2023 cropping season at Bale Highland southeastern Ethiopia to evaluate balanced fertilizer types and validation of soil fertility map-based fertilizer recommendation for Bread Wheat production The treatment 1Control (without fertilizer)2 (100 kg/ha-1 Urea )3 (100 kg /ha-1 NPS plus 100 kg of urea)4(100 kg /ha-1 NPSB plus 100 kg of urea) 5(100 kg /ha-1 NPSZnB plus 100 kg of urea). The plot size was 3m by 3 m (9 m2) and the spacing between plots and blocks was 1m and 1m, respectively in comparison to the control, The application of 100 kg ha-1 NPSZnB + 100 kg ha-1 urea in Bale Highland produced the highest and most significant yields of grains (5257.51 kg ha-1) the least amount of grain (3006.51 kg ha-1) in Bale Highland at the same time. To improve the production of wheat in the study area, farmers in Bale Highland must apply NPSZnB, with a similar agroecology.