Abstract
The field experiment was carried out during the 2022 main cropping season under rainfed conditions on a farmer’s field in Gechi District, southwestern Ethiopia. The objective was to evaluate the effects of different rates of N combined with NPSB fertilizer on the growth, yield, and yield components of tef varieties, and to identify the economically optimum fertilizer rate for maximizing tef production under the local conditions. A factorial experiment comprising three tef varieties and six nitrogen–NPSB fertilizer combinations (3 × 6) was conducted using a randomized complete block design with three replications. Except for days to 50% flowering (DF), days to 90% physiological maturity (DPM), and harvest index (HI), both the main effects and the interaction effects of variety and fertilizer rate significantly (p < 0.05) influenced all measured parameters. The interaction of tef variety and fertilizer rate significantly (p < 0.05) affected grain yield, thousand-seed weight, harvest index, and net benefit. Based on the present study, the Kora variety supplied with 34.5 kg N + 200 kg NPSB ha⁻1 achieved the highest grain yield (2565.4 kg ha⁻1), representing approximately a 162% increase over the unfertilized control and a 40% increase over the currently recommended fertilizer treatment, together with the greatest net economic return. Although the Kora variety supplied with 34.5 kg N + 200 kg NPSB ha⁻1 produced the highest grain yield, agronomic efficiency, and economic return under the conditions of this study, these findings are based on a single-location, single-season experiment. Therefore, the recommendation should be considered preliminary and applicable primarily to agroecological conditions similar to those of Gechi District until validated through multi-location and multi-season experiments.
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Ethical approval was not required for this study because it involved experimental cultivation and management of commercially available wheat varieties, which are not subject to ethical review according to national regulations on plant research in Ethiopia. No human participants or animals were involved in this study.
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Akalu, A., Tulu, S., Nebiyu, A. et al. Integrated nitrogen and NPSB fertilization enhances productivity, nutrient-use efficiency, and profitability of tef (Eragrostis tef (Zucc.) Trotter) in Southwestern Ethiopia.
Sci Rep (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-70932-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-70932-5
Keywords
- Nitrogen fertilizer
- NPSB fertilizer
- Agronomic efficiency
- Grain yield
Source: Ecology - nature.com
