Optimizing Nitrogen Fertilizer for Wheat Production in Moisture-Deficit Areas of Northern Ethiopia

Workat Sebnie; Ewunetie Melak; Tilahun Esubalew; Haymanot Lamesgn; Tesfa Asmelie; Messay Abera

doi:10.5400/jts.2024.v29i2.59-66

Optimizing Nitrogen Fertilizer for Wheat Production in Moisture-Deficit Areas of Northern Ethiopia

Workat Sebnie, Ewunetie Melak, Tilahun Esubalew, Haymanot Lamesgn, Tesfa Asmelie, Messay Abera

Abstract

Depleting soil nutrients is among the significant factors affecting production and productivity in Ethiopia. From the nutrients, nitrogen is the most yield-limiting, which governs wheat production. Therefore, the study was conducted to examine the effect of nitrogen on the yield and yield components of bread wheat varieties. The experiment was implemented in the 2019 and 2020 cropping seasons at Sekota and Lasta districts on the farmers’ field. The treatments consisted of a factorial combination of four levels of nitrogen (0, 46, 69, and 92 kg ha-1) and two varieties of wheat (Sekota-1 and Hibst), which were replicated three times in a randomized complete block design. Each treatment was provided with 23 kg ha-1 triple supper phosphate (P2O5). The study’s results indicated that grain and yield-related traits were significantly affected by nitrogen application. The increasing rate of nitrogen up to 92 and 69 kg ha-1 increases wheat grain and biomass yield by (150.3% and 54.1%) and (95.9 and 60%) in Sekota and Lasta districts, respectively. The highest grain yield (2562 and 2980 kg ha-1) was obtained from applying 92 and 69 kg ha-1 N at Sekota and Lasta, respectively. Therefore, applying 92 and 69 kg ha-1 N is the appropriate rate and recommended for the Sekota and Lasta districts, respectively.

Keywords

Biomass; grain yield; lasta; sekota; variety

Full Text:

PDF

References

Abebe Getu. 2012. Soil characterization and evaluation of slow-release urea fertilizer rates on yield components and grain yields of wheat and tef on Vertisols of Jamma district of south Wollo ozone.[Thesis], Haramaya University, Haramaya, Ethiopia.

Abedi TA, Alemzadeh and SA Kazemeini. 2011. Wheat yield and grain protein response to nitrogen amount and timing. Aust J Crop Sci 5: 330-336.

Alemu D, K Belete and T Shimbir. 2019. Response of Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) to different rates of nitrogen and phosphorus at Fiche-Salale, Highlands of Ethiopia. Int J Plant Breeding Crop Sci 6: 474-480.

Amsal T, DG Tanner, A Gorfu, T Geleta and Z Yilma. 1997. Several crop management factors affect bread wheat yields in the Ethiopian Highlands. Africa Crop Sci J 5: 161-174.

Asif M, A Ali, ME Safdar, M Maqsood, S Hussain and M Arif. 2009. Growth and yield of wheat as influenced by different levels of irrigation and nitrogen. Int J Agric Appl Sci 1: 25-28.

Bell C. 2016. The importance of nitrogen for plant health and productivity. Growcentia: Mammoth.

Belete F, N Dechassa, A Molla and T Tana. 2018. Effect of split application of different N rates on productivity and nitrogen use efficiency of bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Agric food secur 7: 92. doi: https://doi.org/10.1186/s40066-018-0242-9.

Bekalu A and A Abebe. 2016. Effect of the time and rate of N-fertilizer application on growth and yield of wheat (Triticum aestivum l.) at Gamo-gofa Zone, Southern Ethiopia. J Nat Sci Res 6: 111-122.

Bereket H, H Dawit, M Haileselassie and G Gebremeskel. 2014. Effect of mineral nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers on yield and nutrient utilization of bread wheat on the sandy soils of Hawzen District, Northern Ethiopia. Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries 3: 189-198. doi: 10.11648/j.aff.20140303.18.

Beyenesh Z, N Dechassa and F Abay. 2017. Yield and nutrient use efficiency of bread wheat (Triticum Aestivum L.) as influenced by time and rate of nitrogen application in Enderta, Tigray, Northern Ethiopia. Open Agriculture 2: 611-624.

Bouyoucos GJ. 1962. Hydrometer method improved for making particle size analyses of soils 1. Agronomy J 54: 464-465.

Bremner JM and CS Mulvaney. 1982. Nitrogen-Total. In: Page AL, RH Miller and DR Keeney (eds). Methods of soil analysis. Part 2. Chemical and microbiological properties. American Society of Agronomy, Soil Science Society of America, Madison, Wisconsin, pp. 595-624.

CIMMYT (International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center). 1988. An Economic Training Manual: from agronomic data recordation. Mexico. 79p.

CSA (Central Statistics Agency). 2021. Report on area and production of major crops. Statistical Bulletin 590, Addis Ababa.

Curtis BC. 2002. Wheat in the World. In: BC Curtis, S Rajaram and HG Macpherson (eds). Bread wheat improvement and production, plant production and protection Series 30, FAO, Roma, pp 1-18.

Martey E, JKM Kuwornu and J Adjebeng-Danquah. 2019. Estimating the effect of mineral fertilizer use on land productivity and income: evidence from Ghana. Land Use Policy 85: 463-475.

FAOSTAT (FAO Statistical Databases). 2014. Agricultural production statistics. http://www.fao.org/faostat.

Getachew A, L Minale, M Adamu, F Abraham, B Agdew and G Fite. 2011. Research achievements in soil fertility management about barley in Ethiopia. In: B Mulatu and S Grando (eds). Barley Research and Development in Ethiopia. Proceedings of the 2 National Barley Research and Development Review Workshop. HARC, Holetta, Ethiopia. ICARDA, pp 137-153.

Haile D, R Nigussie-Dechassa, W Abdo and F Girma. 2012. Seeding rate and genotype effects on agronomic performance and grain protein content of durum wheat (Triticum turgidum l. var. durum) in southeastern Ethiopia. African J Food Agr Nutr Develop 12: 6080- 6094.

Hameed E, A Wajid, F Shad and B Jahan. Yield and yield components of wheat as affected by different planting dates, seed rate and N levels. Asian J Plant Sci 1: 502-506.

Hazelton P and B Murphy. 2007. Interpreting soil test results: What do all the numbers mean?. Csiro Publishing, Collingwood VIC. 151 p.

Hirel B, J Le Gouis, B Ney, and A Gallais. 2007. The challenge of improving nitrogen use efficiency in crop plants: toward a more central role for genetic variability and quantitative genetics within integrated approaches. J Experimental Botany 58: 2369-2387.

Johnston AE. 1994. The role of nitrogen in crop production and losses of nitrate by leaching from agricultural soil. Marine Pollution Bulletin 29: 414-419. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/0025-326X(94)90664-5.

NASA 2019 and 2020: https://power.larc.nasa.gov/data-access-viewer/ accessed Juanary 12, 2021.

Olsen SR, CV Cole, FS Watanabe and LA Dean. 1954. Estimation of available phosphorus in soils by extraction with sodium bicarbonate. USDA Circular 939: 1-19.

Subedi KD, BL Ma and AG Xue. 2007. Planting date and nitrogen effects on grain yield and protein content of spring wheat. Crop Science 47: 36-44.

Tekalign T. 1991. Soil, plant, water, fertilizer, animal manure, and compost analysis. Working Document No. 13. International Livestock Research Center for Africa, Addis Ababa.

Tilahun A and T Temado. 2019. Growth, yield component, and yield response of durum wheat (Triticum turgidum L. var. Durum) to blended NPS fertilizer supplemented with N rates at Arsi Negelle, Central Ethiopia. African J Plant Sci 13: 9-20.

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5400/jts.2024.v29i2.59-66