Explore the vast range of titles available.

Soil acidity is a global problem that limits crop production worldwide. It is the major crop yield-limiting factor in Ethiopia. The experiment was conducted in the Guagusa Shikudad district in western Amhara during the 2021 and 2022 cropping seasons to improve the productivity of faba bean through integrated vermicompost and lime applications. The spacing between rows and plants was 40 and 10 cm, respectively and the gross plot size was 8.4 m². The treatments were zero, half and full lime factorially combined with 0, 5, 10, and 15 t ha ⁻ ¹ vermicompost. Vermicompost and lime were applied separately in rows at planting. The experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block design with three replications. Before planting, a composite surface soil sample at 0–20 cm depth and after harvest from each plot was collected for the determination of soil chemical properties. The soil analysis result indicated that vermicompost and lime significantly increased soil pH and decreased exchangeable acidity. The result also revealed vermicompost and lime significantly (p < 0.001) increased faba bean grain and biomass yield. The maximum faba bean grain yield (2.41 t ha ⁻ ¹) was recorded from the applied 10 t ha ⁻ ¹ vermicompost and full dose of lime (5.6 t ha ⁻ ¹), while the maximum faba bean biomass (5.90 t ha ⁻ ¹) was recorded from the treatment of 15 t ha ⁻ ¹ vermicompost and full dose of lime applied. The minimum grain and biomass yield of faba bean was recorded from the control (vermicompost and lime not applied). Application of 5 t ha ⁻ ¹ vermicompost and a full dose of lime gave an optimum and economical faba bean grain yield. Application of integrated organic and inorganic fertilizers with lime is suggested for the improvement of faba bean grain yield by restoring non-responsive, strongly acidic agricultural soils in the study area and similar agroecology.

The decline in soil nutrients in Ethiopia, particularly in Western Amhara, is causing low crop productivity. Some researchers have argued that the application of K, S, Zn, and B in blended, individual, and complex forms affects crop yield. Identification of the prime yield-limiting nutrient is the key to solvesoil nutrient problems. A field experiment was conducted at Burie-Wemeberema, Debere Elias, Gozamen and Gonji Qolela districts of Western Amhara in the 2022 cropping season. A composite soil sample was taken at a depth of 0–20 cm to determine soil chemical properties. Bread wheat and tef were used as a test crop. The gross plot sizes were 4m x 3m and the spacing between blocks and rows was 1.0 and 0.2 m, respectively. The experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block design with three replications and comprised of nine treatments: control, NPKSZnB-blended, NPKZnB, NPKSB, NPKSZnB, NPSZnB, NP, NPKSZnB-individually applied, and NPSZnB-compound+K. R programming software version 4.2.2 was used for data analysis, and treatment means were separated at P < 0.05 using the LSD test. The analysis of variance results showed that nitrogen and phosphorus are the most yield-limiting nutrients so far in the study area. Besides, omissions of potassium, sulfur, zinc, and boron did not show a significant (P < 0.05) effect on bread wheat and tef grain yield reduction as compared to the applied recommended nitrogen and phosphorus at all landscape positions of all study sites. Blended and compound nutrients also didn’t show a significant grain yield advantage as compared to the applied NP nutrients. Applied potassium, sulfur, zinc, and boron nutrients in blended, individual, and compound forms did not increase wheat and tef grain and biomass yields in all study areas. Currently, additions of K, S, Zn, and B nutrients in the fertilizer package do not have a significant grain yield advantage as compared to the recommended NP nutrients. We believe the present information on fertilizers in blended, compound, and individual forms is insufficient to draw any concrete conclusions. Therefore, we suggested further research to confirm which form of fertilizer and nutrient source is better for future crop production.

Crops respond differently to soil nutrients because of climate, soil, and management. This study aimed to determine the most important nutrients for tef production. The experiment was conducted over two production seasons. All (NPKSZnB), All-B, All-Zn, All-S, All-K, All-P, All-N, RNP, RNP+Sx1, and no fertilizer treatments were applied. The pre-planning soil status of the study sites, available P concentrations during the rainy season are between 5.1 and 8.9 mg kg -1 , however, 21.4 mg kg -1 of available P is observed during irrigation. In rain-fed production systems, the mean soil N concentrations are 0.12% in nitisols and 0.15% in vertosols, whereas in irrigation production systems, it is 0.14% in nitiosols. The grain yield significantly (p ≤ 0.01) varied with the omission of nutrients during the production season. However, there was no significant (p<0.05) decrease in yield due to the omission of KSZnB nutrients. The lowest mean grain yields of 342 kg ha -1 (nitisols) and 491 kg ha -1 (vertosols) were obtained from the no fertilizer treatment. Nitrogen omission decreased yields by 49 and 65% in nitisols and vertosols under the rainy season, respectively, whereas a 19% yield decrease was also observed in the irrigation season. A 10% yield decrease was observed from the P omitted treatment in the rainy season. Thus, N is the primary limiting nutrient to yield in both production seasons, while P is also a yield-limiting nutrient in nitisols. Thus, the government should import the right kind of fertilizer to boost crop productivity in Ethiopia. The required plant nutrients should be periodically monitored in farming systems.

Food crop productivity is still low because of the decline of soil fertility in Ethiopia, particularly in north-western Amhara. Fine-tuning the source and rate of nutrients is required to solve soil fertility problems along landscape positions. Therefore, this study was initiated to investigate the need to apply selected nutrients to tef and wheat in acidic soils. This nutrient omission study was conducted in 74 farmers’ fields of Gozamen and Machakel districts. The omitted nutrients were sulfur (S), zinc (Zn), and boron (B). Potassium (K) was added, consisting of N, P, K, S, Zn, and B (All+K). Nitrogen plus phosphorus (NP) and no fertilizer treatments were used as positive and negative controls, respectively. Furthermore, 50% and 150% of the All+K treatments were also included. The finding revealed that the application of different nutrient types at variable rates had a significant role in the grain and biomass yield of both test crops in the acidic soils. No tef yield and the lowest yield of bread wheat were obtained from the no fertilizer application treatment. The application of All+K had no significant yield advantage compared to NP fertilizer alone. This implies that N and P are the most yield-limiting nutrients to produce tef and bread wheat, whereas KSZnB nutrients are not yield limiting. Therefore, refining the rates of N and P in acidic soils is needed for the economical use of fertilizers. Finally, applying blended fertilizers without empirical evidence is not recommended for smallholder farmers in the study area.

Nitrogen is a critical yield-limiting plant nutrient for crop production in Ethiopia. The demand for synthetic fertilizer is significantly increasing. Urea is the main source of synthetic nitrogen fertilizer that mainly applied in the surface resulting in significant nitrogen loss. UREA stabil fertilizer is urea with N-(n-butyl) thiophosphoric triamide (nNBPT) that reduce the rate of urea hydrolysis by urease to reduce nitrogen loss and increase crop productivity. The research was conducted in Yilmana Densa district, Ethiopia for two years to evaluate the performance of UREA stabil compared to urea. The research evaluated the effect of UREA stabil fertilizer technology on bread wheat and tef at Nitisol and Vertisol. The finding of this research denies our prior hypothesis that UREA stabil could give better yields of tef and wheat with lower rates of nitrogen at single application rate compared to urea. Reducing the amounts of nitrogen by one third using UREA stabil resulted in an intolerable significant yield penalty for all the study sites and both years on wheat. Both the grain and straw yields were increased by splitting the UREA stabil , indicating that the enzyme that hydrolysis urea was merely inhibited. Considering a non-significant yield difference between the conventional urea and UREA stabil for all crops, soils, rates, and forms of applications UREA stabil is not promising. Further research with different rates of nNBPT as well as different nitrification inhibitors needs to be evaluated for their efficiency to improve crop yield and reduce nitrogen loss for different crops, different soils, and agro-ecologies.

Soil acidity is a global problem that limits crop production worldwide. It is the major crop yield-limiting factor in Ethiopia. The experiment was conducted in the Guagusa Shikudad district in western Amhara during the 2021 and 2022 cropping seasons to improve the productivity of faba bean through integrated vermicompost and lime applications. The spacing between rows and plants was 40 and 10 cm, respectively and the gross plot size was 8.4 m². The treatments were zero, half and full lime factorially combined with 0, 5, 10, and 15 t ha ⻠¹ vermicompost. Vermicompost and lime were applied separately in rows at planting. The experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block design with three replications. Before planting, a composite surface soil sample at 0-20 cm depth and after harvest from each plot was collected for the determination of soil chemical properties. The soil analysis result indicated that vermicompost and lime significantly increased soil pH and decreased exchangeable acidity. The result also revealed vermicompost and lime significantly (p < 0.001) increased faba bean grain and biomass yield. The maximum faba bean grain yield (2.41 t ha ⻠¹) was recorded from the applied 10 t ha ⻠¹ vermicompost and full dose of lime (5.6 t ha ⻠¹), while the maximum faba bean biomass (5.90 t ha ⻠¹) was recorded from the treatment of 15 t ha ⻠¹ vermicompost and full dose of lime applied. The minimum grain and biomass yield of faba bean was recorded from the control (vermicompost and lime not applied). Application of 5 t ha ⻠¹ vermicompost and a full dose of lime gave an optimum and economical faba bean grain yield. Application of integrated organic and inorganic fertilizers with lime is suggested for the improvement of faba bean grain yield by restoring non-responsive, strongly acidic agricultural soils in the study area and similar agroecology.

Crops respond differently to soil nutrients because of climate, soil, and management. This study aimed to determine the most important nutrients for tef production. The experiment was conducted over two production seasons. All (NPKSZnB), All-B, All-Zn, All-S, All-K, All-P, All-N, RNP, RNP+Sx1, and no fertilizer treatments were applied. The pre-planning soil status of the study sites, available P concentrations during the rainy season are between 5.1 and 8.9 mg kg.sup.-1, however, 21.4 mg kg.sup.-1 of available P is observed during irrigation. In rain-fed production systems, the mean soil N concentrations are 0.12% in nitisols and 0.15% in vertosols, whereas in irrigation production systems, it is 0.14% in nitiosols. The grain yield significantly (p [less than or equal to] 0.01) varied with the omission of nutrients during the production season. However, there was no significant (p<0.05) decrease in yield due to the omission of KSZnB nutrients. The lowest mean grain yields of 342 kg ha.sup.-1 (nitisols) and 491 kg ha.sup.-1 (vertosols) were obtained from the no fertilizer treatment. Nitrogen omission decreased yields by 49 and 65% in nitisols and vertosols under the rainy season, respectively, whereas a 19% yield decrease was also observed in the irrigation season. A 10% yield decrease was observed from the P omitted treatment in the rainy season. Thus, N is the primary limiting nutrient to yield in both production seasons, while P is also a yield-limiting nutrient in nitisols. Thus, the government should import the right kind of fertilizer to boost crop productivity in Ethiopia. The required plant nutrients should be periodically monitored in farming systems.

Crops respond differently to soil nutrients because of climate, soil, and management. This study aimed to determine the most important nutrients for tef production. The experiment was conducted over two production seasons. All (NPKSZnB), All-B, All-Zn, All-S, All-K, All-P, All-N, RNP, RNP+Sx1, and no fertilizer treatments were applied. The pre-planning soil status of the study sites, available P concentrations during the rainy season are between 5.1 and 8.9 mg kg.sup.-1, however, 21.4 mg kg.sup.-1 of available P is observed during irrigation. In rain-fed production systems, the mean soil N concentrations are 0.12% in nitisols and 0.15% in vertosols, whereas in irrigation production systems, it is 0.14% in nitiosols. The grain yield significantly (p [less than or equal to] 0.01) varied with the omission of nutrients during the production season. However, there was no significant (p<0.05) decrease in yield due to the omission of KSZnB nutrients. The lowest mean grain yields of 342 kg ha.sup.-1 (nitisols) and 491 kg ha.sup.-1 (vertosols) were obtained from the no fertilizer treatment. Nitrogen omission decreased yields by 49 and 65% in nitisols and vertosols under the rainy season, respectively, whereas a 19% yield decrease was also observed in the irrigation season. A 10% yield decrease was observed from the P omitted treatment in the rainy season. Thus, N is the primary limiting nutrient to yield in both production seasons, while P is also a yield-limiting nutrient in nitisols. Thus, the government should import the right kind of fertilizer to boost crop productivity in Ethiopia. The required plant nutrients should be periodically monitored in farming systems.

The potential yield of improved maize varieties usually cannot be fully realised mainly due to inappropriate soil nutrient management practices in most parts of Ethiopia. Site-specific fertiliser recommendations are rarely used in the farming systems of Ethiopia. There is also a lack of data to develop or validate decision support tools for targeting specific crop production. A study was conducted for three consecutive rainy seasons (2016–2018) in the maize belt of the north-western parts of the Amhara National Regional State of Ethiopia. The objectives were to obtain the maximum achievable yield potential of maize, determine the most yield-limiting nutrients and create a database of maize responses to applied nutrients so that decision support tools could be developed for the study areas. Treatments were individual nutrients (nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K)) and combinations of the three. In some treatments, NPK was also combined with sulphur, zinc, lime and compost. Two hybrid maize varieties (BH-540 and BH-660) adaptable to the study areas were used. BH-540 was used for the Mecha district, while BH-660 was used for the south Achefer, Jabitahnan–Burrie–Womberma districts. Maize yield increased by more than 50% due to fertiliser applications compared to without fertiliser. The study showed that the possibility of increasing maize productivity to more than 12 t ha-1 for the study sites. The most yield-limiting nutrient in the study sites was N, followed by P; K was not a yield limiting. Without N the yield of both varieties was non-significant from the control (without added nutrients). Maize grain yield did not respond to application of lime, compost, zinc and sulphur. The result also showed very high variability across sites, indicating that it is important for policymakers, farmers and investors to consider site-specific fertiliser recommendations. Finally, a database containing intensive plant response to NPK for maize was generated and could be used as input in site-specific decision support tools development.

Soil acidity is a global problem that limits crop production worldwide. It is the major crop yield-limiting factor in Ethiopia. The experiment was conducted in the Guagusa Shikudad district in western Amhara during the 2021 and 2022 cropping seasons to improve the productivity of faba bean through integrated vermicompost and lime applications. The spacing between rows and plants was 40 and 10 cm, respectively and the gross plot size was 8.4 m². The treatments were zero, half and full lime factorially combined with 0, 5, 10, and 15 t ha ⁻ ¹ vermicompost. Vermicompost and lime were applied separately in rows at planting. The experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block design with three replications. Before planting, a composite surface soil sample at 0-20 cm depth and after harvest from each plot was collected for the determination of soil chemical properties. The soil analysis result indicated that vermicompost and lime significantly increased soil pH and decreased exchangeable acidity. The result also revealed vermicompost and lime significantly (p < 0.001) increased faba bean grain and biomass yield. The maximum faba bean grain yield (2.41 t ha ⁻ ¹) was recorded from the applied 10 t ha ⁻ ¹ vermicompost and full dose of lime (5.6 t ha ⁻ ¹), while the maximum faba bean biomass (5.90 t ha ⁻ ¹) was recorded from the treatment of 15 t ha ⁻ ¹ vermicompost and full dose of lime applied. The minimum grain and biomass yield of faba bean was recorded from the control (vermicompost and lime not applied). Application of 5 t ha ⁻ ¹ vermicompost and a full dose of lime gave an optimum and economical faba bean grain yield. Application of integrated organic and inorganic fertilizers with lime is suggested for the improvement of faba bean grain yield by restoring non-responsive, strongly acidic agricultural soils in the study area and similar agroecology.