IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE IN AGRONOMY

Abstract

Barley is one of the major staple and industrial crops in Ethiopia, but the productivity is limited due to diseases, and pest infestation, low soil fertility, amount of seed per hectare and lack of location specific fertilizer recommendation. Therefore, field experiment was conducted during the 2016 cropping season at Chencha to determine the effects of seed and blended NPS fertilizer rates on growth, yield and yield components of food barley. The experiment consists of three levels of seed rates(SR) (80,100,and 120 kg ha-1 ), and eight levels of fertilizer rate(FR) [ NPS kg ha-1 (50,100,150), DAP kg ha-1 (41.3, 82.6, 124, 100) and control] and laid out in split plot design with three replications. Data analysis revealed that days to heading(DH), grain filling period(GFP),thousand seed weight(SW), grain yield(GY), straw yield(SY), and lodging index(LI) were significantly affected due to SR, and plant height(PH), days to physiological maturity(DPM), number of tiller per m2 (TNM), spike per m2 (SPM), spike length(SL), number of kernel per plant(KPP),biomass yield(BY),harvest index(HI),and DH, GFP, SW, SY, and LI were significantly affected due to FR. DPM and SW were significant to interaction of SR and FR. The maximum PH (11.81m), SPM(198.83), SY (4.69t/ha),and LI were obtained at SR of 120 kg ha-1 , maximum GFP (48.79), TNM (229.33), KPP, GY (1.98), BY(7.04), and HI(27.72) were registered from 100 kg ha-1 SR. Longest DH (69.5) was obtained from SL and maximum PH (12.25), TNM (256.44),SW(33.52),and SY were observed from DAP 82.6 kg ha-1 , maximum DH(70.67),SPM(224.33), SL(10.87), and KPP (72.11) were obtained from fertilizer 150 kg ha-1 NPS, maximum BY (7.16 t/ha) and LI from DAP 82.6 kg ha-1 , maximum GY (1.99 t/ha) and HI (29.36) were obtained from 100kg ha-1 DAP and maximum GPP was obtained from 100 kg ha-1 NPS. Longest of days (113.67) to pm was recorded when applying 110 kg ha-1 SR and 150 kg ha-1 NPS and maximum SW(37 g) was observed from applying SR of 80 kg ha-1

(32.69 g) and 82.6 kg ha-1 DAP. The partial budget analysis revealed that the application of 100 kg ha-1 and DAP 41.3 kg ha-1 resulted maximum net benefit of 23,400 birr ha-1 , 22,779.78 Birr ha -1 with MRR 2925 and 2,323.946, respectively. recommended fertilizer rate of 100 kg ha-1 DAP and 100 kg ha-1 urea is statically at par with higher rates of applied through blended or DAP fertilizer. Therefore it can be concluded that the application of SR 80 kg ha-1 and 100 kg ha-1 DAP tentatively recommended for farmers for production of barley at study site and suggested that the experiment has to be repeated over seasons and wider locations.