EFFECT OF BLENDED NPS FERTILIZER RATES ON GROWTH, YIELD AND YIELD RELATED TRAITS OF MUNG BEAN(Vigna radiata(L.) R. Wilczek) VARIETIES AT DEMBA GOFASOUTHERN ETHIOPIA

Abstract

Productivity of mung bean is highly influenced by soil fertility management and lack of high yielding varieties forspecific environment. Hence, field experiment was conducted at Demba Gofa Borda kebele to evaluate the response of mung bean varieties to different levels of NPS fertilizer. The treatments consisted of five level of NPS fertilizer (0kg, 50kg, 100kg, 150kg and 200kg) and three varieties of mung bean (N-26, NVL-1, and Shewa robit) which were factorials arranged in completely randomized block design with three replications. Data were collected on phonological, growth; yield and yield related parameters and subjected to analysis of variance using SAS software version 9.0. The results showed that among the measured parameters, days to 50% flowering, daysto 90% physiological maturity, number of branches plant,-1 number of pods plant,-1 number of seeds pod,-1 and seed yield were significantly (p<0.05) influenced by the interaction effects of fertilizer levels and varieties whereas the remaining measured parameters the main effect of fertilizer types and variety had a significant (p<0.05) effect on above ground biomass yield, effective nodule number, harvest index, total nodule number, nodule dry weight, 1000seed weight, but plant height had significant (p<0.05) effect on fertilizer only were significantly responded only to main effects of the treatments. The maximum and statistically similar yields were obtained from applications of 200kg NPS ha-1in N-26 variety (1602.9 kg ha-1) and 150kg NPS ha-1 in NVL-1 variety (1725.6kg ha-1), whereas lowest seed yield (909.2kgha-1) was recorded from nil (0 kg NPS ha-1) fertilizer application in Shewa robit variety.Regarding economic analysis, maximum net benefit (38552.1 Ethiopian Birr ha-1) was obtained from application of 150kg NPS ha-1 with acceptable marginal rate of return (413.6),while the lowest net benefit (27953.1 Ethiopian Birr ha-1) was obtained from nil fertilizer application. This implies that application of 150kg NPS ha-1in NVL-1 variety could enable producers to harvest maximum seed yield and earn better economic return from mung bean production in the study area and other similar condition