Integrated Fertilizer Application on Bread Wheat Yield ( Triticum aestivum L.) and Soil Properties in Debark District, Northern Ethiopia

Soil fertility reduction is a major problem for achieving agricultural crop productivity in Ethiopia. This study examined the effects of integrated fertilizer application on bread wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.) yield and properties of soil at Debark District, northern Ethiopia. The experiment was designed in a randomized complete block design with three compost application rates (0, 5, and 10 t ha −1 ) and four recommended rates of urea and inorganic fertilizers (0%, 50%, 100%, and 150%), replicated three times. Integrated application of fertilizers significantly ( p < 0.05) improved soil parameters, including pH, organic carbon, available phosphorus and sulfur, exchangeable cations, and cation exchange capacity, while reducing bulk density. The highest aboveground biomass yield (13.34 t ha −1 ) was recorded from the interaction effect of 150% inorganic fertilizers with 5 t ha −1 compost. However, the optimal economic and agronomic performance was obtained from the integration of 100% inorganic fertilizer with 10 t ha −1 compost, which had the highest grain yield (7.15 t ha −1 ) and net benefit (364,828 ETB ha −1 ). This combination was also more profitable than the highest rates for compost alone (124,350 ETB ha −1 ) and inorganic fertilizer application (302,164 ETB ha −1 ). The integrated approach provides a sustainable strategy for improving soil fertility and improving bread wheat yield. The single‐season field experiment was one of the limitations of this study. Hence, conducting multiseason trials is suggested to enhance result reliability under varied environmental situations.