Background: Bread wheat productivity in Ethiopia is limited by poor management practices, specifically improper seeding rates and fertilizer use. Methods: A field experiment was conducted in North Western Ethiopia to evaluate six seeding rates (75, 100, 125, 150, 175, and 200 kg ha⁻¹) and two fertilizer types (blended NPSB and DAP) on the ‘Kekeba’ variety and the treatments were arranged in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications. Results: Increasing seeding rates significantly enhanced the number of tillers, total biomass, and straw yield. While seeding rate and fertilizer type alone did not significantly impact grain yield, their interaction was highly significant. The highest grain yield (4166.7 kg ha⁻¹) and maximum net benefit (ETB 51,683 ha⁻¹) were achieved using a 200 kg ha⁻¹ seeding rate combined with NPSB fertilizer. This combination also yielded the highest marginal rate of return (573.02%). Consequently, applying 200 kg ha⁻¹ of seed with blended NPSB fertilizer is recommended to optimize bread wheat productivity and economic returns for local farmers in the study area.
Birhanu Gebeyehu ABEBAW (Thu,) studied this question.