Bread wheat is one of the key food crops in the study area and grown for home consumption, market and strategic crop to address food security in Ethiopia. However, the productivity and yield is mostly constrained by soil fertility and lack of better fertilizer rate in the study area. The study was conducted at Bule Hora District, southern Ethiopia during the main cropping season of 2023. The study was aimed to identify the optimum fertilizer for higher grain yield with the higher economic return. The treatments were: (0 NPS) negative control, 60Kg NPS, 120kg NPS, and 180 kg NPS) and (0N) negative control, 140kgN, 280kg N) and positive control (100/100kg ha -1 NPS/ N). The treatments were arranged in a randomized complete block design and replicated three times. Soil samples for the experimental site were taken before sowing and post harvesting for soil physicochemical analysis. Data of Yield was collected and analyzed using GLM procedure of SAS (Version 9.3) and means differences were tested for the significance with least significant difference (LSD) method at 0.05 probability level. The results of analysis of variance for yield indicated that the effect of fertilizer application rates were significant for the maximum above-ground biomass (AGB) (13.33 ton), straw yields (10.077 ton) were obtained from 60kg NPS ha -1 + 140kg N ha -1 fertilizer rate and grain yield obtained due to the application of 120/140 kg ha-1 NPS/Urea(N). The results of economic analysis indicated that the maximum net benefit of 213489.73 ETB ha -1 and marginal rate of return (MRR) of 121479.6% were obtained due to the application of 120/140 kg ha -1 NPS/Urea(N). Therefore, 120/140 kg ha -1 NPS/ urea(N) can be used by the farming community in the study area. However, the study is better conducted for more year in multiple locations to give conclusive recommendations.
Deme Megersa (2026) studied this question.