Response of Tef (<i>Eragrostis tef</i>(Zucc.) Trotter) to Balanced Fertilizer in Wolaita Zone, Southern Ethiopia

Tef is grown as an important domestic cereal in Ethiopia. Currently, global attention is given for it particularly as a “health food” due to the absence of gluten and gluten like proteins in its grains. Regardless of its wider adaptation, productivity of tef is low in the country with the national average grain yield of 1.379 tons·ha-1. This is mainly because of low soil fertility and severe organic matter depletion intensified by low rate of chemical fertilizer application. This study was conducted to evaluate effects of balanced fertilizers on the yield, yield components of tef and to determine economic feasibility for tef production in Wolaita. The experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with sixteen treatments replicated three times. The treatments consist of factorial combinations of four rates of K (Potassium) (0, 25, 50, and 100 kg/ha) and four rates of NPSB (Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Sulfur and Boron) (0, 50, 100, 200 kg/ha) fertilizers. Fertilizer types such as urea (46-0-0), NPSB (18.9-37.7-6.95-0.1) and K (0-0-60) were used as a source of nutrients. The soil analysis result indicated that, most of the nutrients are below optimum level to support the potential crop production. This may be related with reduced farm management practices and continuous cropping with little or no fertilizers input. In this study, it was found that, the combined application of NPSB and K fertilizers had a significant effect on growth, yield and yield components of tef. Among the treatments studied, NPSB (100 Kg/ha) and K (50 Kg/ha) gave greater grain yield. Furthermore, this treatment enhanced growth and yield related parameters compared to the control treatment. Thus, it is conceivable to recommend each to attain greater grain yield of tef in the study area. However, it is desirable to undertake further research across soil type, years and locations to appeal comprehensive recommendation on a wider scale.

Initial Litter Chemical Indices as Selection Criteria of Organic Nutrient Resources for Enhancement of Soil Fertility for Smallholder Farmers in Southern Ethiopia

Nutrient release from applied organic nutrient source （ONS） depends on temperature, soil moisture, soil properties, their chemical composition and microbial activity. In order to apply ONS to fulfill the nutrient requirements of plants, knowledge of quality and quantity of chemical constituents of the ONS has paramount importance. Erythrina abyssinica （EA）, Erythrina brucei （EB） and Ensete ventricosum （EV）, the first two being nitrogen-fixing indigenous multipurpose agroforestry trees in Ethiopia, were randomly collected from Southern Ethiopia. The average total nitrogen （TN） contents of EA, EB and EV were 4.05%, 3.35% and 2.56%, respectively. Similarly, the mean total soluble polyphenolics contents were 0.052%, 0.023% and 0.19%, and the mean lignin contents were 9.7%, 12.6% and 6.5%, respectively. In general, these ONS had medium to high TN content. Thus, the ONS can be selected based on their quality, quantity and ratio of their chemical constituents as alternative or supportive organic sources. A ＂decision tree＂ is best fitted for selection of these ONS.