Effects of nutrient omission on grain and biomass yield of irrigated wheat (triticum aestivum) in Sekota district, Amhara region, Ethiopia

Abstract The Ethiopian government has recently imported and distributed multi-nutrient fertilizers for farmers’ use without sufficient research findings. Hence, selecting the appropriate fertilizers based on the actual limiting plant nutrients is crucial for providing timely policy direction to import only fertilizers that could limit crop yield. A field study was carried out to identify the yield-limiting plant nutrients for wheat under irrigation at two farmer’s fields in the Woleh irrigation scheme of the Amhara region of Ethiopia in the 2022 irrigation season. A total of nine treatments, including control, NPSKZnB (all), NPSKZn (all-B), NPSKB (all-Zn), NPKZnB (all-S), NPSZnB (all-K), NKSZnB (all-P), PKSZnB (all-N), and RNP (all-KSZnB), were arranged in a randomized complete block design (RCRD) with three replications. The Kekeba wheat variety was used as a test crop. The collected grain and biomass yield data were analyzed using R software, following the procedure. The results showed that fertilizer application significantly affected wheat grain yield. The highest grain yield (4443.5 kg ha −1 ) was obtained from NPKZnB (All-S) treatment, though this was not statistically different from the yield achieved with the recommended NP treatment. While the lowest grain yield was obtained from the control and nitrogen omitted treatment. There was no significant difference between and among the treatments except control, all-N, and all-P. The grain yield was reduced by 3181.6 kg ha −1 when N was omitted and 1817.8 kg ha −1 when P was omitted over all-S (NPKZnB). This showed that nitrogen and phosphorous are yield-limiting plant nutrients for wheat under irrigation in the study area. Therefore, the government should give emphasis to nitrogen- and phosphorous-containing fertilizers to increase wheat yield.