THE CO-APPLICATION OUTCOMES OF AN ELITE RHIZOBIUM INOCULANT AND VERMICOMPOST ON THE SOIL, AGRONOMIC AND ECONOMIC OUTPUTS OF FABA BEAN (VICIA FABA L.) IN THE CASE OF SEBETAHAWASE DISTRICT, CENTRAL HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA

This research sought to investigate how the yields of faba beans in farm settings in the Ethiopian district of SebetaHawase were affected by the co-application of an elite Rhizobium inoculant and vermicompost (VC). The study was conducted during the 2019/20 and 2020/21 cropping seasons. A randomized complete block design with three replications was used. After two years of data analysis, the average result revealed a significant (P < 0.05) variation in all parameters among the treatments in the district. In the SebetaHawase district, rhizobial isolates FB-17 + 0.76 ton ha-1 of VC and FB-17 + 0.57 ton ha-1 of VC showed relative first and second superiority in terms of total nitrogen content (%), available phosphorus (ppm), and organic carbon (OC %). At SebetaHawase, the treatments with the highest mean grain yield (3349, 2873 and 2746 kg ha-1) was obtained with FB-17 + 0.76 ton ha-1 VC, FB-17 + 0.57 ton ha-1 VC, and FB-17 + 0.38 ton ha-1 VC. However, based on the findings of the partial budget analysis, the treatments FB-17 and FB-17 + 0.76 ton ha-1 VC at SebetaHawase had higher marginal rates of return (42848 and 1083% each). To identify the best alternative bio-organic fertilizers for faba bean production in Ethiopia's Pellicvertisol zones, these treatments are believed to be excellent candidates for additional testing in farmers' fields across a range of agro-ecologies.