Investigating Tef [<i>Eragrostistef(</i><i>Zucc</i>.) Trotter] Yield and Yield Components Under Sowing Method and Inorganic Fertilizer Application in Guduru District, Western Oromia Regional Sta

Tef (<i>Eragrostistef(</i><i>Zucc</i><i>.) Trotter) </i>is the main cultivated cereal crops in Ethiopia. The grain and straw of tef has more values than other cereal crops. However, the actual yield of tef is below its potential which mainly due to poor soil fertility, high seeding rate and inappropriate sowing method. Due to these constraints the study was carried out on the farmers’ field at two sites, namely, Gabate and Kobo, in 2012 in Guduru district with the objective to investigate the effect of fertilizer types and sowing methods of varying seeding rate on yield components and yield of tef. The treatments were made from 3 fertilizer types (DAP, NPKSZn and control) and 2 sowing methods (row and broadcast) which arranged in RCBD and replicated three times. The result of the study revealed that DAP and NPKSZn fertilizers gave statistically at par and increased panicle lengths of tef by 35.83 and 37.91% at Gabate and by 27.11 and 31.13% at Kobo, respectively, over unfertilized plots. Minimized seeding rate-row sowing method produced 6.12 and 6.50% more panicle length at Gabate and Kobo, respectively over high seeding rate-broadcast sowing method. Broadcast sowing method under DAP and NPKSZn applications gave the highest and at par lodging percentage over row sowing method whereas the more and similar effective tillers number per plant were recorded under row sowing method using DAP and NPKSZn at both sites. Application of DAP and NPKSZn under row sowing method produced significantly the highest and similar yields (3189.67 and 3250.33 kg ha<sup>–1</sup> at Gabate, and 3164.00 and 3222.67 kg ha<sup>–1 </sup>at Kobo, respectively). The partial budget analysis also showed that row sowing under DAP application provides maximum net profit (197825.6 ETB) with MRR (948.46%). Therefore, tef production using DAP under row sowing-minimized seeding rate provides the highest yield and yield components and also economically profitable treatment combination. Thus, farmers of the study area will benefit using minimized seeding rate-row sowing method under DAP application. The result implies that field evaluation of the selected treatment combination should be done to verify the finding at multi-locations and years.