Identifying limiting nutrients for wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) production in Halaba, Central Ethiopia

). The experiment was arranged in a randomized complete block design with ten treatments, including a complete nutrient treatment, NP treatment, negative control, and single-nutrient omission treatments. Grain yield, biomass yield, and yield components were analyzed using a linear mixed-effects model, with nutrient treatments as fixed effects and farms and blocks within farms as random effects. Nutrient treatments significantly affected grain yield, biomass, and yield components (p < 0.0001). Omission of nitrogen or phosphorus caused significant reductions in all measured parameters, with nitrogen omission resulting in the greatest yield loss, comparable to the negative control, indicating that nitrogen was the most limiting nutrient. In contrast, omission of potassium, sulfur, zinc, or boron had no significant effect on wheat yield, suggesting that these nutrients are not currently limiting in the study area. Grain yields under the NP treatment were statistically comparable to those under the complete treatment. These results highlight nitrogen and phosphorus as the primary yield-limiting nutrients for wheat production in the study area and demonstrate the importance of site-specific nutrient management. Targeted application of N and P fertilizers can improve wheat productivity and nutrient use efficiency in Halaba and similar agro-ecological zones.