Effect of blended NPSB fertilizer and seeding rates on yield and yield components of bread Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) in Banja District, Northwestern Ethiopia

Bread wheat is one of the major staple crops in Ethiopia. However, the production and productivity of the crop are far below the global average, partly due to low soil fertility and poor crop management practices including the use of suboptimal seed and fertilizer rates. Hence, this field experiment was conducted during 2024 main cropping season at Kessa kebele to determine the effects of blended NPSB fertilizer and seed rates on bread wheat productivity in Banja District. Treatments consisted of five levels of blended NPSB fertilizers (0, 50, 100, 150 and 200 kg ha⁻ 1 ) and four levels of seed rates (100, 125, 150, and 175 kg ha⁻ 1 ), laid out in a Randomized Complete Block Design with three replications. Results revealed that thousand kernel weight was significantly ( p < 0.01) affected by the main effects of NPSB fertilizer and seed rates. Plant height, spike length, straw yield, grain yield and dry biomass yield were significantly ( p < 0.01) affected by the interaction effects of NPSB fertilizer and seed rates. The tallest plant height, spike length, straw yield and dry biomass yield were obtained from 150 and 200 kg ha⁻ 1 NPSB fertilizer rates. However, the highest grain yield and harvest index were recorded from the combination of 150 kg ha⁻ 1 seed rate and 150 kg ha⁻ 1 NPSB fertilizer rate. Partial budget analysis showed that the highest net benefit (242,919 ETB ha⁻ 1 ) with a marginal rate of return of 1148.7% was obtained from this combination. Hence, this combination can be recommended for wheat production in Banja District.