ISSN: 2578-4994
Authors: Anbessie DA*
With the aim of providing an overview of the bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) production efficiency and its management requirements such as agro-climatic conditions, aridity, weather of different areas, the soils nutrient character and fertilization status in broad and inclusively in Ethiopia, relating them with existing research tendencies and to show imminent benefits of soil nutrient management studies and their significance for improved agronomic formulations and cultural practices. This paper reviewed that application of balanced nutrients under optimum moisture availability in different soil types is an important crop management strategy, which may help maximizing crop yield and quality. Also, lack of optimum nutrients and moisture in the soil has been the major bottlenecks of bread wheat production and productivity. Bread wheat is a highly valued crop in the national food of Ethiopia and a widely produced crop in the country. Low soil fertility is one of the primary and unescapably constraints to bread wheat production in Ethiopia; thus, there are differences among soil types in yielding ability under different nutrients and soil characteristics. Most smallholder farmers in Ethiopia appreciate the value of fertilizers, but they are not often able to apply them at the recommended rates and at the appropriate time according to the soil characteristics. These are because of high cost, lack of credit, delivery delays, and low and variable returns. In addition, the traditional organic inputs, crop residues and animal manures, identified that it cannot meet crop nutrient demand over large areas because of the limited quantities available, the low nutrient content of the materials, and the high labor demands for processing and application. However, there was felt that could exist an opportunity to increase bread wheat crop yields through identification or selection of soil type and balanced nutrients application or searching for other nutrients sources beyond Urea and Diammonium phosphate especially in Ethiopian condition. Therefore, the integrated use of both the organic and inorganic fertilizers continuum inputs was felt the best option to increase both yield potential and quality of bread wheat crop and environment-friendly sustainable farming systems and increase of profit margins for bread wheat growers. According to the research results of Anbessie, et al. the economic analysis of the experiment was brought to select the best combination of the variety Hidassie/large seed size/ at a plant population rate of 300 plats m-2 (142.00 kg ha-1) gave the greatest grain yield (4070 kg ha-1) with low cost of production and higher net benefits and recommended tentatively as 1st option for the study area. On the other hand, the variety Hidassie/large seed size/ at a plant population rate of 250 plants m-2 (118 kg ha-1) gave better yield (3873 kg ha-1) with a slightly additional cost rather than the primarily recommended seed rate and it was recommended as a 2nd option for the small scale farmers of the study area.
Keywords: Wheat Productivity; Benefit Cost; Organic and Inorganic Fertilizers; Production Constraints; Soil and Climate Requirements; Yield and Quality
