EFFECTOFDIFFERENTRATESOFBLENDEDNPSBFERTILIZERON GROWTHANDYIELDATTRIBUTESOFCARROT(DaucuscarotaL.)AT WOLKITE,SOUTHWESTERNETHIOPIA

Abstract

Carrot is one of the most important vegetables in Ethiopia. Its production and productivity are mainly affected by biotic and abiotic factors. Among the abiotic factors, the lack of soil fertility is a critical issue. This study was designed to evaluate the effect of NPSB fertilizer levels on carrot growth and yield components in the study area. An experiment was conducted at Wolkite University, Department of Horticulture field experimental site during 2024 (March-May). The experiment had consisted total five treatments. The experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications. The collected data were analyzed using SAS 9.4 software. The growth and yield components of carrot were significantly affected by NPSB fertilizer rate. Application of NPSB at 200 kg ha-1 gave the highest growth and yield-related components of carrot in the study area. The highest root diameter (1.6cm) and root length (23.03cm) were obtained from 200kg ha-1 NPSB, whereas lowest root diameter (0.4cm) and root length (5.87cm) were recorded from control treatment. The results showed that an increased fertilizer application had improved carrot growth performance both for vegetative and yield attributes. However, since the data was collected before crop maturity and missing yield performance, it needs further investigation having different location and cropping seasons by allocating appropriate time and resource.