EFFECT OF BLENDED NPSB FERTILIZERANDVERMICOMPOST ON GROWTH, YIELD ANDYIELDCOMPONENTS OF GARLIC (Allium sativum L.) UNDERRAINFEDCONDITION IN ENORE DISTRICT, CENTRALETHIOPIA

Abstract

Garlic is economically important, though the productivity is below its potential duetoinappropriate use of soil fertility management practices particularly fertilizer rateandtype had significant role. Therefore, this study was conducted to investigate the ef ect of Blended NPSB and vermicompost fertilizers on the growth, yield and yield componentsof garlic under rain-fed conditions in Enore district, Central Ethiopia. The experiment consisted of four rates of blended NPSB fertilizer (0, 122, 244, and 366 kg ha -1) andfourrates of vermicompost fertilizer (0, 2.5, 5, and 7.5 t ha -1). The treatments were laidout ina Randomized Complete Block Design in a 4×4 factorial arrangement withthreereplications. Data were collected on the phenological, growth, and yield parametersof garlic and analyzed using SAS software version 9.4. ANOVA results showed that all thetested parameters of garlic were af ected highly significantly (p < 0.01) by the interactionef ect, except days to maturity and the number of leaves per plant which was highlysignificantly (p < 0.01) af ected by the main ef ects of blended NPSB and vermicompost fertilizers. Thus, the longest days to maturity of 126.7 and 127.6 were recorded at therateof 244 kg ha -1 NPSB and 7.5 t ha -1 vermicompost fertilizer, respectively. Statisticallythelongest plant height (62.6) and leaf length (55.6 cm) of garlic were recorded fromthecombined applications of 366 kg ha -1 and 7.5 t ha -1 . The highest leaf number of garlic12.98 was recorded from 7.5 t ha -1 VC rate, which is statistically similar with 11.2and10.7 were recorded from 366 and 244 kg ha -1NPSB fertilizer rate, respectively. Similarly, the highest average fresh biomass yield (65.2 g/plant), mean bulb weight (36.8g), number of clove (30.5), biological dry yield (47.5 g/plant) and harvest index (60.7%)were recorded from the combined application of 244 kg ha -1 NPSB and 7.5 tha-1VCfertilizer. The highest marketable bulb yield 13 t ha -1 , total bulb yield 13.3 t ha -1 , andthelowest unmarketable yield 0.32 t ha -1 were recorded from the combined applicationof 244 kg ha -1 and 7.5 t ha -1 . The highest net benefit (3,392,556 ETB ha -1) was recordedfrom the combined application of 244 kg ha -1 blended NPSB and 7.5 t ha -1VCfertilizerwith high MRR (1982.86). The study revealed that the integrated use of 7.5 t ha -1VCand244 kg ha -1 blended NPSB fertilizers improved soil fertility status for sustainable garlicproduction and productivity in the study area. However, more studies needtobeconducted at various agro-climatic conditions to generate more reliable results forconclusive recommendations