Rhizobium Inoculation and Chemical Fertilisation Improve Faba Bean Yield and Yield Components in Northwestern Ethiopia
The productivity of the faba bean has declined in Ethiopia, owing to poor management practices, such as blanket fertilisation. In 2018, a field experiment was conducted in a Nitisol soil during the main cropping season in Northwestern Ethiopia, to determine the amount of chemical fertiliser and Rhiz...
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MDPI AG
2021-07-01
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| Series: | Agriculture |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/11/7/678 |
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| author | Getenesh Genetu Markku Yli-Halla Mekonnen Asrat Mihiret Alemayehu |
| author_facet | Getenesh Genetu Markku Yli-Halla Mekonnen Asrat Mihiret Alemayehu |
| author_sort | Getenesh Genetu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The productivity of the faba bean has declined in Ethiopia, owing to poor management practices, such as blanket fertilisation. In 2018, a field experiment was conducted in a Nitisol soil during the main cropping season in Northwestern Ethiopia, to determine the amount of chemical fertiliser and Rhizobium inoculant to be used for the optimum yield within economic feasibility. The experiment consisted of a factorial combination of five rates of blended NPSZnB fertiliser (0, 60, 121, 180 and 240 kg ha<sup>−1</sup>) and three rates of inoculant (0, 500 and 750 g ha<sup>−1</sup>). Sole chemical fertilisation, as well as inoculation, individually produced a seed yield of 2.3–2.5 t ha<sup>−1</sup>, about 1.0–1.2 t ha<sup>−1</sup> more than the control. However, the maximum seed yield (3.3 t ha<sup>−1</sup>) was recorded from the combined application of both the chemical fertiliser and the inoculant. The seed yield correlated closely with the number of active nodules (R<sup>2</sup> = 0.78 **), suggesting a substantial contribution of symbiotic N<sub>2</sub> fixation. Inoculation increased the N content of the seed yield by at least 30 kg ha<sup>−1</sup>. Chemical fertilisation, containing at least 44 kg ha<sup>−1</sup> of mineral N does not appear to have an adverse effect on N<sub>2</sub> fixation. The combined use of 180 kg ha<sup>−1</sup> blended fertiliser with 750 g ha<sup>−1</sup> inoculant, producing a maximum net profit of 72,918 birr ha<sup>−1</sup> (EUR 2232), is recommended for the study area. This study emphasises that (1) inoculation alone can produce as much seed as the maximum rate of chemical fertilisation, but (2) the maximum yield was produced with a combined use of inoculant and chemical fertiliser, by promoting the vigour of the nodules and N<sub>2</sub> fixation. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T09:48:53Z |
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| id | doaj.art-71e7ffa8e56e48df9848c71e4b0cbb99 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2077-0472 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T09:48:53Z |
| publishDate | 2021-07-01 |
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| spelling | doaj.art-71e7ffa8e56e48df9848c71e4b0cbb992023-11-22T02:57:36ZengMDPI AGAgriculture2077-04722021-07-0111767810.3390/agriculture11070678Rhizobium Inoculation and Chemical Fertilisation Improve Faba Bean Yield and Yield Components in Northwestern EthiopiaGetenesh Genetu0Markku Yli-Halla1Mekonnen Asrat2Mihiret Alemayehu3Dangla District Agriculture Office, Dangla, EthiopiaDepartment of Agricultural Sciences, University of Helsinki, 00014 Helsinki, FinlandDepartment of Plant Science, Debre Markos University, Debre Markos P.O. Box 269, EthiopiaDepartment of Plant Science, Debre Markos University, Debre Markos P.O. Box 269, EthiopiaThe productivity of the faba bean has declined in Ethiopia, owing to poor management practices, such as blanket fertilisation. In 2018, a field experiment was conducted in a Nitisol soil during the main cropping season in Northwestern Ethiopia, to determine the amount of chemical fertiliser and Rhizobium inoculant to be used for the optimum yield within economic feasibility. The experiment consisted of a factorial combination of five rates of blended NPSZnB fertiliser (0, 60, 121, 180 and 240 kg ha<sup>−1</sup>) and three rates of inoculant (0, 500 and 750 g ha<sup>−1</sup>). Sole chemical fertilisation, as well as inoculation, individually produced a seed yield of 2.3–2.5 t ha<sup>−1</sup>, about 1.0–1.2 t ha<sup>−1</sup> more than the control. However, the maximum seed yield (3.3 t ha<sup>−1</sup>) was recorded from the combined application of both the chemical fertiliser and the inoculant. The seed yield correlated closely with the number of active nodules (R<sup>2</sup> = 0.78 **), suggesting a substantial contribution of symbiotic N<sub>2</sub> fixation. Inoculation increased the N content of the seed yield by at least 30 kg ha<sup>−1</sup>. Chemical fertilisation, containing at least 44 kg ha<sup>−1</sup> of mineral N does not appear to have an adverse effect on N<sub>2</sub> fixation. The combined use of 180 kg ha<sup>−1</sup> blended fertiliser with 750 g ha<sup>−1</sup> inoculant, producing a maximum net profit of 72,918 birr ha<sup>−1</sup> (EUR 2232), is recommended for the study area. This study emphasises that (1) inoculation alone can produce as much seed as the maximum rate of chemical fertilisation, but (2) the maximum yield was produced with a combined use of inoculant and chemical fertiliser, by promoting the vigour of the nodules and N<sub>2</sub> fixation.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/11/7/678Rhizobium inoculantleguminous cropchemical fertilisationbiofertilizerDangla district |
| spellingShingle | Getenesh Genetu Markku Yli-Halla Mekonnen Asrat Mihiret Alemayehu Rhizobium Inoculation and Chemical Fertilisation Improve Faba Bean Yield and Yield Components in Northwestern Ethiopia Agriculture Rhizobium inoculant leguminous crop chemical fertilisation biofertilizer Dangla district |
| title | Rhizobium Inoculation and Chemical Fertilisation Improve Faba Bean Yield and Yield Components in Northwestern Ethiopia |
| title_full | Rhizobium Inoculation and Chemical Fertilisation Improve Faba Bean Yield and Yield Components in Northwestern Ethiopia |
| title_fullStr | Rhizobium Inoculation and Chemical Fertilisation Improve Faba Bean Yield and Yield Components in Northwestern Ethiopia |
| title_full_unstemmed | Rhizobium Inoculation and Chemical Fertilisation Improve Faba Bean Yield and Yield Components in Northwestern Ethiopia |
| title_short | Rhizobium Inoculation and Chemical Fertilisation Improve Faba Bean Yield and Yield Components in Northwestern Ethiopia |
| title_sort | rhizobium inoculation and chemical fertilisation improve faba bean yield and yield components in northwestern ethiopia |
| topic | Rhizobium inoculant leguminous crop chemical fertilisation biofertilizer Dangla district |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/11/7/678 |
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