article · Heliyon
Soil deficiencies in phosphorus and sulfur increasingly challenge crop production in Ethiopia, yet the interactive effects of these two nutrients on wheat have remained understudied. A field study conducted on Vertisols evaluated bread wheat responses across multiple combinations of phosphorus and sulfur. Applying 22 kilograms of phosphorus and 15 kilograms of sulfur per hectare produced the highest yields, lifting grain output by 40.1 per cent and straw yield by 53.4 per cent over unfertilised controls. This joint application outperformed individual nutrient treatments, demonstrating a synergistic interaction between phosphorus and sulfur. The combination also maximised grain uptake of nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur, whilst delivering the highest marginal rate of return at 54.9 per cent. Because agronomic nutrient efficiency declined at higher application rates, this specific combination presents an optimal, economically viable fertilisation strategy for local wheat cultivation.
Widespread soil nutrient deficiencies constrain staple food production across sub-Saharan Africa. Demonstrating that combined phosphorus and sulfur applications produce synergistic yield gains helps farmers move beyond single-nutrient fertilisation. By identifying precise, cost-effective nutrient rates, this work provides practical guidance for boosting bread wheat harvests and nutrient uptake on Vertisols while ensuring investments in fertilisers remain economically viable.
The findings are applied and tested at field level, offering ready-to-use guidance for agricultural extension services, fertiliser blenders, and wheat farmers working on Vertisols. Blenders and agro-dealers could use these results to formulate targeted, multi-nutrient fertiliser products for regional grain producers. However, wider commercial deployment across other regions will require further field trials to confirm efficacy across different agro-ecological zones and soil types.
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Deficiency of phosphorus (P) and sulfur (S) is increasingly being reported in soils of Ethiopia. While some studies have shown significant response of wheat to P and S application, information on the response of wheat to P and S application interactively is conspicuously lacking. In this regard, we evaluated the response of wheat to P and S application interactively in the study area. A field experiment was conducted at two locations to determine the effects of P and S, on yield, uptake and P, S use efficiency of bread wheat. A factorial combination of four levels of P (0,11,22 and 44 kg h−1) and three levels S (0, 15 and 30 kg ha−1) laid out in Randomized Complete Block Design with three replications. Results revealed that interacted application of P and S at 22 and 15 kg ha−1 respectively increased grain yield of wheat by 40.1 % over control. The corresponding increase with straw was 53.4 % over control. Wheat yield obtained with combined application of P and S greater than single application of P or S indicating synergistic between them. The maximum grain N (56.3 kg ha-1), P (12.8 kg ha-1) and S (4.2 kg ha-1) uptakes were obtained due to combined application of P and S at 22 P and 15 S kg ha-1. Agronomic efficiencies of P and S decreased as the rates of P and S application increased. Combined fertilization of S and P is necessary in the study district and 15 kg S combined with 22 kg P ha−1 produced the highest yield. Thus, this treatment is found to be recommended for bread wheat production in Vertisols of the district. While, partial budget analysis result revealed that, combination of 22P and 15S kg ha−1 produced the highest MMR (54.9 %) and thus, this treatment is found to be economically feasible treatment for bread wheat production in study area of the district. We recommend further experiments on different combination of P with S in different agro-ecologies and soil types are required for confirmation of results and the residual effect of P and S on the following crop is needed to study the long-term effect of P and S.
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DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e06614
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