Optimal Eco‐Green Fertilizer Rate and Variety for the Production of Food Barley (<i>Hordeum vulgare</i> L.) in Central Highlands of Ethiopia

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted in central highlands of Ethiopia during the 2022 rainy season to evaluate the growth and yield responses of food barley varieties to eco‐green fertilizer rates. The treatments included four levels of eco‐green fertilizer (0, 20, 40, and 60 L per hectare) and three food barley varieties (local, EH1493, and HB‐1307). The experiment was arranged in a factorial randomized complete block design with three replications. Data on phenology, growth, and yield of food barley were collected and analyzed using R software. The results showed that food barley varieties and eco‐green fertilizer rates significantly influenced most of the tested parameters. The tallest plant height (95.8 cm), largest spike length (8.2 cm), highest number of kernels per plant (44.2), highest grain yield (5.6 tons per hectare), greatest harvest index (48.05 percent), and thousand grain weight (55.5 g) were recorded for the EH1493 variety with 40 L per hectare of eco‐green fertilizer. This treatment combination also generated the highest net benefit (241,768 Ethiopian Total Birr [ETB] per hectare) with a marginal rate of return of 3127.2 percent, meaning every 1 ETB invested yielded 31.3 ETB. Based on these findings, the treatment combination of 40 L per hectare of eco‐green fertilizer and the EH1493 variety is recommended for profitable food barley production in the study area and similar agroecological zones. However, since the study was conducted at a single location for one season, further research across multiple locations and seasons is needed for more reliable conclusions. Future research should focus on the growth and yield responses of various food barley varieties, distinct from those used in this experiment, to the application of eco‐green fertilizers.