Abstract

A field experiment was conducted on acidic nitisols of Wolmera District in two locations at 2017 cropping season to determine the response of barley for the combined application of lime and different phosphorus fertilizers. Several barley growth performances, yield, and plant samples were collected with soil samples to determine soil acidity attributes and nutrient use efficiency. Barley grain yield and growth performances were significantly (P<0.05) affected by the application of different phosphorus sources. The highest grain yield was recorded from NPSB phosphorus fertilizer source in both experimental sites followed by partly acidulated rock phosphate (PARP) with yield improvement of 89 and 52%, over the control treatment respectively. Growth parameters like plant height, spike length, number of tillers, etc., and physical grain quality data (hectoliter weight and thousand seed weight) were significantly affected by all phosphorus sources. The combination of phosphorus fertilizer (NPSB at 69 kg P₂O₅ ha^-1) with lime got a higher grain yield advantage over other treatments. The highest phosphorus concentration in the plant parts was recorded from the fertilizer source of NPSB. This was due to its immediate availability to the plant uptake compared to other sources. The use of partly acidulated rock phosphate or organic hyper-phosphate (MOHP) fertilizer, as an alternative for NPSB application provides a competitive yield advantage for acidic soils of Wolmera area or other similar soil type and agroecology of the country.

Key words: Acid soil, food barley, lime, partly acidulated rock phosphate (PARP), organic hyper-phosphate (MOHP), NPSB, yield.