EFFECT OF NPS AND CHICKEN MANURE ON POTATO (Solanum tuberosum l.) GROWTH, YIELD COMPONENT AND YIELD AT HARAMAYA, EASTERN ETHIOPIA

Abstract

In Ethiopia, potato ranks first among the major tuber crop in the volume of production and consumption. However, the national average yield is 13.8 tons ha-1, which is very low, due to low soil fertility and poor fertilizer management practices. Field experiment was conducted in 2019/2020 main cropping season at Haramaya University research site. The objectives of the experiment were to assess the influences of integrated use of chicken manure and NPS fertilizers on growth, yield components and to estimate the economically optimum rate of integrated use of combine application of NPS and Chicken manure for potato production. Factorial combinations of four levels of NPS rate (0, 50, 100 and 150 kgha-1) and four levels of Chicken manure (0, 5, 7.5 and 10 tha-1) were laid out in a Randomized Complete Block Design with three replications using potato variety Bubu. 100 kg ha-1 urea was used with NPS (50,100,150). The result of combined application of blended NPS fertilizer and Chicken manure showed highly significantly (P<0.01)effects on days to 90% maturity, plant height, and Total tuber yield (t ha-1). The longest days to 90% maturity (103.22 days), longest plant height (87.67 cm) and maximum total tuber yield (43.52 t ha-1) were obtained from the combination of10 t ha-1 Chicken Manure and 150 kg ha-1 NPS. While application of Chicken manure with NPSshowed significant (P<0.05) effect on days to 50% flowering, marketable tuber number (hill-1), total tuber number tuber hill-1,average tuber weight g tuber-1 and Marketable yield (t ha-1). Longest days to 50% flowering (54.77days), maximum average tuber weight g tuber-1 (102.67 g) and maximum marketable yield(39.83 t ha-1 ) were obtained fromcombination of 10 t ha-1 Chicken Manure and 150 kg ha-1 NPS fertilizer . Maximum marketable tuber number (hill-1) (15.87) and total tuber number tuber hill-1 (18.63) were obtained from the combination of 10 t ha-1 Chicken Manure with 100 kg ha-1 NPSfertilizer. Non-significant effects on number of main stems, unmarketable tuber number (hill-1),Unmarketable tuber yield (t ha-1), and dry matter content %, specific gravity and starch content. The highest net benefit of 346,295 Birr ha-1 was recorded from combination of 10 t ha-1 Chicken Manure with 150 kg ha-1 NPS fertilizer.Whereas, the highest acceptable marginal rate of return (10,580%) was obtained from combination of 7.5 t ha-1 Chicken Manure with 100 kg ha-1 NPS fertilizer.Therefore, the application of 150 kg NPS ha-1 with10 t ha−Chicken Manure or 150 kg NPS ha-1 with7.5 t ha− Chicken Manurefertilizer ratesled to optimum potato tuber production and economic returns.