EFFECTS OF BLENDED NPS FERTILIZER RATES ON YIELD COMPONENTS AND YIELD OF SUGAR CANE VARIETIES (Saccharum officinarum L.) AT FINCHAA SUGAR ESTATE, WESTERN ETHIOPIA

Abstract

Sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum l.) is an important industrial crop that is used for sugar production in Ethiopia. However, the yield and yield component of sugarcane crop is limited by lack of site-specific appropriate agronomic practices related to fertilizer management in Ethiopia. The effects of new blended NPS fertilizer optimum rate specific to sugarcane variety was not known at study area. Therefore, a field experiment was to assess the effects of blended NPS fertilizer rate on yield components and yield of sugar cane varieties at Finchaa sugar estate during 2022-2023 cropping season. The treatments were arranged in factorial combinations of three sugarcane varieties (N-14, D42/58, and Nco-334) along with six NPS levels (0 , 200, 250, 300, 350, and 400) kg ha1 and the experiment was laid out in randomized complete block (RCBD) design with three replications. The results revealed that the main and interaction effects of blended fertilizers at different levels of NPS were highly significant (p<0.001) for all parameters studied except for tillering population. The maximum cane yield of 154.54, 157.73 and 164.35and also similar to the maximum sugar yield of 19.04, 19.69 and 20.44 ton per ha were recorded from application of NPS fertilizers rate of (400,350.and 250,) kg ha1 to sugarcane varieties of N-14, D42/58 and Nco-334 respectively. Therefore, the finding show that application of blended NPS fertilization rate of 400,350 and 250 kg ha1 can be applied to N-14, D42/58 and Nco-334 respectively for better can productivity. However, multiple site-season study is important to make recommendations.