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