Abstract            Volume:9  Issue-6  Year-2021         Original Research Articles

Online ISSN : 2347 - 3215 Issues : 12 per year Publisher : Excellent Publishers Email : editorijcret@gmail.com

Maize is an important food crop in Ethiopia and it also one of the main smallholder food crops in the Yeki district, although suboptimal fertilizer applications have caused soil nutrient depletion and yields decline. For instance, integrated organic and inorganic fertilizer effects on yield and yield components of maize during the 2018 and 2019 main cropping seasons were studied. The treatment consists control (no fertilizer), 100% of recommended inorganic NP fertilizer, 100% recommended N from vermicompost, 100% recommended N from compost, 25% recommended NP + 75% vermicompost, 50% recommended NP + 50% vermicompost, 75% recommended NP + 25% vermicompost, 25% recommended NP + 75% compost, 50% recommended NP + 50% compost and 75% recommended NP + 25% compost based on N equivalence were laid out in a randomized complete block design and total of teen treatments with three replication. Data on selected yield and yield components of maize and profitability of fertilizer were taken. Yield and yield components of maize were subjected to statistical analysis using SAS; the mean treatment difference was compared using LSD. Significantly higher maize grain yield and biomass were obtained with the application of 25% recommended NP + 75% vermicompost and 50% recommended NP + 50% Vermicompost respectively. Maize grain yield of 9524.20 kg ha-1 was obtained from the application of 25% recommended NP + 75% vermicompost based on N equivalence. The economic analysis confirmed the profitability of the integrated use of 25% recommended NP + 75% vermicompost are recommended for maize production in Yeki district and similar agro-ecology. Therefore, the integrated use of organic and inorganic fertilizer is increasing yield and is one of the sustainable features to maintain soil fertility.

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