Participatory Demonstration of Durum Wheat Production Blending Vertisols Management Technologies in Lume District, East Shewa, Ethiopia

Abstract

Durum wheat production on Vertisols is constrained by waterlogging, where excessive soil moisture limits nutrient availability, resulting in lower yields and higher input demand. Aybar broad bed maker (BBM) was recommended to make broad beds and furrows (BBF) and drain the excess water although it is not widely adopted by farmers. Therefore, this demonstration activity was conducted to create awareness about the importance of BBF along with the recommended fertilizer rates in Lume district during the 2021 and 2022 main cropping seasons. Nine target farmers were purposefully selected based on the ground that their farms are waterlogged Vertisols. Aybar BBM to make the BBF with an 80 cm bed and 20 cm furrow width, while recommended fertilizers at a rate of 92 kg ha^-1 nitrogen (N) and 10 kg ha^-1 phosphorous (P) were used. The yield data and farmers’ perception were analyzed using t-test, descriptive statistics, and narration, while partial budget analysis was conducted to examine the economic feasibility of the technologies. Results showed that growing durum wheat on BBF by applying the recommended N and P rates resulted in significantly higher grain yield (3474 kg ha^-1) with a 65.4% yield advantage compared to ridge and furrow (RF) (2100 kg ha^-1) with the blanket fertilizer rates. The partial budget analysis revealed that land preparation using Aybar BBM, alongside the recommended fertilizer rates, brought a net benefit of 48,563 ETB ha^-1 over the farmers' practice. Likewise, the marginal rate of return for changing from the local plow to Aybar BBM is 901.7%. The farmers also witnessed that the Aybar BBM even takes less plowing time and energy, and they want to continue to use it. In light of these results, the study concludes that the use of Aybar BBM and recommended N and P rates, as a production package on waterlogged Vertisols, is profitable for farmers and recommends promoting and scaling up these technologies in the study area and other waterlogged Vertisols regions of the country.