The Profitability of Fertilizer Micro Dosing and Timing of Weeding in Finger Millet Production in the Semi-Arid Areas of Uganda

Abstract

Despite the recommendation for fertilizer use in crop production by research, there is a low rate of adoption among farmers. The low adoption rate of fertilizer usage has been partly attributed to high costs of fertilizer in addition to use of agronomic recommendation without fertilizer economic analysis. The study therefore, set out to determine the profitability of fertilizer micro dosing and weeding regimes in finger millet production in eastern Uganda. A randomized complete block design in split plot treatment arrangement with three replications was used. Weeding regime treatments were the main plot and fertilizer micro dosing treatments as the sub plots. The treatments included: different micro dosing rates of nitrogen and phosphorus, weeding regimes and SEREMI II finger millet variety. Nitrogen was applied in the form of urea (46%), in two splits of 50% each at vegetative and flowering stages respectively. The results of the study indicate that weeding once at 20 Days After Sowing (DAS) and a combination of N and P (16.6 kg N ha-1 and 10.6 kg P ha-1) fertilizer micro dose application is the most profitable combination and could make farmers earn up to Uganda shillings 1,984.220 per hectare compared to only Uganda shillings 373,000 from none application of fertilizer. We therefore conclude that finger millet producers can achieve higher economic and environmental gains when weeding is done once at 20 DAS in combination with sole P fertilizer micro dosing applied at 10.6 kg P ha-1.