Effect of Applying Phosphorus, Potassium, and Farmyard Manure on Yield and Yield Components of Groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) on Acidic Soils of Bako and Nedjo Districts, Western Ethiopia

Abstract

In two areas of western Ethiopia, throughout the main growing seasons of 2023, researchers used farmer-owned land and experimental plots to study the effects of inorganic phosphorus, potassium fertilizers, and farmyard manure on groundnut yields and their constituents. The experiment utilized a randomized full-block design with three replications and a factorial layout. The experimental conditions included varying amounts of phosphorus (0, 46, and 92 kg P₂O₅ ha⁻¹), potassium (0, 100, and 200 kg K₂O ha⁻¹), and farmyard manure (0, 5, and 10 t FYM ha⁻¹). Day-to-flower, physiological maturity, branch-to-peg ratio, pod-to-seed ratio, seed yield, total biomass, shelling percentage, hundred seed weight, harvest index, and dry pod weight were all substantially affected by the mixture of phosphorus and potassium fertilizer with farmyard manure. Researchers found that the optimal combination of 92 kg P₂O₅, 100 kg K₂O, and 10 t FYM ha⁻¹ had the highest dry pod output (3.01 t ha⁻¹) and seed yield (1.98 t ha⁻¹). Neither FYM nor PK, however, produced the worst results. Cultivators of groundnuts in the study regions and other comparable agro-ecologies should, therefore, apply 92 kg of P₂O₅, 100 kg of K₂O, and 10 tons of FYM per hectare.