| dc.description.abstract | Due to physical shortages or inadequate access, water scarcity is a major global challenge that severely affects agricultural productivity and sustainability. Deficit irrigation is a promising approach for dealing with water constraints, particularly in arid and semiarid countries where freshwater supplies are few. Therefore, it is necessary to balance crop water productivity and fertilization efficiency for sustainable food production. This calls for precise deficit irrigation application which requires a better understanding of the plant's reaction to water/drought stress. Therefore, this study evaluated the effect of NPK fertilizer and vermicompost under deficit irrigation conditions on Nakatti. The investigated treatments were vermicompost, and inorganic fertilizer (NPK) at an application rate of 76t N/ha and 50 kg N/ha respectively, and five levels of irrigation that are 100%, 75%, 50%,25%, and 0%. The experimental layout was a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replicates for each treatment and an experimental plot area of 1.2 m by 10m in which every bed with an irrigation level had all three fertilizer treatments. A plot with no fertilizer applied and 0% (rainfed) was used as control. The yield of Nakatti was measured from the Number of leaves, plant height, and biomass for each fertilized type. Soil pH, Organic matter, nitrogen content, potassium, average phosphorus, and electrical conductivity were used to investigate the effects of soil amendments on soil properties. The results were expressed as mean ± standard deviation and analyzed for the difference at a 5% significance level using a two-way ANOVA. The results showed that vermicompost significantly affected the soil's physical and chemical properties. The highest yield component was recorded at 100% level of irrigation in combination with NPK and vermicompost while the lowest was recorded in treatment 0% level irrigation in combination with unamended soil. However, statistical analysis shows no significant effect between the two treatments. Based on the plant height and number of leaves, water application could be reduced to 75 % of the irrigation requirement in combination with NPK and vermicompost since it showed a relatively small difference in plant height in these treatments. | en_US |
