ARBA MINCH UNIVERSITY COLLAGE OF AGRECALTURAL

SCIENCES KULFO CAMPUS

DEPARTMENT OF PLANT SCIENCE

COURSE NAME: - Research methodology

Tittle ; Effect of NPS Fertilizer Rate on Growth and Yield of Common Bean
(Phaseolus vulgaris L.) at Arba minch , Southern, Ethiopia

NAME ID No
1. Retta Kebede ANS/055/13
2. Nahili Lemma NSR/1830/13
3. Etalem Shiferaw NSR/934/13
4. Mulunesh Lake NSR/1804/13
5. Melat Tufa NSR/1608/12
6. Sisay Solomon NSR/2178/12
7. Kuma Taddesa NSR/1460/12
8. Yetayel Lengerew NSR/2523/13
9. Tariku Miharu NSR/3109/13

SUBMITED TO: Raheel T. (MSc)

SUBMITED DATE:16/03/2016 E.C
ARBA MINCH, ETHIOPIA
Table of Contents
1. INTRODUCTION....................................................................................................................2
1.2. Statement of problem............................................................................................................5
1.3. General Objective.............................................................................................................6
 1.3.1. Specific Objectives....................................................................................................6
2. MATERIALS AND METHODS................................................................................................7
2.1. Description of Study Area.....................................................................................................7
2.2. Experimental Materials.........................................................................................................7
2.3. Experimental Procedure........................................................................................................7
2.4. Experimental Design and Treatment.....................................................................................8
2.5. Data collected........................................................................................................................8
2.6. Methods of data collection/sampling....................................................................................8
2.7. Data Analysis........................................................................................................................9
3. Result and Discussion..................................................................................................................9
3.1. Growth performance and yield.............................................................................................9
4. REFERENCE............................................................................................................................10

1. INTRODUCTION
Common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is a herbaceous annual plant grown worldwide for its
edible dry seeds or unripe fruit. It is domesticated in ancient Mesoamerica and in the Andes and
now is grown worldwide for both dry seeds and as a green bean. There are about thousands of
legume species but the common bean is the most consumed by human beings compared to any
other legumes (Sperotto, and Ricachenevsky, 2017). It is termed a green bean or snap bean when
it is used for its unripe fruit. Its protein content of 20-25% and carbohydrate of 50-56% makes it
2 to 3 times more nutritious compared to cereals. It is also considered a short-season crop, as it
requires 65 to 110 days from emergence to physiological maturity(Menzel, and Paxton, 1986)
(Mwangombe, et al.,2017).

It is estimated to be one of the most important nutrient sources for more than 300 million people
in some parts of Eastern Africa and Latin America, and it covers 65% of total protein consumed
and 32% of energy value (Blair, et al., 2010). The global bean production is approximately 12
million metric tons, with 5.5 and 2.5 million metric tons annually in Latin America Caribbean
(LAC) and Africa, respectively (Ribeiro, et al., 2015). Reported that in Ethiopia common bean
ranks third as an export commodity, contributing about 9.5% of the total export value from
agriculture(Nascente, et al., 2017). The total amount of export earnings per year from Common
bean is about $70.187million(Alemu, et al., 2018). Its annual per capita consumption in the
country is higher among low income people who cannot afford to buy nutritious food stuff such
as meet(Sperotto, et al., 2017).

It is adapted to areas with altitudes ranging from 700 to nearly 3000 meter above sea level
(Acosta et al., 2007). Very high temperatures cause flowers to abscise, and very low
temperatures delay pod production and results in empty pods (Liebenberg, et al., 2009). In
Ethiopia suitable production areas of common bean is altitude between 1200-2200 m.a.s.l., mean
maximum and minimum temperature of less than 32°C and greater than 10°C, respectively, and
with a rainfall ranging from 350 to 700 mm well distributed over 70-90 days (Abebe, 2015).

Ethiopian farmers highly preferred common bean due to its fast maturing
characteristics(Legesse, et al., 2013). However, the average yield obtained nationally is very low
(1.59 tone ha-1) (Gereziher, et al., 2017) and lowest than the attainable yield (2.5 to 3 tone ha1 )
under good management conditions for most improved varieties. The result low yield of common
bean in Ethiopia is attributed to several production constraints, such as lack of improved varieties
for the different agro-ecologies, poor agronomic practices such as low soil fertility management
and untimely and inappropriate field works(Deresa, S., 2018).
Soil fertility mapping in Ethiopia showed that the deficiency of K, S, Zn, B and Cu in addition to
N and P in major Ethiopian soils and it needs application of customized and balanced fertilizers
(Adisu,et al., 2015). The majority of Ethiopian farmers primarily depend on only two fertilizer
types. DAP and Urea, to supplement the nutrient (N and P) content in their soil.

On the other hand, plant population and arrangement of plants in a unit area greatly determines
resource utilization such as light, nutrients and water, the rate and extent of vegetative growth
and development of crops, development of important diseases and pests, and also the seed cost
(Moraghan, et al., 2006). Plant population affects early ground cover, competitive ability of
crops, soil surface evaporation, light interception, lodging and etc. It also affects canopy
development, plant architecture and distribution of pods (Moriya, et al., 2015).

Optimum plant density is the minimum population that gives maximum yield and suitable plant
arrangement per unit area, allowing crops to exploit resource optimally and produce high yields
(White,et al., 1993). However, optimum plant density varies depending on crop varieties, height
and branching, time of sowing, and the nature of the season(Rocha-Guzmán, et al., 2007).

Common bean varieties have difference in growth habit and seed size. But only one plant density
(40 cm×10 cm or 250,000 plants ha1) has been adopted in Ethiopia; without considering rainfall
amount and distribution, nature of varieties and climatic conditions(Polania, et al., 2016). In
addition to this, the traditional spacing of common bean in most areas including Metu is not
uniform because farmers simply broad cast the seed randomly to the prepared field.

While there is evidence that Metu woreda has suitable land for common bean production. The
low bean yield obtained by local farmers of the area reflects lack of improved production
technologies, mainly optimum spacing and recommended fertilizer rate. To this end, since
optimum spacing and fertilizer requirement of a crop at one location may not similar with other
locations because of variations in soil type, rainfall distribution, nutrient availability, etc., there is
a need to develop site specific recommendation for the area. Therefore, this experiment was
carried out in Metu area with the following objectives:
1.2. Statement of problem
Effect of NPS Fertilizer Rate The effect of NPS fertilizer rate on plant growth and yield has been
widely studied in agricultural research. It has been observed that increasing the NPS fertilizer
rate can significantly enhance plant growth, leading to higher yields. However, there is a
threshold beyond which further increases in the fertilizer rate may not result in proportional
improvements in plant growth or yield.

Therefore, it is crucial to determine the optimal NPS fertilizer rate for each specific crop and soil
condition to maximize productivity while minimizing environmental impact. The effect of NPS
fertilizer rate on plant growth and yield is a topic of great interest in agricultural research.
Studies have shown that increasing the NPS fertilizer rate can significantly enhance plant growth
and increase crop yield.

However, it is important to note that there is an optimal NPS fertilizer rate beyond which further
increases may not result in additional benefits. Therefore, finding the right balance in NPS
fertilizer application is crucial for maximizing crop productivity while minimizing environmental
impacts.
1.3. General Objective

 To determine the effect of NPS rate and intra-row spacing on growth and yield of
common bean in Arba minch .

1.3.1. Specific Objectives

 To determine the optimum plant density for optimum growth and yield of common bean.

 To determine the effect of NPS fertilizer rates on growth and yield of common bean.

 To determine the interaction of NPS fertilizer rates and intra row spacing on growth and
yield of common bean.
2. MATERIALS AND METHODS

2.1. Description of Study Area

The experiment was conducted at Arba Minch University College of Agriculture kulfo campus during
2014 cropping season under irrigated conditions. The crop stayed on the field for three months i.e. March
to May. The area is situated in Gamo zone of southern region of Ethiopia located 495 km from Addis
Ababa at 7°33'N latitude, 36°57'S longitude and also an altitude of 1710m above sea level. The area
received an annual rainfall of 1600mm. The maximum and minimum temperatures of the area are 28°c
and 15°c respectively. The soil of the area is characteristically reddish brown clay soil with pH range of
5.07 to 6.0 (BPEDORS, 2000).

2.2. Experimental Materials

 : Experimental materials that were used during conducting this experiments are

 Haricot bean seed variety

 Field equipment :- tape meter, peg, water, can, paper, axe, and hoe

 DAP (Di-ammonium phosphate) fertilizer as p source

 Stationary materials: - paper, pen, pencil, binder, ruler, marker and note
book.

2.3. Experimental Procedure

The experimental field was selected and all unwanted materials like stones, straw, weed and
other were removed .The land was prepared very well by digging four times by using draft
animals and human labor. The total area of land was 7.9mx4m (31.6m 2) and the area per plot was
1.6mx1m (1.6m2). The distance between plot and blocks was 0.5m and 0.5m respectively. The
space between plant and the space between rows was 10cm and 40cm respectively.

The JUCAVM and was soften with addition of water and raised bed was prepared for
planting .Seed of haricot bean local variety obtained from plant science department was sown at
the depth of 40cm. Watering was carried out two times per day i.e. early in the morning and in
the afternoon. On the other hand other cultural practices like weeding, cultivating, etc were
carried out as per the recommendation for Arba Minch area.

2.4. Experimental Design and Treatment

The field experiment was laid-out in Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three
replication and three treatments in JUCAVM. The experimental area was divided into small
homogenous blocks and each replication contained complete set of treatment which was
allocated to plots within each block at random. Each plot had four rows and each row contained
nine plants. There were thirty six (36) plants per each plot.

2.5. Data collected

Data collected were:-

 Plaint height (cm)

 Number of seed per pod

 Number of pod per plant

 Number of branches per plant (no.)

 Number of pod per plant

2.6. Methods of data collection/sampling

Important data were recorded from the two central rows on the randomly selected and tagged
plants and the data collected were:
 Number of branches per plant: It was measured from five randomly selected plants per
plot from the two middle rows of the plot using meter.
 Pod length: Length of sample pods in middle rows in cm
 Number of pod per plant: The numbers of pods were counted from five plants taken
from the two middle rows of each plot by visual counting and their average was taken.
  Number of seed per pod: number of seeds per pod was counted from five plants taken
from the two middle rows of each plot by visual counting and their average was recorded
as number of pods per plant for analysis.
 Number of node per plant: It was measured from five plants taken from the all plant
part of each plot by using meter then average was taken.

2.7. Data Analysis

Collected data were subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA) using RCBD model and
statistical analysis system (SAS) software and the significance was evaluated using least
significance difference (LSD) at 1% and/or 5% probability level statistically.

3. Result and Discussion

3.1. Growth performance and yield

Growth performance of haricot bean (Phaseolus vulgaris.L.) was influenced by different rate of
phosphorus. The result showed that phosphorus has significant effect on some growth variables
like plant height, number of branches per plant and pod length.

Table1. Effect of different rate of phosphorus on days to flowering, pods/plant, seeds/pod, pod
length, number of branches per plant, fresh weight per plant, and dry weight/plant
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