Abstract

Understanding the impact of organic and inorganic components on soil fertility and quality is critical to improving low-yielding soils. Field trials were conducted for five consecutive main growing seasons (2016-2020) for hot pepper at the Bako Agricultural Research Center, Western Oromia, Ethiopia. The aim is to determine the long-term effects of organic and inorganic fertilizers on soil physical and chemical properties, plant nutrient availability and crop productivity to achieve sustainable agricultural development. Furthermore, the performance of organic materials is compared with that of inorganic materials and their combined effect in mitigating aluminium toxicity in acidic soils is examined. Treatments (NPS, farmyard manure (FYM) and lime) were combined to evaluate their effects on crop yields and soil fertility dynamics. Treatments were designed in RCBD with each plot measuring 2.8m x 2.4m in 3 replicates. The field layout and fine seedbeds are prepared as designed. FYM and lime were applied at three different levels. For pepper, 0, 1.05 tha-1, 2.1 tha-1 lime, 0, 5 tha-1, 10 tha-1 FYM and 0, 50 kgha-1, 100 kgha-1 NPS were applied. At the beginning of the experiment (2016), lime was added to the soil of the treated plots one month before sowing to buffer the soil, and a full dose of FYM was applied once during the first year according to its levels during planting. Then, apply NPS year after year until the experiment is terminated. Hot Pepper of Bako Local variety was planted on the BARC site and significant differences were observed between treatments. As a result, the treatment combination (1.05 tha-1 lime + 10 tha-1 FYM and 100 kgha-1NPS) obtained the highest combined average dry pod yield (1.13 tha-1), while the control treatment obtained the lowest average dry pod yield (tha-1). Ultimately, the collected and analyzed post-harvest soil parameters showed progressive changes in soil physical and chemical properties over successive years compared to composite soil samples collected before sowing at the start of the experiment (2016). Partial budget analysis shows that integrated application of NPS, FYM and lime is feasible in hot pepper production in the study area.