Coffee Husk Biochar and NPSB Blended Fertilizer Rates Effect on Growth, Yield and Yield Components of Bread Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) at Bita District, Kaffa Zone, Southwestern Ethiopia

Coffee Husk Biochar and NPSB Blended Fertilizer Rates Effect on Growth, Yield and Yield Components of Bread Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) at Bita District, Kaffa Zone, Southwestern Ethiopia | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Coffee Husk Biochar and NPSB Blended Fertilizer Rates Effect on Growth, Yield and Yield Components of Bread Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) at Bita District, Kaffa Zone, Southwestern Ethiopia Kefyalew Bekele, Isreal Zewide, Tamirat Wato This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-9189906/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 7 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract The integrated use of organic and inorganic fertilizers improves soil physicochemical properties and wheat productivity, whereas sole reliance on inorganic fertilizers leads to declining soil fertility. In the Bita District of Southwestern Ethiopia, the limited use of lime and coffee husk biochar constrains soil fertility improvement and wheat yields. To address this challenge, a field experiment was conducted during the 2023 main cropping season to evaluate the effects of integrating coffee husk biochar and blended NPSB fertilizer under limed and unlimed conditions on the yield and yield components of bread wheat. The experiment consisted of three levels of coffee husk biochar (2.5, 5, and 7.5 t ha -1 ) combined with three rates of NPSB fertilizer (50, 100, and 150 kg ha -1 ), along with two positive controls (5 t ha -1 biochar and 100 kg ha -1 NPSB) and one negative control (no fertilizer). Treatments were arranged in a randomized complete block design with three replications in a factorial arrangement. The results indicated that the interaction between coffee husk biochar and NPSB fertilizer significantly increased grain yield. The highest grain yield (3.59 t ha -1 ) was obtained from the application of 5 t ha -1 coffee husk biochar combined with 100 kg ha -1 NPSB fertilizer under limed conditions. This treatment also provided the greatest economic return, with a net benefit of 276,280 Birr ha -1 and a marginal rate of return (MRR) of 22,076%. Under unlimed conditions, the same combination yielded the highest net benefit (197,080 Birr ha -1 ). Additionally, applying 7.5 t ha -1 coffee husk biochar with 100 kg ha -1 NPSB under limed conditions resulted in a net benefit of 221,440 Birr ha -1 and an MRR of 13,292%. In conclusion, the application of 5 t ha -1 coffee husk biochar combined with 100 kg ha -1 NPSB fertilizer, particularly when applied with lime, significantly enhances both the grain yield and economic profitability of bread wheat production in the Bita district. Biological sciences/Ecology Earth and environmental sciences/Ecology Earth and environmental sciences/Environmental sciences Biological sciences/Plant sciences blended fertilizer soil fertility bread wheat lime biochar Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Reviews received at journal 14 May, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 24 Apr, 2026 Reviewers invited by journal 22 Apr, 2026 Editor assigned by journal 17 Apr, 2026 Editor invited by journal 15 Apr, 2026 Submission checks completed at journal 08 Apr, 2026 First submitted to journal 08 Apr, 2026 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-9189906","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":627757873,"identity":"36a55530-eaab-45f6-baae-e7a7c40ec8d1","order_by":0,"name":"Kefyalew Bekele","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Bonga University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Kefyalew","middleName":"","lastName":"Bekele","suffix":""},{"id":627757877,"identity":"512203b2-6170-42af-ba8e-2fdc4ef87084","order_by":1,"name":"Isreal Zewide","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA9UlEQVRIiWNgGAWjYBACNjBZACISGxg+QAQNiNBiANHCOAPCMiCoDSqfwMDMQ4wWPv6zDx/8MKiTMzie3PjYNudPYgN78zYJhoo/uB0mkW5s2GPAZmxw5mGzce42g8QGnmNlEgxncNvCJsHGJsFjwJO47UZimzRYi0SOmQRjGx4t/MfYf/4xkKgHamn/bQnSIv8GqOUfHi0MaWzMPAYGCWZAW5gZwbbwALU04HNYGrO0jEGC4X6gXyR7txkbt/GkFVskHDPGqUW+/xjjxzcVdfKS7ekPP/zcJifbz354440PNXI4tWBzKgMojkbBKBgFo2AUUAIAQjBLge8G3KUAAAAASUVORK5CYII=","orcid":"","institution":"Mizan Tepi University","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Isreal","middleName":"","lastName":"Zewide","suffix":""},{"id":627757878,"identity":"35428067-d062-4fcd-8397-b33d41ed5329","order_by":2,"name":"Tamirat Wato","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Bonga University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Tamirat","middleName":"","lastName":"Wato","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2026-03-22 08:23:22","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9189906/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-9189906/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":107707865,"identity":"4d88dc9a-3c9c-41d0-b0b4-f418a945e52d","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-04-24 09:21:18","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":626498,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"FinalRevisedManuscript1.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-9189906/v1_covered_10c20c8d-aa44-42db-be44-534268dead66.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Coffee Husk Biochar and NPSB Blended Fertilizer Rates Effect on Growth, Yield and Yield Components of Bread Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) at Bita District, Kaffa Zone, Southwestern Ethiopia","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"scientific-reports","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"scirep","sideBox":"Learn more about [Scientific Reports](http://www.nature.com/srep/)","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"","title":"Scientific Reports","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"Scientific Reports","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"blended fertilizer, soil fertility, bread wheat, lime, biochar","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9189906/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-9189906/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eThe integrated use of organic and inorganic fertilizers improves soil physicochemical properties and wheat productivity, whereas sole reliance on inorganic fertilizers leads to declining soil fertility. In the Bita District of Southwestern Ethiopia, the limited use of lime and coffee husk biochar constrains soil fertility improvement and wheat yields. To address this challenge, a field experiment was conducted during the 2023 main cropping season to evaluate the effects of integrating coffee husk biochar and blended NPSB fertilizer under limed and unlimed conditions on the yield and yield components of bread wheat. The experiment consisted of three levels of coffee husk biochar (2.5, 5, and 7.5 t ha\u003csup\u003e-1\u003c/sup\u003e) combined with three rates of NPSB fertilizer (50, 100, and 150 kg ha\u003csup\u003e-1\u003c/sup\u003e), along with two positive controls (5 t ha\u003csup\u003e-1\u003c/sup\u003e biochar and 100 kg ha\u003csup\u003e-1\u003c/sup\u003e NPSB) and one negative control (no fertilizer). Treatments were arranged in a randomized complete block design with three replications in a factorial arrangement. The results indicated that the interaction between coffee husk biochar and NPSB fertilizer significantly increased grain yield. The highest grain yield (3.59 t ha\u003csup\u003e-1\u003c/sup\u003e) was obtained from the application of 5 t ha\u003csup\u003e-1\u003c/sup\u003e coffee husk biochar combined with 100 kg ha\u003csup\u003e-1\u003c/sup\u003e NPSB fertilizer under limed conditions. This treatment also provided the greatest economic return, with a net benefit of 276,280 Birr ha\u003csup\u003e-1\u003c/sup\u003e and a marginal rate of return (MRR) of 22,076%. Under unlimed conditions, the same combination yielded the highest net benefit (197,080 Birr ha\u003csup\u003e-1\u003c/sup\u003e). Additionally, applying 7.5 t ha\u003csup\u003e-1\u003c/sup\u003e coffee husk biochar with 100 kg ha\u003csup\u003e-1\u003c/sup\u003e NPSB under limed conditions resulted in a net benefit of 221,440 Birr ha\u003csup\u003e-1\u003c/sup\u003e and an MRR of 13,292%. In conclusion, the application of 5 t ha\u003csup\u003e-1\u003c/sup\u003e coffee husk biochar combined with 100 kg ha\u003csup\u003e-1\u003c/sup\u003e NPSB fertilizer, particularly when applied with lime, significantly enhances both the grain yield and economic profitability of bread wheat production in the Bita district.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Coffee Husk Biochar and NPSB Blended Fertilizer Rates Effect on Growth, Yield and Yield Components of Bread Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) at Bita District, Kaffa Zone, Southwestern Ethiopia","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2026-04-24 04:06:10","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9189906/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2026-05-14T13:39:27+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"112572811806047263290575676743527286094","date":"2026-04-24T12:10:14+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewersInvited","content":"","date":"2026-04-22T08:41:13+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorAssigned","content":"","date":"2026-04-17T08:12:24+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvited","content":"","date":"2026-04-15T06:39:55+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"checksComplete","content":"","date":"2026-04-08T14:01:49+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"submitted","content":"Scientific Reports","date":"2026-04-08T13:38:58+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"scientific-reports","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"scirep","sideBox":"Learn more about [Scientific Reports](http://www.nature.com/srep/)","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"","title":"Scientific Reports","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"Scientific Reports","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"98ffaca1-b1c1-46a8-8392-e1ba1170b4e8","owner":[],"postedDate":"April 24th, 2026","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2026-05-14T13:39:27+00:00","index":55,"fulltext":""}],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"under-review","subjectAreas":[{"id":66817001,"name":"Biological sciences/Ecology"},{"id":66817002,"name":"Earth and environmental sciences/Ecology"},{"id":66817003,"name":"Earth and environmental sciences/Environmental sciences"},{"id":66817004,"name":"Biological sciences/Plant sciences"}],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2026-04-24T04:06:10+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2026-04-24 04:06:10","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-9189906","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-9189906","identity":"rs-9189906","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"XKTyCvWXoU3ODBz1xrDgd","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}