Balanced Fertilization of Major Crops of Rainfed Area in Jordan

The objectives of this project were to: (1) determine the effect of balanced fertilization on the yield of major crops of the rain-fed area in Jordan; and (2) to increase awareness and transfer knowledge of the fertilizer best management practices. Several trials were conducted throughout Jordan in the southern (Karak governorate), central (Amman-Madaba governorate) and northern regions (Irbid governorate). These locations represent the different agroecological zones of Jordan. For this study in 2016, several field experiments were conducted on wheat in all locations. In the northern region there were an additional two field demonstrations on onion and olives investigated. The following treatments were investigated: (T1) farmer fertilization practice (FFP) which represents the recommended rate by the Ministry of Agriculture, where diammonium phosphate (DAP) and urea fertilizers were applied before seeding at rates of 100 and 55 kg/ha, respectively; (T2) nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium (NPK) representing balanced fertilization, where DAP, urea and sulfate of potash (SOP) fertilizers were applied before seeding and at tillering (50% and 50%) with rates of 100 kg/ha, 55 and 60 kg/ha, respectively; and (T3) NPK+ representing the balanced fertilization for higher yield where fertilizers were added as in T2, but with a rate of 25% higher. The target yield for treatments T1 and T2 was 2 t/ha, meanwhile, the target yield for the treatment T3 was 2.5 t/ha. The area allocated for each treatment was 0.5 ha.

In the southern Jordan, the wheat grain yields for T1, T2, and T3 treatments were 1.82, 2.36, and 1.72 t/ha at the first farm and 1.54, 1.46, and 1.48 t/ha at the second farm, respectively. In central Jordan, the wheat grain yields for the T1, T2, and T3, at the first farm were 1.52, 1.40, and 1.79 t/ha, and 1.44, 1.07, and 1.42 t/ha at the second farm. In northern Jordan, where wheat was planted on farm one and onion on the second, the wheat grain yields for the T1, T2, and T3 were 1.28, 1.54 and 1.58 t/ha, respectively. The dry onion yields were 16.6, 49.9, and 41.7 t/ha for the Texas variety and 21.1, 31.7, and 37.9 t/ha for the local Giza variety for the T1, T2, and T3, respectively. For the olive plantation, the highest fruit yield obtained was by the balanced NPK application (78.2 kg/tree), while the lowest fruit yield resulted from FFP (43.5 kg/tree).