ABSTRACT
Though Faba bean is an important pulse crop grown in the highlands of Ethiopia, its productivity is far below its potential due to several constraints, such as optimum plant density and fertilizer rates meant for major faba bean growing areas. Hence, a field experiment was conducted to determine the appropriate seeding and fertilizer rates for faba bean production at Holeta, Jima, Kulumsa, and Sinana areas during the 2019 to 2021 main cropping seasons. Factorial combinations of phosphorus fertilizer (23, 46, and 69 kg P2O5/ha), intra-row spacing (7, 10, and 13 cm), and inter-row spacing (30, 40, and 50 cm) were laid out in a randomized complete block design with three replications. Due to the non-homogeneity of variances across locations, a separate combined ANOVA was done for Kulumsa and Jimma that were found homogeneous. Similarly, a separate combined ANOVA over years was done for Holeta. On the other hand, Sinana's two-year data lacked homogeneity across years and with either of the other testing sites. Hence, results of each year presented. Based on the ANOVA results, the lowest fertilizer rates of 23 kg P2O5/ha together with 10 cm intra-row spacing and 40 cm inter-row spacing, were found to be optimum for the study areas around Kulumsa and Jimma while, the highest fertilizer rate of 69 kg P2O5/ha together with 10 cm intra-row spacing and 40 cm inter-row spacing, were found to be economically optimal for faba bean production in West Shewa acidic nitisols. On the other hand, to get reliable results, the experiment should be repeated at least once in one growing season at Sinan testing sites.

ABSTRACT
The experiment was conducted at three districts (Sinana, Goba and Agarfa) of Bale zone for three years from 2020-2022 during the main cropping season with the objective of elucidating the effects of seeding and NPSB rate on agronomic performance of emmer wheat. The experimental design in all locations was RCBD with three replications. Four seeding rates (75,100, 125 and, 150 kg ha-1) and four fertilizer levels (0, 50, 100 and 150 kg NPSB ha-1) were used as a treatments. The main effects of seeding and NPSB rate significantly influenced emmer wheat grain yield and bio-mass yield, while interaction effects significantly influenced (p<0.05) thousand kernel weight and kernels per spike. Plant height, spike length and harvest index were not significantly influenced by applied seeding and NPSB rates. Main effects of seeding and NPSB rate significantly and variably influenced grain and bio-mass yield of emmer wheat. The highest grain yield 3506 kg ha-1 and 34069 kg ha-1 were recorded from 125 kg ha-1seed rate and 100 kg ha-1NPSB rate, respectively. The highest bio-mass yield 9693 kg ha-1and 10222 kg ha-1 were recordedfrom150 kg ha-1seed rate and 150 kg ha-1 NPSB rate, respectively. The .highest (56.7 kernels per spike and 50g thousand kernel weight) were obtained from the interaction effects of 125 kg ha-1 seed rate and100 kg ha-1 NPSB rate, respectively. According to the result of this study optimum emmer wheat grain yield was obtained at seeding rate of 125kg ha-1and 100 kg NPSB ha-1. Economic analysis also indicated that economically feasible emmer wheat and NPSB rate were 125 kg ha-1 and 100 kg ha-1, respectively. Therefore, emmer wheat producing farmers in the study area and similar agro-ecologies should use seeding rate of 125 kg ha-1and NPSB rate 100 kg ha-1 to realize maximum grain yield of emmer wheat.