PubMed · 2026-06-04
Delivering fertilizer directly to wheat roots through drip irrigation (fertigation) instead of broadcasting it on soil boosted grain yields by nearly 50%, and adding compost on top pushed yields even higher — with the best results coming from pairing both strategies together in sandy desert soils.
Full fertigation (nutrients delivered via irrigation water) increased grain yield and nitrogen use efficiency by 49.8% compared to surface-applied fertilizer alone.
Adding 36 tonnes of compost per hectare produced 18% more grain than the lowest compost rate, with the combination of high fertigation and high compost giving the best overall results.
Genotype mattered significantly: Sakha-95 achieved the highest grain yield and nitrogen use efficiency, while Sids-14 and Misr-1 produced higher grain protein concentration, illustrating a yield-versus-quality trade-off between varieties.
