Response of Vertisol and yield of bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) to short-term application of integrated soil fertility management practices

Purpose Soil fertility depletion is a serious problem in Ethiopia, and in turn, the actual yield of wheat is extremely low compared to the potential yield. Hence, a field experiment was conducted in the 2023–2024 main cropping season to determine the effects of the integrated use of vermicompost (VC) and inorganic fertilizer (IF) on some soil physicochemical properties and the yield of bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Method The experiment involved a combination of four levels of VC (0, 3, 6, and 9 t ha⁻¹) and three levels of combined IF (0%, 50%, and 100% of the recommended blended NPS and UREA). The experiment was set up in a randomized complete block design with three replications. All collected soil and agronomic data were analyzed using SAS software. Result Results claimed that the highest pH (6.77), available phosphorus (19.26 ppm), total nitrogen (0.27%), and CEC (29.77 cmolc kg ^− 1 ) were obtained from the integrated application of 6 t ha ^− 1 VC with 100% of the recommended IF and 9 t ha ^− 1 VC with 50% of the recommended IF. Moreover, the integrated application of 6 t ha ^− 1 VC with 50% of the recommended IF gave the highest bread wheat grain yield (4066.67 kg ha ^− 1 ) and maximum net benefit (167057.7 ETB). Conclusion Thus, it can be concluded that integrated application of 6 t ha⁻¹ VC and 50% of the recommended IF is the most recommended and economically feasible soil fertility management practice for improving soil fertility and, in turn, bread wheat yield.