COMBINED MICRODOSING OF NPK AND UREA: EFFECTS ON PRODUCTIVITY AND ECONOMIC PROFITABILITY OF SESAME (SESAMUM INDICUM L.) IN SEMI-ARID BURKINA FASO

The combined microdose of NPK and urea could be a sustainable intensification strategy for sesame cultivation in semi-arid areas of West Africa.This study evaluated the effects of different NPK microdose treatments, both alone and in combination with urea, on sesame productivity and economic profitability in the North Sudanese zone of Burkina Faso.The trial was conducted in 2019 and 2020 at the Saria Research Station using a completely randomized block design with four replications. Five treatments were tested: T1 (unfertilized control), T2 (1 g NPK/hill), T3 (1.5 g NPK/hill), T4 (1 g NPK + 1 g urea/hill), and T5 (1.5 g NPK + 1 g urea/hill). Results showed that T5 recorded the highest grain yield (average 1,114 kg.ha-1), representing a 114.5% increase compared to the unfertilized control. This combination also significantly improved the straw yield.Economic analysis revealed that T5 achieved the highest net margin (on average >741 USD ha-1)) with a Benefit/Cost Ratio exceeding 2.5, confirming its profitability for smallholder producers.These findings demonstrate that the application of 1.5 g of NPK and 1 g of urea per microdose is a promising techno-economic option for the sustainable intensification of sesame cultivation in smallholder farming systems.