Time of DAP application vary from farmer to farmer. Therefore, there is a need to determine time of DAP for
recommending to tef (Eragrostis tef (Zucc) Trotter). Accordingly, an experiment was conducted to evaluate the
effect of the time of DAP application on yield and yield components of tef at Shebedino, Southern Ethiopia in
2012 cropping season.DZ-37 tef variety was used as a test crop. The times of DAP fertilize application consisted
application at planting, two, four, six and eight days before planting; was laid out in Randomized Complete
Block design (RCBD) with four replications. DAP applied two days before planting had significantly affected
days to heading and maturity, plant height , first growth rate, number of tiller and panicle, thousand seed
weight, grain, straw and total biomass yields and harvest index. Days to emergence and panicle length were
significantly affected by fertilizer applied two days before planting. Also DAP applied two days before planting
hasten days to heading and maturity by 4 and 5 days, respectively, than DAP applied eight days before planting.
Meanwhile DAP applied two days before sowing increased panicles, grain and biomass yields by 41.7, 62.1and
59.6% respectively, than DAP applied eight days before sowing. DAP applied at the time of sowing, had 54.7
and 1.07% more 1000 seed weight and harvest index respectively, than DAP applied at the time of sowing.
Therefore, DAP application two days before planting could be recommended as an economically feasible choice
for the study area.