ABSTRACT Inoculation of soybean (Glycine max) is an efficient and convenient way of introducing rhizobia to soil and subsequently the rhizosphere of the crop. However, its full potential in sub-Saharan Africa is yet to be realized due to effects of varying soil limiting conditions. Critical levels of nitrogen (N) below and above which response is not guaranteed are unknown. The objective of the study was to determine the critical range of N outside which response to inoculation is hindered. ...
ABSTRACT Sweet yellow passion fruit (Passiflora edulis var. flavicarpa) is widely gaining adoption in Kenya, emerging as an important high market value horticultural crop. However, its current yields are low due to poor agronomic practices among other reasons. The objectives of this study were to determine the effect of vine length on growth, yield and nutrient concentration of sweet yellow passion fruits in Embu County and evaluating orchard management practices for sweet yellow passion frui...
ABSTRACT African Indigenous Vegetables form an integral part of the Kenyan diets, among the most commonly consumed being the African nightshade. These vegetables contain important phenolics that have medicinal values and good health attributes. The abundance of these phenolic substances has strongly been associated with phosphorus use efficiency. In order to investigate the effect of phosphorus stress on African nightshade distribution, a purposive research was done from February 2014 on 70 ...
ABSTRACT Integration of crop residues, inorganic N and appropriate tillage system is an important strategy for improving soil fertility, enhancing crop yields and reducing food insecurity. Such integration under zero tillage systems could enhance soil structural development and nutrient management hence mitigating against soil impoverishment through nitrogen and carbon losses. Crop residues combined with inorganic N in zero tillage results to a controlled immobilization-mineralization proce...
ABSTRACT The tea industry in Kenya is rural-based and provides a livelihood to over three million people. Tea is grown in prime agricultural land and can be potentially productive for 100 years if well managed. Peak yields under optimal management are obtained at 20–40 years after planting only if gaps that arise due to factors such as lightening, pests, diseases, unfavorable climatic conditions and incorrect pruning are taken care of through an elaborate infilling program and use of appro...
ABSTRACT Nitrogen is a major mineral nutrient limiting growth, development and production of crops in Kenya. The cost of production is way beyond the purchasing power of smallholder farmers, coupled with the low availability of nitrogen in the soil has significantly contributed to the reduction in rice productivity in Kenya. In rice growing regions, including Busia, Kisumu and Kirinyaga counties, there is evidence of pollution due to high losses of N experienced from agricultural fields. Redu...
ABSTRACT Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) is an under-utilized crop that is tolerant to drought, flooding, saline-alkaline, infertile soils and high temperature. Farmers maintain landraces through preference selection and obtain seed from different sources. Local germplasm provides greater genetic variability and may provide useful traits to broaden the genetic base. Decline in use may erode the genetic base, preventing use of distinctive traits in crop adaptation and improvement w...
ABSTRACT Low sugarcane productivity has persisted in Western Kenya where most of the crop is grown. A study conducted by Kenya Sugar Research Institute in January 2011 at, Nyando Sugar Zone indicated that sugarcane yields were varied based on fertilizer type applied to the crop. Average sugarcane yield was 64 tones/ha as opposed to a potential yield of more than 100 tones/ha under rain-fed conditions. Declining soil fertility and lack of critical nutrients in fertilizer formulations applied t...
ABSTRACT Soil is a significant reservoir for plant nutrients and hence necessary for plant growth. Soil pH is a very important chemical property of the soil, as it dictates the availability of plant nutrients. Low soil pH reduces soil nutrients. Some of the factors leading to acid soils include continuous cultivation of soil due to scarcity of arable land, excessive use of inorganic fertilizers, climate change and deforestation. Reclamation of acidic soils includes addition of lime which...
ABSTRACT Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) is well known regarding its quality and nutritional value all over the world but imbalances of fertilizer nutrients severely affect its quality. If exposed to stresess, either biotic (organisms) or abiotic (arising from imbalances of environmental factors) e.g water; growth and productivity is affected. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of calcium and potassium on yield and quality responses in two different tomato varieties under ...
ABSTRACT Rice is the third most important cereal grain in Kenya after maize and wheat. It has been grown by smallholder farmers as a commercial food crop under irrigated and rain fed ecologies .Low soil N fertility, prevalent in smallholder farmers’ fields is a major constraint to upland rice production mostly under rain fed ecology. The ever escalating fertilizer prices have made the input to be unaffordable to most smallholder farmers who are resource poor. Efficient use of nitrogen in ag...
ABSTRACT Nitrogen is a major mineral nutrient limiting growth, development and production of crops in Kenya. The cost of production is way beyond the purchasing power of smallholder farmers, coupled with the low availability of nitrogen in the soil has significantly contributed to the reduction in rice productivity in Kenya. In rice growing regions, including Busia, Kisumu and Kirinyaga counties, there is evidence of pollution due to high losses of N experienced from agricultural fields. Redu...
ABSTRACT Amaranthus spp is amongst the most preferred African leafy vegetables in the tropics. It contains numerous vitamins, minerals and bioactive phytochemical compounds for nutritional and health benefits. Nitrogen is a vital mineral element for plant growth which affects not only the biomass accumulation but also the nutritional quality of higher plants. This study was carried out to evaluate the effect of different N forms on growth, mineral elements, anti-nutrient and phytochemicals ac...
ABSTRACT African leafy vegetables are a good source of vitamin A, vitamin C, and foliate among others. They are also a complementing source of other vitamins such as thiamine, niacin and riboflavin, plus some dietary minerals including calcium, iron, potassium, zinc, copper and manganese. Decline in crop yields is mainly caused by loss of soil fertility. Phosphorus (P) is one of the critical elements that limit vegetable production. The situation is aggravated in smallholder agriculture where...
INTRODUCTION In many areas of the United States, soil erosion has become a serious agricultural problem and the State of Iowa is no exception. People attribute this to several causes but increased production of row crops is the principal cause. For example, Moldenhauer and Amemiya (196g) estimated that in the deep loess soils of western Iowa, a corn-corn-soybean rotation without erosion control can result in soil losses as great as 42 tons per acre annually from 9% slopes 300 feet long, or 2...