ABSTRACT Mozambique lags behind all other Southern and Eastern African countries in maize production leading to maize imports. Soil nutrient depletion, lack of combination of organic resources with mineral resources coupled with high soil acidity has been identified as the main causes of the declining crop yields. Maize yield in smallholder systems in central Mozambique can be increased by optimum utilization of mineral fertilizers combined with cattle manure and other locally available organ...
ABSTRACT This research was carried out to characterize, classify, and evaluate soils of four geomorphic units in Oguta Imo State Southeastern Nigeria. Four Pedons, each was located in each geomorphic unit. ] soil sampling was carried out in the study site, sixteen surface soil samples (0-20 cm) were collected, four from each of the geomorphic units using an auger giving a total of thirty three soil samples which was chosen to represent the main morphological variations and to present mapping...
ABSTRACT The soils of Owerri area, Southeastern Nigeria were studied with a view to characterizing and classifying them. Four locations namely Umuhu (control), Amakohia (summit), Akpodim (midslope) and Ife (footslope) were selected in the study area, to assess the impact of topography on soil properties. Three profile pits were dug in each site. 65 soil samples were collected and examined with regards to their morphological, physical and chemical properties. Test for variance was carried out...
ABSTRACT A study was conducted in the runoff plots at the University of Nigeria Nsukka Teaching and Research Farm, in 2010 and 2011 to monitor the changes in aggregate stability, and some selected physicochemical properties of Nkpologu sandy loam soil under different cover and soil management systems. The management systems were bare fallow (BF), grass fallow (GF), legume (CE), groundnut (GN), sorghum (SM), and cassava (CA) cultivation. Following the characterization of the soil of the study...
ABSTRACT Indiscriminate and uncontrolled mining activities give rise to significant negative environmental impacts such as pollution of water bodies and farm lands, thus leading to decrease in soil fertility and soil quality as well as land degradation and changes in landscape. Therefore, this research was conducted to evaluate the impact of solid minerals mining at the Enyigba Lead-Zinc mining district in Abakaliki L.G.A of Ebonyi State and to document the present state of soil physico-chem...
ABSTRACT Poor soil fertility and high disease incidences particularly BW are the main constraints to potato production in Njoro, Kenya. Reduction of potato yield of between 30 – 70% has been attributed to bacterial wilt alone. Against this back drop, a trial was conducted in 2012 as part of a shortterm crop rotation experiment (2 years) to investigate the effect of crop-rotation on soil bacterial wilt population and potato yield. The experiment was set up in a randomized complete block des...
ABSTRACT Cassava is an important food crop grown across Mali which is cultivated on Ultisols in Sikasso region situated in the southern part of the country. The lack of recommended inorganic fertilizer is among the main constraints in cassava production in the country. The N, P and K inorganic fertilization is not well practiced due to its high cost and no effective fertilizer use packages. This study aimed at determining the effect of four NPK fertilizer (15- 15-15) rates (0kg, 100kg, 200kg...
ABSTRACT Soybean is an important cash crop with a growing demand in Malawi. Its ability to fix nitrogen has been exploited through the use of rhizobia inoculants to supplement indigenous rhizobia and improve soil fertility. Previous research has however shown instances whereby inoculation has had no yield response which suggests a need to fill the knowledge gap on the nitrogen fixation efficiency of indigenous rhizobia. The main objective of this study was to contribute to increased soybean y...
ABSTRACT A study was conducted to evaluate the physical changes that occur in the soil due to conversion of forest to arable land. Six locations in Enugu State that were selected for this purpose include Ugbo-Okpara (Li), Ugbo-nabo (L2), Ugwogo-Nike (L3), Iyi- Ukwu (L4), Edem (L5) and Ugwo (L6). Soil parameters determined include bulk density, saturated hydraulic conductivity, macro porosity, micro porosity, total porosity, organic carbon, pH, Dithionate citrate bi-carbonate (DCB) Iron oxide...
ABSTRACT Nitrogen (N) is the critical plant nutrient. Low maize (Zea mays L.) yields in smallholder farms of Malawi are attributable to declining N fertility, aggravated by the ever increasing price of fertilizer. Maize, the country’s staple, has a high nitrogen demand. Little effort has been made to establish the best nitrogen rate in a maize- cowpea and maize-bean intercrop under variable soil conditions as a way of improving production, and was the objective of the current study. Field ...
ABSTRACT A study was conducted under screenhouse and field conditions at Sokoine University of Agriculture to evaluate the effects of commercial chemical and microbiological products on growth and yields of SITUKA maize variety grown on an Ultisol soil. The study soil had medium organic matter, low available phosphorous (1.02 mg/kg) and very low extractable zinc (0.34 mg/kg) hence the soil was of medium fertility status and only moderately suitable for maize production. Commercial products e...
ABSTRACT The power boiler ashes (BA) from burnt oil- palm mill wastes at Solive Vegetable Oil Mills Ltd, Nsukka has not been assessed for its crop-use potentials before, and its disposal could pose environmental challenge in future. Several studies have shown that recycling such ash through agronomic production system could alleviate the risks associated with its disposal and make it a value-added input in crop production with the potentials of solving the challenges posed by high cost of mi...
ABSTRACT Soil physical and hydraulic properties determine soil productivity. Tillage alters the structure and composition of a soil consequently influencing important soil processes such as water, air, heat flux, resistance to root penetration and nutrient availability. Soil layers have distinct physical properties which influence water movement in a profile. This study investigated long term effects of conventional, conservation and no tillage systems with or without initial subsoiling on so...
ABSTRACT Estimating crop response to fertilizer application and identification of effective fertilizer materials is important for plant nutrient management and in sustaining soil fertility. Unlike other agro-ecological zones, no fertilizer recommendations have been established for the semi-arid zones in Tanzania. This could be due to the fact that semi-arid areas are regarded as marginal land for agricultural production. To address this gap, field experiments were carried out to establish ph...
ABSTRACT Soil fertility decline, due to soil loss by erosion, nutrient mining and sub optimal fertilizer use, is the major constraint in cabbage production in the volcanic highland region of Rwanda. The objective of the study was to assess the effect of mulch type and NPK (17-17-17) fertilizer rates on growth, nutrient uptake, yield of cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata) and soil nutrient content in the volcanic highland region of Rwanda. Field experiments were conducted in two cropping...