ABSTRACT Field and greenhouse experiments were conducted at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, in 2011, to examine the effects of lime, poultry manure and NPK 15-15-15 on the soil nutrient content and yield of maize. The experiment was first carried out in the greenhouse and later evaluated in the field. The experimental designs used were 6 x 4 factorial in completely randomized design (CRD) and randomized complete block design (RCBD) for the greenhouse and field experiments respectively. Two...
ABSTRACT One mechanism by which plants can mobilize organic and inorganic forms of phosphorus (P) in soils is by exudation of low molecular weight organic acids. Laboratory and field trial were carried out during 2011 and 2012 cropping seasons to study the effects of additions of organic acids ( citric, oxalic and tartaric acids) on the mobilization of phosphate of soils from Minna and Mokwa, both in Southern Guinea Savanna of Nigeria. For initial laboratory studies and prior to field cultiva...
ABSTRACT A two –year (2004/2005) field investigation was carried out on the runoff plots at the University of Nigeria Nsukka farm, to monitor the effects of cover management practices on physical properties, runoff and soil loss in Nkpologu sandy loam soil. The management practices were barefallow (BF), cocoyam (CY) sorghum (SG), legume (CP) and grass (PM), under no-till practice. There was no change in soil texture due to treatments. The treatments generally increased soil organic matter c...
Abstract Green house and field experiments were undertaken in this study. The green house study was done in International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Ibadan, green house, while the field experiments were conducted in the Department of Soil Science, University of Nigeria, Teaching and Research Farm and Dominican Centre for Human Resources Development, Moniya-Ibadan Farm in 2008 and 2009 crop years. The green house study was a 2 x 3 x 2 factorial in completely randomized design (C...
Agricultural sector in Kenya, contributes with 25% on GDP, yet this sector is far to supply adequate food for an increasing population due to declining soil productivity. Soybean (Glycine max L. Merrill) is relatively new crop being introduced in smallholders farming system in the Central Highlands of Kenya as source of nutrition, income generation and soil fertility improvement. However, the crop yields are below the national average. Soil acidity and depletion of nutrients affect negatively...
Soil acidity is widespread globally, accounting for about 40% of total arable soils. In Kenya, acid soils cover about 13% of total land area and are distributed widely in the croplands of central and western Kenya regions, covering over one million hectares. The main limitation of crop productivity in Kavutiri, Embu, is soil acidity and more specifically aluminium toxicity. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of agricultural lime in combination with farmyard manure (FYM)...
Agriculture is the major engine of Rwandese economy, accounting for about 40% of the GDP, 85% of employment and 80% of exports. Known as “meat for the poor”, beans constitute a predominant source of proteins in Rwandese diet since they supply 65% of national dietary proteins compared to 4% from animal sources. However, the on-farm bean productivity is about 0.8 – 1.0 tons/ hectare which is quite low compared to 5 tons/hectare that is achieved under optimal management conditions. The...
Reduced farm productivity in smallholder farms is the principal cause of food insecurity in semi- arid parts of Kenya. This is mainly attributed to soil fertility depletion, land degradation, low soil moisture and climate change. Climate change due to increased carbon dioxideemission into the atmosphere has impacted negatively on the food productivity in Africa. The objectives of this study were: 1) to determine the effect of different organic residues on soil carbon accumulation in soil. 2)...
ABSTRACT As climate change continues to threaten ecosystems’ functions, agriculture remains one of the major source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions that are responsible for global warming. The major GHG in agriculture are; carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrous oxide (N2O) and methane (CH4). Unfortunately, agriculture is also one of the most affected sectors by climate change. There is therefore need to reduce emissions by adopting agricultural practices with mitigation potential. This is by enha...
ABSTRACT Soybean (Glycine max L. Merril) productivity in Kenya is adversely affected by low yield, poor fertilizer use, ineffective inoculation, and soil fertility management constraints. The empirical understanding of the interaction between native soil rhizobia, inoculation, nitrogen fixation, soil fertility management practices and how these factors influence soybean productivity is insufficient. The general objective of this study was to investigate the effect of rhizobium inoculation an...
Agriculture in Rwanda is today characterized by low agricultural productivity due to soil fertility decline. This is mainly attributed to the mining of nutrients due to continuous cropping without adequate external addition of inputs. The adoption of Integrated Soil Fertility Management (ISFM) technologies such as the combination of organic manure and mineral fertilizers is being taken as one of solutions to this situation. A study was therefore, conducted to investigate the effects of f...
ABSTRACT In South Kivu Eastern of DR.Congo, most soils are highly weathered, leached and have low nutrients content resulting to low agricultural productivity. The objectives of the study was (i)to evaluate the effect of combining rhizobia inoculation and different fertilizer amendment on biomass and grain yields,(ii) to assess the nitrogen fixation efficacy of commercial rhizobia strains and (iii) to assess the effect of combining rhizobia inoculation and different fertilizer amendments on s...
ABSTRACT Reduced food productivity in smallholder farms is the principal cause of food insecurity in semi-arid parts of Kenya. This is mainly attributed to decline in soil fertility, low and unreliable rainfall, land degradation and adverse effects of climate change. The solution lies in the efficient use of nutrients and planting of drought tolerant crop varieties that can cope with the low rainfall in the ASALs. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of FYM, mineral fertilizers a...
ABSTRACT Low crop responses to fertilizer application among small holder farms are common phenomena in degraded acidic soils of western Kenya. Continuous growing of maize without commensurate soil nutrient replenishment coupled with application of soil acidifying fertilizers, especially Di-ammonium Phosphate (DAP) and Sulphate of ammonia (SA) have aggravated the soil acidity problem. An on-farm trial was sited in Shianda sub-location, East Wanga division in Mumias district, Western province, ...
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...