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 Drier parts of Embu County endure high atmospheric heat, prolonged dry spells, declining soil fertility and erratic rainfall. Local soil and climatic variability contributes to large variations among replications of experimental treatments and inconsistence in research results leading to poor comparability of results within and without different agro-ecological zones (AEZs) hence need for site specific scenario analyses through modelling. Thus, this study sought to; i) evaluate seaso...
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 Populations of riverine fishes have been on a continuing decline since the early 1970s. This has been attributed to channeling, destruction of riparian vegetation, agricultural and industrial pollution, hydrologic alterations, introduction and invasion of exotic fish species, illegal methods of fishing such as the use of herbs and nets with small mesh sizes and other anthropogenic factors. Estimates from throughout the globe suggest that 75 to 95 percent of riverine habitats are deg...
ABSTRACT Riverine benthic communities play a crucial role in trophic relationships by providing major sources of energy to economically and ecologically important fishes. With the declining production of the Lake Victoria fisheries, the importance of surrounding rivers as sources of fish will continuously increase. There is therefore need to refocus the management of the riverine ecosystems in order to improve their fisheries production, particularly concerning their natural fish food product...
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 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 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 Soybean production in Kenya is estimated at 9,061MT. This is low compared to the annual demand of 100,000MT. This large deficit is met through importation which puts a strain to the economy’s foreign exchange. Soybean has the highest protein content (40-42%) among the food crops with oil content of18-22% comprised of 85% unsaturated fatty acids. These attributes make it an inexpensive source of proteins and desirable human diet. Released soybean varieties in Kenya have been evaluat...
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 Erosion due to water runoff is one of the major factors that lead to poor soil productivity in Sub-Saharan Africa. The increase in population has driven the populace to inhabit marginal frontiers; worsening the erosion problem. This study evaluated the effects of some soil and water conservation (SWC) techniques on soil productivity and bean yield in Nyamasheke District; characterized by steep topography, higher precipitation and intensive agricultural activities. The study was condu...
ABSTRACT Declining quantity and quality of irrigation water are serious challenges facing rice production in Mwea irrigation scheme. As such the aim of this study was to assess the suitability of effluents from the scheme for recycling for the same irrigation purpose within the scheme and areas down stream. Water from River Thiba intake (point 1) and waste water from Kiruara drain (point 2) and Thiba main drain (point 3) were sampled and analyzed for quality parameters thus:- pH, Electrical c...
ABSTRACT Sugarcane farming systems can adversely affect soil properties especially total soil organic carbon stocks (TSOCst) and fractions. This study was carried out in Western Kenya sugar zones to assess impacts of tillage systems (Tractor and Oxen ploughing), and plantation ages (continuous mono-cropping system, more than 20 years, 11 ̶ 20 years, 0 ̶ 10 years) on TSOCst and fractions (particulate soil organic carbon, POC, and the mineral associated soil organic carbon, MOC) in three diff...
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...