Supplementing grass-based cattle feeds with legume leaves and its effects on manure quality and value as a soil improver for an Anthropic Ferralsol in Rwanda

AbstractCombined use of lime, animal manure and inorganic fertilisers is effective in replenishing the fertility of degraded acid soils. However, many smallholder farmers lack access to sufficient amounts of these inputs to improve the fertility and reduce the aluminium toxicity of Ferralsols. Organic manures are available but often have low nutrient content, which limits their ability to supply nutrients to soils. In a two-factor field experiment over four seasons on an Anthropic Ferralsol in Southern Province, Rwanda, we assessed (i) the effect of cattle manure on soil properties at a reduced rate affordable to smallholder farmers compared with that of NPK fertiliser applied, with and without lime also at a reduced rate, and (ii) the effect of supplementing grass in a basal cattle diet with legume leaves on manure quality and its effect on soil properties. Manure from cattle fed only the grass Chloris gayana (grass-only manure) and from cattle fed C. gayana supplemented with Acacia angustissima leaves (grass+legume manure) was applied at 5 t dry matter ha-1 (25% of the recommended rate) at the beginning of each growing season. NPK was applied as split doses supplying a total rate of 70 kg N ha-1. Lime was applied annually at a rate of 2.0 t CaO ha-1, which was 25% of the rate required to neutralise total acidity at the site. All amendments were applied only to the soil surrounding the maize plants (planting stations), which is estimated at 25% of the plot area. Maize stover was left on plots after harvest and planting stations were retained over all growing seasons. All treatments altered soil properties at the planting stations. Lime generally increased pH but there was no significant difference between lime plus manure treatments and non-limed manure treatments. Soil organic carbon concentration and cation exchange capacity were higher in manure and NPK treatments than in non-fertilised treatments. The manure treatment increased soil water-holding capacity compared with the NPK and non-fertilised treatments. There was no significant difference in total N, Ca2+, Mg2+ and K+ between the NPK and manure treatments. Micro-dosing animal manure can thus replace mineral fertiliser plus lime for soil fertility replenishment in smallholder farming. Grass+legume manure contained higher concentrations of total N, Ca, Mg, K and Na than grass-only manure, but its effect on soil properties did not differ significantly from that of grass-only manure.

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Influence of 24 annual applications of fertilisers and/or manure to alfalfa on forage yield and some soil properties under dryland conditions in northern China

Crop and Pasture Science ◽

10.1071/cp10370 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 62 (5) ◽

pp. 437 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Jun Fan ◽

Mingde Hao ◽

Sukhdev S. Malhi ◽

Quanjiu Wang ◽

Mingbin Huang

Keyword(s):

Organic Matter ◽

Soil Properties ◽

Northern China ◽

Animal Manure ◽

Forage Yield ◽

Available P ◽

Long Term Effects ◽

Deep Soil ◽

Total N ◽

Total P

A field experiment was established in 1984 at Changwu, Shaanxi, China, to determine the long-term effects of three annual fertiliser and/or manure treatments [no fertilisation (CK), application of phosphorus (P) fertiliser alone at 26 kg P ha–1, and application of P fertiliser at 26 kg P ha–1 + nitrogen (N) fertiliser at 120 kg N ha–1 + animal manure at 75 Mg ha–1 (PNM)] to alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) on forage dry matter yield (DMY) from 1985 to 2008 (24 growing seasons), and some soil properties (moisture content, and concentration of organic matter, total N, total P and available P in soil) in 2001, 2004 and 2006. Compared with the unfertilised CK, application of fertiliser and/or manure resulted in a significant increase of forage DMY in 19 of 24 years, with a maximum DMY usually in the PNM treatment. Cumulative DMY over 24 years (from 1985 to 2008) increased linearly in all three treatments, and it was higher by 22.72 Mg ha–1 with PNM and only by 7.78 Mg ha–1 with P compared with the CK treatment. Soil moisture contents in deep soil profiles did not differ among treatments in most cases. Soil organic matter, total N, total P and available P in soil increased with fertiliser and/or manure treatments, especially when PNM was applied over a long period. In conclusion, the findings suggest that combined applications of inorganic fertilisers and organic manure to alfalfa can provide substantial benefits in terms of both forage yield and stand longevity, while also improving soil quality on the Loess Plateau of northern China.

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Perceptions of Smallholder Farmers towards Organic Farming in South Africa

Agriculture ◽

10.3390/agriculture11111157 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (11) ◽

pp. 1157

Author(s):

Solomon Eghosa Uhunamure ◽

Zongho Kom ◽

Karabo Shale ◽

Nthaduleni Samuel Nethengwe ◽

Jacobus Steyn

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

Organic Farming ◽

Smallholder Farmers ◽

Limpopo Province ◽

Policy Implications ◽

Critical Factors ◽

Awareness Training ◽

Smallholder Farming ◽

High Profit ◽

Significant Difference

In South Africa, smallholder farming is an important aspect of livelihood. More so, organic farming is increasingly becoming popular among farmers. However, many studies undertaken focused on the trade possibilities of the industry leaving the farmers’ perceptions underrepresented. This study, therefore, aims to capture the farmers’ opinions by evaluating the critical factors and policy implications of organic farming in the Limpopo Province of South Africa. A total of 220 semi-structured questionnaires were administered to smallholder farmers in the province. The results revealed that organic farming is gaining recognition according to 82.8% of the participants, and 86.6% believed that organic farming has high-profit returns. However, 88.4% of the respondents agreed that the required standards for organic farming are too restrictive while a further 74.6% indicated that organic farming certification is difficult to obtain. The results also indicated a statistically significant difference in the perceived benefits of organic farming (p ≤ 0.001) and access to markets (p = 0.042). Based on the results, the study suggests more awareness, training and ease of certification as a way forward in changing the perceptions of the farmers in the province.

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Agricultural practices and diffuse nitrogen pollution in Denmark: empirical leaching and catchment models

Water Science & Technology ◽

10.2166/wst.1999.0554 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 39 (12) ◽

pp. 257-264 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Hans E. Andersen ◽

Brian Kronvang ◽

Søren E. Larsen

Keyword(s):

Agricultural Land ◽

Root Zone ◽

Agricultural Practices ◽

Animal Manure ◽

Annual Runoff ◽

N Leaching ◽

N Loss ◽

Total N ◽

Model Calculations ◽

N Removal

An empirical leaching model was applied to data on agricultural practices at the field level within 6 small Danish agricultural catchments in order to document any changes in nitrogen (N) leaching from the root zone during the period 1989-96. The model calculations performed at normal climate revealed an average reduction in N-leaching that amounted to 30% in the loamy catchments and 9% in the sandy catchments. The reductions in N leaching could be ascribed to several improvements in agricultural practices during the study period: (i) regulations on livestock density; (ii) regulations on the utilisation of animal manure; (iii) regulations concerning application practices for manure. The average annual total N-loss from agricultural areas to surface water constituted only 54% of the annual average N leached from the root zone in the three loamy catchments and 17% in the three sandy catchments. Thus, subsurface N-removal processes are capable of removing large amounts of N leached from agricultural land. An empirical model for the annual diffuse N-loss to streams from small catchments is presented. The model predicts annual N-loss as a function of the average annual use of mineral fertiliser and manure in the catchment and the total annual runoff from the unsaturated zone.

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Precision Agriculture for Resource Use Efficiency in Smallholder Farming Systems in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Systematic Review

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13031158 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (3) ◽

pp. 1158

Author(s):

Cecilia M. Onyango ◽

Justine M. Nyaga ◽

Johanna Wetterlind ◽

Mats Söderström ◽

Kristin Piikki

Keyword(s):

Resource Use ◽

Precision Agriculture ◽

Large Scale ◽

English Language ◽

Management Practices ◽

Smallholder Farmers ◽

Management Strategies ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Smallholder Farming ◽

Sub Saharan

Opportunities exist for adoption of precision agriculture technologies in all parts of the world. The form of precision agriculture may vary from region to region depending on technologies available, knowledge levels and mindsets. The current review examined research articles in the English language on precision agriculture practices for increased productivity among smallholder farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa. A total of 7715 articles were retrieved and after screening 128 were reviewed. The results indicate that a number of precision agriculture technologies have been tested under SSA conditions and show promising results. The most promising precision agriculture technologies identified were the use of soil and plant sensors for nutrient and water management, as well as use of satellite imagery, GIS and crop-soil simulation models for site-specific management. These technologies have been shown to be crucial in attainment of appropriate management strategies in terms of efficiency and effectiveness of resource use in SSA. These technologies are important in supporting sustainable agricultural development. Most of these technologies are, however, at the experimental stage, with only South Africa having applied them mainly in large-scale commercial farms. It is concluded that increased precision in input and management practices among SSA smallholder farmers can significantly improve productivity even without extra use of inputs.

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Land Uses, Altitude and Texture Effects on Soil Parameters. A Comparative Study in Two Districts of Nagaland, Northeast India

Agriculture ◽

10.3390/agriculture11020171 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (2) ◽

pp. 171

Author(s):

Gaurav Mishra ◽

Rosa Francaviglia

Keyword(s):

Soil Properties ◽

Soil Texture ◽

Soil Parameters ◽

Available Phosphorus ◽

Land Uses ◽

Management Options ◽

Available N ◽

P Content ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Soc Stocks

Northeast (NE) India is a typical tropical ecosystem with a luxuriant forest vegetation cover, but nowadays forests are under stress due to exploitation and land use changes, which are known to affect soil health and productivity. However, due to a scarcity of data, the influence of land uses and altitude on soil properties of this peculiar ecosystem is poorly quantified. This study presents the changes in soil properties in two districts of Nagaland (Mon and Zunheboto) in relation to land uses (forest, plantation, jhum and fallow jhum), altitude (<500 m, 500–1000 m, >1000 m) and soil texture (coarse, medium, fine). For this, a random soil sampling was performed in both the districts. Results indicated that soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks and available potassium (K) were significantly influenced by land uses in the Mon district, while in Zunheboto a significant difference was observed in available phosphorus (P) content. SOC stocks showed an increasing trend with elevation in both districts. The influence of altitude on P was significant and the maximum concentration was at lower elevations (<500 m). In Mon, soil texture significantly affected SOC stocks and the available N and P content. The variability in soil properties due to land uses, altitudinal gradients and textural classes can be better managed with the help of management options, which are still needed for this ecosystem.

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Pain, Culture and Pedagogy: A Preliminary Investigation of Attitudes Towards “Reasonable” Pain Tolerance in the Grassroots Reproduction of a Culture of Risk

Psychological Reports ◽

10.1177/0033294120988096 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 003329412098809

Author(s):

Paul K. Miller ◽

Sophie Van Der Zee ◽

David Elliott

Keyword(s):

Undergraduate Students ◽

Pain Perception ◽

Tertiary Education ◽

Preliminary Investigation ◽

Psychological Research ◽

Pain Tolerance ◽

Total N ◽

Sporting Culture ◽

Significant Difference ◽

The Relationship

In recent years a considerable body of psychological research has explored the relationship between membership of socio-cultural groups and personal pain perception. Rather less systematic attention has, however, been accorded to how such group membership(s) might influence individual attitudes towards the pain of others. In this paper, immersion in the culture of competitive sport, widely regarded as being exaggeratedly tolerant of risky behaviours around pain, is taken as a case-in-point with students of Physical Education (PE) in tertiary education as the key focus. PE students are highly-immersed in competitive sporting culture both academically and (typically) practically, and also represent a key nexus of cross-generational transmission regarding the norms of sport itself. Their attitudes towards the pain that others should reasonably tolerate during a range of activities, sporting and otherwise, were evaluated through a direct comparison with those of peers much less immersed in competitive sporting culture. In total, N=301 (144 PE, 157 non-PE) undergraduate students in the UK responded to a vignette-based survey. Therein, all participants were required to rate the pain (on a standard 0-10 scale) at which a standardised “other” should desist engagement with a set of five defined sporting and non-sporting tasks, each with weak and strong task severities. Results indicated that PE students were significantly more likely to expect others to persevere through higher levels of pain than their non-PE peers, but only during the sport-related tasks – an effect further magnified when task severity was high. In other tasks, there was no significant difference between groups, or valence of the effect was actually reversed. It is argued that the findings underscore some extant knowledge about the relationship between acculturated attitudes to pain, while also having practical implications for understanding sport-based pedagogy, and its potentially problematic role in the ongoing reproduction of a “culture of risk.”

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Within-Season Changes in Land-Use Impact Pest Abundance in Smallholder African Cassava Production Systems

Insects ◽

10.3390/insects12030269 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (3) ◽

pp. 269 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Andrew Kalyebi ◽

Sarina Macfadyen ◽

Andrew Hulthen ◽

Patrick Ocitti ◽

Frances Jacomb ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Bemisia Tabaci ◽

Large Scale ◽

Production Systems ◽

Smallholder Farmers ◽

Negative Relationship ◽

Central Africa ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Smallholder Farming ◽

Manihot Esculenta Crantz

Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz), an important commercial and food security crop in East and Central Africa, continues to be adversely affected by the whitefly Bemisia tabaci. In Uganda, changes in smallholder farming landscapes due to crop rotations can impact pest populations but how these changes affect pest outbreak risk is unknown. We investigated how seasonal changes in land-use have affected B. tabaci population dynamics and its parasitoids. We used a large-scale field experiment to standardize the focal field in terms of cassava age and cultivar, then measured how Bemisia populations responded to surrounding land-use change. Bemisia tabaci Sub-Saharan Africa 1 (SSA1) was identified using molecular diagnostics as the most prevalent species and the same species was also found on surrounding soybean, groundnut, and sesame crops. We found that an increase in the area of cassava in the 3–7-month age range in the landscape resulted in an increase in the abundance of the B. tabaci SSA1 on cassava. There was a negative relationship between the extent of non-crop vegetation in the landscape and parasitism of nymphs suggesting that these parasitoids do not rely on resources in the non-crop patches. The highest abundance of B. tabaci SSA1 nymphs in cassava fields occurred at times when landscapes had large areas of weeds, low to moderate areas of maize, and low areas of banana. Our results can guide the development of land-use strategies that smallholder farmers can employ to manage these pests.

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Automatic Registration for Navigation at the Anterior and Lateral Skull Base

Annals of Otology Rhinology & Laryngology ◽

10.1177/0003489419849086 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 128 (10) ◽

pp. 894-902 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Julia Kristin ◽

Manuel Burggraf ◽

Dirk Mucha ◽

Christoph Malolepszy ◽

Silvan Anderssohn ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Skull Base ◽

Navigation System ◽

Automatic Registration ◽

Total N ◽

Electromagnetic Navigation ◽

Registration Error ◽

Target Registration Error ◽

Lateral Skull Base ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Electromagnetic Navigation System

Objective: Navigation systems create a connection between imaging data and intraoperative situs, allowing the surgeon to consistently determine the location of instruments and patient anatomy during the surgical procedure. The best results regarding the target registration error (measurement uncertainty) are normally demonstrated using fiducials. This study aimed at investigating a new registration strategy for an electromagnetic navigation device. Methods: For evaluation of an electromagnetic navigation system and comparison of registration with screw markers and automatic registration, we are calculating the target registration error in the region of the paranasal sinuses/anterior and lateral skull base with the use of an electromagnetic navigation system and intraoperative digital volume tomography (cone-beam computed tomography). We carried out 10 registrations on a head model (total n = 150 measurements) and 10 registrations on 4 temporal bone specimens (total n = 160 measurements). Results: All in all, the automatic registration was easy to perform. For the models that were used, a significant difference between an automatic registration and the registration on fiducials was evident for just a limited number of screws. Furthermore, the observed differences varied in terms of the preferential registration procedure. Conclusion: The automatic registration strategy seems to be an alternative to the established methods in artificial and cadaver models of intraoperative scenarios. Using intraoperative imaging, there is an option to resort to this kind of registration as needed.

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Can Enhancing Efficiency Promote the Economic Viability of Smallholder Farmers? A Case of Sierra Leone

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13084235 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (8) ◽

pp. 4235

Author(s):

Silvia Saravia-Matus ◽

T. S. Amjath-Babu ◽

Sreejith Aravindakshan ◽

Stefan Sieber ◽

Jimmy A. Saravia ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Sierra Leone ◽

Technical Efficiency ◽

Structural Equation ◽

Crop Production ◽

Structural Equation Models ◽

Smallholder Farmers ◽

Farming Systems ◽

Economic Viability ◽

Necessary Condition ◽

Smallholder Farming

By developing meta-frontier efficiency and structural equation models, the paper examines whether farm economic viability is positively associated with technical efficiency in a highly food insecure context, such as that of rural Sierra Leone. The findings show that technical efficiency can be a sufficient but not necessary condition in determining economic viability of smallholder farming. It is possible to breach reproductive thresholds at the cost of reduced technical efficiency, when the crop diversification strategy of smallholders includes market-oriented high-value crops. This calls for a dual policy approach that addresses farmers’ internal needs for self-consumption (increasing efficiency of food crop production) while encouraging market-oriented cash crop production (diversification assisted through the reduction of associated transaction costs and the establishment of accessible commercialization channels of export related crops and/or high-value crops). The work also calls out for a move-up or move-out strategy for small holders to create viable farming systems in developing world.

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Spatial variability and mapping of soil fertility status in a high-potential smallholder farming area under sub-humid conditions in Zimbabwe

SN Applied Sciences ◽

10.1007/s42452-021-04367-0 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 3 (4) ◽

Author(s):

Gabriel Soropa ◽

Olton M. Mbisva ◽

Justice Nyamangara ◽

Ermson Z. Nyakatawa ◽

Newton Nyapwere ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Spatial Variability ◽

Soil Properties ◽

Soil Ph ◽

Strong Evidence ◽

Spatial Dependence ◽

Random Component ◽

Smallholder Farming ◽

Mineral N ◽

Spatial Trend ◽

Spatial Trends

AbstractA study was conducted to examine spatial variability of soil properties related to fertility in maize fields across varying soil types in ward 10 of Hurungwe district, Zimbabwe; a smallholder farming area with sub-humid conditions and high yield potential. Purposively collected and geo-referenced soil samples were analyzed for texture, pH, soil organic carbon (OC), mineral N, bicarbonate P, and exchangeable K. Linear mixed model was used to analyze spatial variation of the data. The model allowed prediction of soil properties at unsampled sites by the empirical best linear unbiased predictor (EBLUP). Evidence for spatial dependence in the random component of the model was evaluated by calculating Akaike’s information criterion. Soil pH ranged from 4.0 to 6.9 and showed a strong spatial trend increasing from north to south, strong evidence for a difference between the home and outfields with homefields significantly higher and between soil textural classes with the sand clay loam fraction generally higher. Soil OC ranged from 0.2 to 2.02% and showed no spatial trend, but there was strong evidence for a difference between home and outfields, with mean soil OC in homefields significantly larger, and between soil textural classes, with soil OC largest in the sandy clay loams. Both soil pH and OC showed evidence for spatial dependence in the random effect, providing a basis for spatial prediction by the EBLUP, which was presented as a map. There were significant spatial trends in mineral N, available P and exchangeable K, all increasing from north to south; significant differences between homefields and outfields (larger concentrations in homefields), and differences between the soil textural classes with larger concentrations in the sandy clay loams. However, there was no evidence for spatial dependence in the random component, so no attempt was made to map these variables. These results show how management (home fields vs outfields), basic soil properties (texture) and other factors emerging as spatial trends influence key soil properties that determine soil fertility in these conditions. This implies that the best management practices may vary spatially, and that site-specific management is a desirable goal in conditions such as those which apply in Ward 10 of Hurungwe district in Zimbabwe.

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