scholarly journals Development and Use of a Planter for Simultaneous Application of Seed, Fertilizer and Compost in Pearl Millet Production in Niger—Effects on Labor Use, Yield and Economic Return

Agronomy ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 1886
Author(s):  
Abdourahamane Issa M. Nourou ◽  
Addam Kiari Saidou ◽  
Jens B. Aune

Sowing and application of mineral and organic fertilizer is generally done manually in the Sahel, resulting in low precision and delayed application. The objective of this paper is to present a new mechanical planter (Gangaria) for the combined application of seeds and soil amendments (mineral fertilizer, compost, etc.), and to assess the effects of using this planter in pearl millet on labor use, yield and economic return. The labor study showed that the mechanized application of seeds and compost reduced time use by a factor of more than six. The on-station experiments were completely randomized experiments with six replications and six treatments: T0 (control), T1 (0.3 g NPK hill−1), T2 (25 g compost hill−1), T3 (25 g compost + 0.3 g NPK hill−1), T4 (50 g compost hill−1) and T5 (50 g compost + 0.3 g NPK hill−1). Treatments T1 to T5 were sown by the planter with seeds that were primed in combination with coating of seeds with a fungicide/insecticide. The treatment T5 increased grain yield and economic return compared to the control by 113% and 106%, respectively. The advantages for farmers using this approach of agricultural intensification are timelier sowing of dryland cereal crops, easy application of organic fertilizer and more precise delivery of input, thereby making this cropping system more productive and less vulnerable to drought.

2014 ◽  
Vol 153 (8) ◽  
pp. 1412-1421 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. IBRAHIM ◽  
D. PASTERNAK ◽  
D. FATONDJI

SUMMARYA study was carried out in the rainy seasons of 2008 and 2009 in Niger to investigate the effects of fertilizer micro-dosing on root development, yield and soil nutrient exploitation of pearl millet. Different rates of diammonium phosphate (DAP) were applied to the soil at different depths and it was found that although micro-dosing with DAP increased grain yield over the unfertilized control to a similar level as broadcast DAP, doubling the micro-dosage did not increase it further. Increasing the depth of fertilizer application from 5 to 10 cm resulted in significant increases in root length density, and deep application of fertilizer resulted in higher yields, although the increases were generally not significant. It was postulated that the positive effect of micro-dosing resulted from better exploitation of soil nutrients because of the higher root volume. Levels of nutrients exported from the soil were at least as high in plants receiving micro-dosing as the unfertilized control, and plants receiving micro-dosing exported 5–10 times more phosphorus from the soil than the amount added through fertilization.


10.5219/1356 ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
pp. 156-161
Author(s):  
Tatyana Zubkova ◽  
Svetlana Motyleva ◽  
Olga Dubrovina ◽  
Ján Brindza

A comparative analysis of the seeds ash composition of the breed Rif (Brassica napus L.) rapeseeds grown in the Lipetskaya region was held. The plants were grown in the conditions of the agroecological experiment using mineral (NPK and zeolite) and organic (hen droppings) fertilizers. 6 variants of the experiment were studied – the plants are grown without fertilizers application (the control); the mineral fertilizer (N60:P60:K60) separately and together with zeolite (5 t.ha-1); the zeolite in pure form (5 t.ha-1); hen droppings (5 t.ha-1) separately and together with zeolite (5 t.ha-1). We studied the accumulation of 9 basic elements (in mass %) contained in Brassica napus. seeds ash using the method of energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The accumulation order of the elements was determined: P ≈ K > Mg ≥ Ca > Mo > S > Zn > Mn > Fe. The proportion of P fluctuated from 10.852 to 11.855 mass %; the proportion of K – from 9.933 till 12.343 mass %. The rapeseeds contained Mg, Ca, and Mo in similar concentrations within the range of 4.0 -5.8 mass %. The combined application of zeolite with organic fertilizer ensured the accumulation of the minerals in the seeds. Correlations between the elements were established. High correlation between elements K and Mo was found (r = 0.96); P and Mg (0.86); P and Fe (r = 0.94); C and Mo (r = 0.86). The positive effect of the combined organic-mineral fertilizers with poultry farms wastes usage on the mineral elements accumulation in rapeseeds was stated. It is noted that the accumulation of P, Ca, Mo, and S in rape seeds leads to a decrease in Zn.


2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (11) ◽  
pp. e2509119677
Author(s):  
Francisco de Sales Oliveira Filho ◽  
Francisco Hevilásio Freire Pereira ◽  
Ewerton Gonçalves de Abrantes ◽  
Pedro Alves dos Santos ◽  
Carlos Alberto Lins Casimiro ◽  
...  

The aim of this study was to evaluate the physiological and growth responses of watermelon under application of NPK rates using different proportions of mineral and organic fertilizers. The experiment was taken place in an area located at the Federal University of Campina Grande (UFCG), Campus Pombal - PB (6º48'16'' S and 37º49'15'' W), during the period from June to September 2013. The treatments consisted of three nutrient concentrations of N, P and K (50, 100 and 150% of NPK recommendation for watermelon) and five proportions of mineral and organic fertilizer (100/0, 75/25, 50/50, 25/75 to 0/100). The design was a randomized block in factorial scheme 3 x 5, with four replications. The amount of 100 % was the corresponding NPK 120 kg ha-1, respectively, for N, P and K. They were evaluated: gas exchange, leaf dry matter, stem, fruit and leaf area. The concentration of 150 % of the recommended NPK to the culture of watermelon was the most effective in increasing the physiological characteristics and dry matter accumulation in stem, leaf, fruit, and leaf area. The combined application of mineral and organic fertilizer provides equivalent photosynthetic rate isolated application of mineral fertilizer with an 50/50 ratio the most effective for this variable. The proportions 75/25 and 50/50 were the most efficient in dry matter accumulation in watermelon.


The results of studies on the influence of forms and doses of nitrogen fertilizers (ammonium nitrate, urea, carbamide-ammonia mixture, ammonium sulfate) on the productivity of oil flax under the conditions of the western forest-steppe are given. In the traditional system of fertilizer, oil flax is not able to provide high yields and quality products. An effective solution to this is optimization of plant nutrition due to its balance, which promotes intensive plant development, makes it possible to actively and efficiently intervene in the process of harvesting and its quality. Therefore, determining the optimal fertilizer rate for oil flax in specific soil-climatic conditions is important for obtaining stable and high yields of culture. The purpose of our research was to determine the contribution of doses and forms of nitrogen fertilizers to the productivity of flaxseed oil in the soil-climatic conditions of the western forest-steppe. The research was carried out in 2016-2018 at the experimental field of the Institute of Agriculture of the Carpathian region of NAAS in five-point crop rotation with the total area of the plant growing on a gray forest surface glued type of soil In general, four forms of nitrogen fertilizers were studied: ammonia, nitrate, carbamide-ammonia mixture, urea and ammonium sulfate, which were added in doses: N30; N45 one time; and N30 + N15 under pre-sowing cultivation and in the "fir tree" phase against the background of P30K60. The total number of variants was 16. The object of research was a variety of flax oilseed crops of breeding of the Institute of Oilseeds of NAAS. The seed sowing rate is 6 mln similar seed per hectare. According to the results of three-year studies, the effect of intensification of mineral nitrogen feed and various forms of nitrogen fertilizers on the indices of the elements of productivity and yield of flaxseed oil has been established. In particular, it was found that their use had little effect on the density change of plant stem growth. The use of nitrogen fertilizers in the dose N45 on the background of P30K60 improved plant survival (killed during the vegetation of 0.33-0.42 million pp./ha, which is 5.2-6.3 % for control, where the death observed 0.58 million ppm/ha or 8.4 %)) compared to the N30 dose (0.39-0.49 million pcs/ha). In addition, the use of the dose N45 separately (N30 under cultivation + N15 in the phase of the "fir tree") also improved the survival rate of plants (5.2-5.8 % of dead plants) compared with the simultaneous application of N45 cultivation (5.6-7.1 %) The percentage of deaths grew in control (without fertilizers) - 8.4 % against the background of P30K60 - 7.0 %. The application of various forms and doses of nitrogen fertilizers led to an increase in the control of the elements of productivity. The introduction of N45 against the background of P30K60 contributed to an increase in the number of boxes on plants, according to the variants of fertilizers, this index varied from 14.6 to 18.3 pieces per plant (10.9 - on the control, 12.9 pcs/roll - on the РК background), increasing the amount of seeds per plant by 12.7 pc. per plant, a mass of 1000 seeds per 0.2-0.3 g compared with the control and 0.1-0.2 g compared with the LCD background, where this figure was 6.8 g. On average, over the years of research, the highest productivity of flax seed of oilseed Vodograi (2,27 and 2,48 t / ha) was obtained provided the mineral fertilizer N15P30K60 was applied for cultivation in combination with carbamide feed in the phase of "fir tree" at a dose of N15. When using the nitrogen component in the form of KAS, the gain to control was 1.45 t / ha, to the background - 1.12 t/ha. In control and against the background, this indicator was 1.04 and 1.36 t/ha respectively. When using other forms of nitrogen fertilizers on the background of P30K60, lower yields of flaxseed crops were obtained (1.37-1.38 t/ha). The introduction of the N45 separately (N30 under cultivation + N15 into the "fir tree" phase) generally led to higher performance than a single application for cultivation. Among the studied forms of fertilizers, urea and carbamide-ammonia also caused a slightly higher percentage of fiber content in flax stems, however, it was within the experimental error and was not significantly increased.


2007 ◽  
Vol 69 (3) ◽  
pp. 189-197 ◽  
Author(s):  
Monicah Mucheru-Muna ◽  
Daniel Mugendi ◽  
James Kung’u ◽  
Jayne Mugwe ◽  
Andre Bationo

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (11) ◽  
pp. 211-226
Author(s):  
Maman Sadi Souley ◽  
ADDAM KIARI SAIDOU ◽  
Boubé Morou ◽  
Jens B. Aune

Sida cordifolia L. (SC) is an invading species that represents a threat to grazing lands in Niger. In order to enhance this invasive species, we studied the use of this plant for compost-making. First, the study evaluated the development of chemical properties under aerobic composting of SC in pit (P) and in heap (H) composting with two different mixtures. Mixture 1 (M1) contained 75% SC, 20% manure and 5% ash, while mixture 2 (M2) contained 95% SC and 5% manure. Then, the phytotoxicity test of the composts obtained was carried out by evaluating the effects of four different concentrations of compost on germination of pearl millet. The study of the effect of the rates 1000 kg ha-1 and 1500 kg ha-1 (100g and 150 g hill-1) of the different composts on pearl millet yield under field conditions. The composting was undertaken at Molli fishery station and the agronomic tests at the N’Dounga experimental site during two seasons (2018 and 2019). The chemical analysis showed that the composts from M1 were richer in plant nutrients than the M2 composts. All four rates of composts gave germination rates beyond 50% independent of composting method or compost mixture. On both seasons, the 1000 kg ha-1 M1P gave the best result in terms of grain yield. In 2018, M1P treatment increased grain yield compared to the control by 652 kg ha-1 (105.2%), while in 2019, the corresponding yield increase was 812 kg ha-1 (118.02%). Application of 1000 kg M1 compost ha-1 corresponded to about 11.1 kg N ha-1, which is more than three times the amount of N applied when using the recommended rate of 20 kg NPK ha-1 as micro dosing. This result showed that compost of SC can be used as a supplement to mineral fertilizer for increasing pearl millet yield.


Author(s):  
Saikat Biswas

Cereal crops such as maize, wheat, sorghum and pearl millet are important for human consumption due to their nutritional benefits. These cereals play pivotal roles to meet world’s food demand. However, maintenance of food security particularly in the circumstance of changing climate, constantly urges for modification of agro-techniques and one such modification is the incorporation of transplanting technique in these cereals as an alternative under a non-practicable situation of direct sowing. Transplanting is a method of transferring seedlings grown in nursery or others to the field. It has been already found to shorten the crop duration and improve germination, plant stand, seed and seedling quality parameters, growth, yield and economic profitability of these cereals. Besides, research findings are also available stating that transplanting helps these cereals to cope up with vagaries of weather and to exhibit greater radiation and water use efficiencies and suppression of weeds. Outcomes of transplanting are however dependent on various factors like methods of nursery raising, the variety used, mode of planting, age of seedlings etc. In spite of these prospects, transplanting technique is not so popular in these cereals due to poor dissemination, discouraging research findings, pest and disease problems, lack of suitable package of practices etc. Therefore, focuses are to be given in conducting more and more research trials to confirm its location and situation wise efficacy and also in developing and disseminating a suitable package of practices of transplanting accordingly.


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