Comparative Economic Analysis of Soil Fertility Management on Cassava Based Intercropping Systems in Oredo Local Government Area of Edo State, Nigeria

The study was carried out in Oredo Local Government Area of Edo State, Nigeria. The broad objective was to determine the comparative economic analysis of soil fertility management options on cassava based cropping/intercropping systems. Data were obtained from both primary and secondary sources, primarily data was obtained through questionnaire distributed to eighty (80) randomly sampled farmers from the study area. Economic analysis was carried out using statistical tools such as descriptive statistics which included frequency tables, percentages, means, pie charts, bar column chart etc. which was used to determine the cost and returns of both soil fertility management options. It was also necessary to test the hypothesis of the study which was tested using the Z-Test analysis due to the sample size. The result showed that higher profit was obtained from inorganic fertilizer by those farmers that made use of them in which they had a gross margin (profit) of N118, 400 when compared to those farmers that made use of organic fertilizer, having a gross margin of N60, 900. However, the result from the gross margin analysis as well as the hypothesis of the study shows that the farmers stand to gain more if they use either of the soil fertility management options on their farms. Also, considering the problem of scarcity and effect often associated with inorganic fertilizer, the choice of organic fertilizer is more likely to be accepted by the farmers. Possible recommendations were also made in the course of the study which includes, transformation of farming practices through technology that would stabilize yield and reduce unpredictable variations, farmers should be encouraged to use either of the soil fertility management options to increase their yield. Organic fertilizer should be made affordable to farmer and inorganic fertilizer should be made accessible.

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Alternative Soil Fertility Management Options in Malawi: An Economic Analysis

Journal of Sustainable Agriculture ◽

10.1300/j064v29n03_05 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 29 (3) ◽

pp. 29-53 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Johannes Sauer ◽

Hardwick Tchale ◽

Peter Wobst

Keyword(s):

Economic Analysis ◽

Soil Fertility ◽

Soil Fertility Management ◽

Management Options ◽

Fertility Management

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Integrated Soil Fertility Management (ISFM) on Coconut + Lanzones (Lansium domesticum Corr) Agro-ecosystem in Southern Mindanao, Philippines (1993 – 2007): with Emphasis on the Multi-Nutrient Coconut-Specific Mineral Fertilizer*. Part II. Influence on Le

CORD ◽

10.37833/cord.v25i2.139 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 25 (2) ◽

pp. 21

Author(s):

Severino S. Magat

Keyword(s):

Soil Fertility ◽

Organic Fertilizer ◽

Fruit Tree ◽

Inorganic Fertilizer ◽

Available Phosphorus ◽

Soil Fertility Management ◽

Integrated Soil Fertility Management ◽

Fertility Management ◽

Significant Difference

A 15- year (1993-2007) long-term integrated soil fertility management (ISFM) study on coconut (‘Laguna’ tall variety) + lanzones fruit tree (‘Paete’ variety) agro-ecosystem was conducted using five fertilizer combinations (FCs) in a dominantly tropical wet climate growing zone (Koppen-Geiger Climate Classification, Kottek et al 2006) of Davao, Southern Mindanao, Philippines (07o05’N 125o37’E. One of the objectives of the study was to determine the response of this agro-ecosystem to the combined application of inorganic multinutrient fertilizer (MNF): N+P+K+Cl+S+B (14% N-5% P2O5-20% K2O, with 15.5% Cl, 4.5% S and 0.02% B) and organic fertilizer sources at different ratios by weight by tree (IF+OF at 1+0; 1+2; 2+4; 4+2 and 4+4) on: crop productivity; soil properties, and leaf nutrient levels of the agro-ecosystem. The influence of ISFM and MNF on yields and profitability of the agro-ecoystem coconut and lanzones fruit tree crop (Part I) had been presented earlier in the CORD J. (Magat et al 2009) Results as presented in the first part of the work report showed that the application of the multi-nutrient inorganic fertilizer even at its lowest rate for coconut (1 kg/tree/yr) produced a significant increase in annual nut and copra yield per ha from an average of 8,890 nuts or 1.6 tons to 3 - 4 tons after 2 years of fertilizer applications. The non-significant difference in nut and copra yields of fertilizer combinations (FCs) in almost all years showed that even with the application of FC-1 (1 kg of inorganic fertilizer), the lowest rate of the multi-nutrient fertilizer, even without organic fertilizer, an annual yield over 4 tons copra per ha (or over 17, 000 nuts per ha) was produced in most of years of production, seldom achieved in coconut farms in the country. The improvement of coconut yield and very productive lanzones fruiting stage in this cropping system may be attributed to the significant influence of fertilizer combinations on the crops’ leaf nutrient contents as N, P, K, Cl and B. The long term effect of organic fertilization contributed much to the improved or enhanced soil physical conditions as the soil bulk density. Soil chemical properties as soil acidity, organic carbon (C), organic matter, available phosphorus (P) and exchangeable potassium (K) were generally enhanced during the 15 years of coconut and lanzones cropping under ISFM with multi-nutrient fertilizer application. This long-term coconut + lanzones cropping agro-ecosystem proved to be a sustainable farming system. The proper integrated soil fertility management (ISFM) as a major component of the integrated crop management (ICM) using the PCA-formulated crop-specific-fertilizer multi-nutrient 14(N)-5(P2O5)-20(K2O)-15.5(Cl)-4.5(S)-0.02(B) even at the lowest rate of fertilization contributed to stable soils resulting to the total productivity of the coconut + lanzones fruit tree agro-ecosystem.

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Costs and Returns of Soil Fertility Management Options in Western Kenya

Advances in Integrated Soil Fertility Management in sub-Saharan Africa: Challenges and Opportunities ◽

10.1007/978-1-4020-5760-1_84 ◽

2007 ◽

pp. 881-890 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Paul L. Woomer

Keyword(s):

Soil Fertility ◽

Soil Fertility Management ◽

Management Options ◽

Western Kenya ◽

Fertility Management

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Awareness of Integrated Soil Fertility Management Practices in the Savelugu Municipal of the Northern Region of Ghana

Rural Sustainability Research ◽

10.2478/plua-2020-0005 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 43 (338) ◽

pp. 35-41

Author(s):

Ammal Abukari ◽

Rahamatu Abukari

Keyword(s):

Soil Fertility ◽

Management Practices ◽

Household Size ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Inorganic Fertilizer ◽

Small Scale ◽

Soil Fertility Management ◽

Appropriate Use ◽

Integrated Soil Fertility Management ◽

Fertility Management

AbstractIn sub-Saharan Africa intensifying small-scale farming is essential in addressing poverty related issues in rural communities and the degradation of natural resources. Integrated Soil Fertility Management (ISFM) are the best practices used to improve the productivity of crops whilst maximizing agronomic efficiency of inputs applied and hence contributing to sustainable intensification. ISFM usually include the appropriate use of inorganic fertilizer and organic resources, good agronomic practices and appropriate use of germplasm. The survey was carried-out on the awareness of Integrated Soil Fertility Management practices in the Savelugu Municipal of Northern Ghana to study the awareness of integrated soil fertility management practices amongst farmers through the administration of questionnaires. A multistage method of sampling was used in selecting thirty (30) respondents randomly from five (5) selected communities namely Jana, Yapalsi, Diari, Nabogu and Gushie to make up a total sample size of 150 respondents. Frequency distribution and percentages were used to represent the data. Correlation analysis was used to test for the relationship between awareness, educational level and household size. The survey showed that majority of the respondents at ages between 21 and 30 years were married and majority with household size of 3 to 5 as well as primary and secondary education. Farming activities were carried-out by hand (80%). Majority of the respondents (43.3%) were informed about ISFM through demonstrations and 20% of the farmers apply inorganic fertilizer. About 85.5% of the respondents were aware of ISFM. The research also revealed that ISFM improves production and supports finances of respondents. The assessment of respondents’ perception of ISFM revealed a positive agreement of the effect of ISFM on soil health as well as improved production. In conclusion, it is thus suggested that it is needful for the involvement of the government on the adoption of ISFM via Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) locally and or internationally for a suitable advancement and to guarantee a sustainable environment with a world-wide corporation for improvement.

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SEQUENCING INTEGRATED SOIL FERTILITY MANAGEMENT OPTIONS FOR SUSTAINABLE CROP INTENSIFICATION BY DIFFERENT CATEGORIES OF SMALLHOLDER FARMERS IN ZIMBABWE

Experimental Agriculture ◽

10.1017/s0014479714000131 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 51 (1) ◽

pp. 17-41 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

H. NEZOMBA ◽

F. MTAMBANENGWE ◽

R. CHIKOWO ◽

P. MAPFUMO

Keyword(s):

Soil Fertility ◽

Crop Yields ◽

Smallholder Farmers ◽

Mineral Fertilizers ◽

Soil Productivity ◽

Soil Fertility Management ◽

Management Options ◽

Integrated Soil Fertility Management ◽

Fertility Management ◽

Maize Grain

SUMMARYResearch has proved that integrated soil fertility management (ISFM) can increase crop yields at the field and farm scales. However, its uptake by smallholder farmers in Africa is often constrained by lack of technical guidelines on effective starting points and how the different ISFM options can be combined to increase crop productivity on a sustainable basis. A 4-year study was conducted on sandy soils (<10% clay) on smallholder farms in eastern Zimbabwe to assess how sequencing of different ISFM options may lead to incremental gains in soil productivity, enhanced efficiency of resource use, and increase crop yields at field scale. The sequences were primarily based on low-quality organic resources, nitrogen-fixing green manure and grain legumes, and mineral fertilizers. To enable comparison of legume and maize grain yields among treatments, yields were converted to energy (kilocalories) and protein (kg) equivalents. In the first year, ‘Manure-start’, a cattle manure-based sequence, yielded 3.4 t ha−1of maize grain compared with 2.5 and 0.4 t ha−1under a woodland litter-based sequence (‘Litter-start’) and continuous unfertilized maize control, respectively. The ‘Manure-start’ produced 12 × 106kilocalories (kcal); significantly (p< 0.05) out-yielding ‘Litter start’ and a fertilizer-based sequence (‘Fertilizer-start’) by 50%. A soyabean-based sequence, ‘Soya-start’, gave the highest protein production of 720 kg against <450 kg for the other sequencing treatments. In the second year, the sequences yielded an average of 5.7 t ha−1of maize grain, producing over 19 × 106kcal and 400 kg of protein. Consequently, the sequences significantly out-performed farmers’ designated poor fields by ~ fivefold. In the third year, ‘Soya-start’ gave the highest maize grain yield of 3.7 t ha−1; translating to 1.5 and 3 times more calories than under farmers’ designated rich and poor fields, respectively. In the fourth year, ‘Fertilizer-start’ produced the highest calories and protein of 14 × 106kcal and 340 kg, respectively. Cumulatively over 4 years, ‘Manure-start’ and ‘Soya-start’ gave the highest calories and protein, out-performing farmers’ designated rich and poor fields. Sunnhemp (Crotalaria junceaL.)-based sequences, ‘Green-start’ and ‘Fertilizer-start’, recorded the highest gains in plant available soil P of ~ 4 mg kg−1over the 4-year period. Assessment of P agronomic efficiencies showed significantly more benefits under the ISFM-based sequences than under farmers’ designated rich and poor fields. Based on costs of seed, nutrients and labour, ‘Soya-start’ gave the best net present value over the 4 years, while ‘Fertilizer-start’ was financially the least attractive. Overall, the ISFM-based sequences were more profitable than fields designated as rich and poor by farmers. We concluded that ISFM-based sequences can provide options for farm-level intensification by different categories of smallholder farmers in Southern Africa.

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Impact of Alternative Soil Fertility Management Options on Maize Productivity in Malawi’s Smallholder Farming System

SSRN Electronic Journal ◽

10.2139/ssrn.3249383 ◽

2005 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Hardwick Tchale ◽

Johannes Sauer ◽

Peter Wobst

Keyword(s):

Soil Fertility ◽

Farming System ◽

Soil Fertility Management ◽

Smallholder Farming ◽

Management Options ◽

Maize Productivity ◽

Fertility Management

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Improvement of sorghum productivity through introducing integrated soil fertility management options in the Northern Sudanian zone of Burkina Faso

International Journal of Biological and Chemical Sciences ◽

10.4314/ijbcs.v14i9.23 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (9) ◽

pp. 3262-3274

Author(s):

Jean Ouedraogo ◽

Idriss Serme ◽

Mathias Bouinzemwendé Pouya ◽

Sogo Bassirou Sanon ◽

Korodjouma Ouattara ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Soil Fertility ◽

Soil Fertility Management ◽

Management Options ◽

Integrated Soil Fertility Management ◽

Fertility Management ◽

Gestion Intégrée ◽

Yield Gaps ◽

Set Up ◽

Changements Climatiques ◽

Sudanian Zone

Agricultural intensification is a necessity to ensure food security in the Sahel countries. This study aimed at assessing the effects of technological packages of integrated soil fertility management on sorghum productivity. An experiment was set up in dispersed blocks design where each producer constituted a repetition. Fertilizers were applied using the microdose technique. The results showed that the best grain yields of sorghum are obtained with the technology combining stone bunds + zaï + NPK + urea with respectively 1428.70 kg / ha in 2018 and 1158.40 kg / ha in 2019. The grain yield gaps between the current farmers’ practice under stone bunds and ISFM packages varied from 5.66% to 44.45% in 2018 and from 25.15% to 53.80% in 2019. In the context of climate variability and climate change, these results show that water harvesting techniques such as stone bunds and the zaï, associated with microdose are viable and sustainable alternative for improving agricultural productivity. L’intensification agricole est une nécessité pour assurer la sécurité alimentaire dans les pays du sahel. Cette étude avait pour objectif d’évaluer les effets de paquets technologiques de gestion intégrée de la fertilité des sols sur la productivité du sorgho. Pour ce faire, un dispositif en blocs dispersés a été mis en place en milieu paysan où chaque producteur constituait une répétition. Les paquets technologiques se composent des formules de fumures et/ou des techniques de conservation des eaux et des sols (CES). Les engrais ont été apportés selon la technique de la microdose. Les résultats ont montré que les meilleurs rendements grains du sorgho ont été obtenus avec la technologie cordons pierreux + zaï + NPK + urée avec respectivement 1428,70 kg/ha en 2018 et 1158,40 kg/ha en 2019. Les gaps de rendement grains entre la pratique actuelle des producteurs sous cordons pierreux et les paquets technologiques ont varié de 5,66% à 44,45% en 2018 et de 25,15% à 53,80% en 2019. Dans le contexte de la variabilité et des changements climatiques, ces résultats montrent que la collecte et la valorisation de l’eau à la parcelle à travers les cordons pierreux et le zaï, associée à la microdose est une alternative viable et durable d’amélioration de la productivité agricole.

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Soil Nutrient Dynamics under Old and Young Cocoa, Coffee and Cashew Plantations at Uhonmora, Edo State, Nigeria

Journal of Tropical Soils ◽

10.5400/jts.2014.v19i2.75-80 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 19 (2) ◽

pp. 75 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Rotimi Rufus Ipinmoroti ◽

Joseph Sunday Ogeh

Keyword(s):

Soil Fertility ◽

Cover Crops ◽

Nutrient Dynamics ◽

Management Practices ◽

Soil Nutrient ◽

Soil Fertility Management ◽

Total N ◽

Nutrient Contents ◽

Fertility Management ◽

Edo State

A study was conducted to assess nutrient dynamics of soils under old and young cocoa, coffee and cashew plantations and the leaf nutrient contents of the crops at Uhonmora, Edo State, Nigeria for proper cultural and soil fertility management of the plantations. Soil and crop leaf samples were collected from each plantation using a random sampling technique. The samples were analyzed using standard procedures for sand, silt, clay, pH (H2O), electrical conductivity (EC), total N, available P, K, Ca, Mg, Na, and Effective Cation Exchange Capacity (ECEC). Leaf samples were analyzed for N, P, K, Ca, Mg and Na. Data were compared with the corresponding soil and foliar critical nutrient values for each crop. Results indicated that the soils were texturally sandy clay loam and acidic. The soils varied in their nutrient contents, with soil P for the old cocoa, young coffee and cashew plantations far below critical values. The young cashew plot was low in N content but adequate for other plots. However, the soil ECEC increased with the increasing of calcium contents. Leaf N was below critical for all the crops. Leaf K was low for cocoa and coffee plants, leaf Ca was low for the young cashew plants, while leaf Mg was low for the young cocoa and old cashew. The high soil Mg/K ratio of 8.7- 22.3 as against the established value of 2.0 might have resulted in gross nutrient imbalance which must have affected the absorption and utilization of other nutrients. Hence, adequate soil N did not translate the same availability to the crops. The ECEC showed that the soil needs to be improved upon for sustainable productivity. Soil nutrient content variation across the plantations with age of establishment will necessitate the need for consistent routine soil nutrient assessment for proper and balanced soil nutrient supply to the crops, for healthy crop growth and optimum yield. Management practices of soil surface mulching using organic wastes and cover crops under compatible cropping systems are needed for successful plot establishment and better growth performance of the young seedlings.Key words: Nutrient dynamics, plantation crops, rehabilitation, soil fertility management [How to Cite: Rotimi RI and JS Ogeh. 2014. Soil Nutrient Dynamics under Old and Young Cocoa, Coffee and Cashew Plantations at Uhonmora, Edo State, Nigeria. J Trop Soils 19(2): 85-90. Doi: 10.5400/jts.2014.19.2.85] [Permalink/DOI: www.dx.doi.org/10.5400/jts.2014.19.2.85]

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