scholarly journals Response of Soil Chemical Properties to Rhizobium and Rock Phosphate Fertilizer Application under Green - Grams in Tharaka Nithi County, Kenya

Author(s):  
F. K. Mbaka ◽  
H. O. Ndukhu ◽  
G. O. Oloo-Abucheli

Soil fertility decline is one of the major constraints in agricultural productivity. Biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) in legumes can offer a cost-effective and sustainable means towards soil fertility management. There is limited information on green-gram BNF enhancement through Rhizobium inoculation with rock phosphate fertilizer. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of Rhizobium and rock phosphate fertilizer application on soil chemical properties under green-gram varieties. The study was carried out at Chuka university horticultural research farm in two seasons (November 2019 - January 2020 and February - April 2020). A factorial experiment of 2 x 2 x 2 was laid out in a randomized complete block design (RCBD). There were three factors; varieties (N26 and KS20), rock phosphate (0 and 30 kg P ha-1) and Rhizobium inoculation (0 and 100 g ha-1) making a total of eight treatments which were replicated three times. Soil sampling and analyses were done for soil pH, fixed-N, total nitrogen (TN), exchangeable cations (EC), available Phosphorous (P), total organic carbon (TOC), and exchangeable potassium (K) before planting and after harvesting of green-grams for the two seasons. Data was analysed using GENSTAT 15th edition (P≤0.05). Results from both seasons indicated that combined application of rock phosphate at 30 kg P ha-1 and Rhizobium inoculation at 100 kg ha-1 showed significant (P≤0.05) higher increase in soil chemical properties over other treatments. However, treatment R1P1KS20 recorded significantly higher results in soil pH (7.54), TN (0.58%), TOC (3.45%), P (68.20 ppm) and EC (0.95 CmolKg-1), fixed-N (0.50%) and K (1.75 CmolKg-1). On the other hand treatment R0P0N26 recorded significant (P≤0.05) lower results in soil pH (5.23), TN (0.04%), TOC (1.86%), P (8.76 ppm), EC (0.21 CmolKg-1) and K (0.58 CmolKg-1). Therefore, Rhizobium inoculation in green-grams in combination with rock phosphate is an important legume nitrogen fixation enhancement method. This method is cost effective for farmers in sustainably supplementing nitrogen and phosphorous in their farms for improved soil fertility management. Based on the findings, combining Rhizobium 100g ha-1 and rock phosphate 30 kg P ha-1 with variety KS20 were recommended for a sustainable soil fertility management in Tharaka Nithi County.

Geoderma ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 366 ◽  
pp. 114207
Author(s):  
Alexis M. Adams ◽  
Adam W. Gillespie ◽  
Gurbir S. Dhillon ◽  
Gourango Kar ◽  
Colin Minielly ◽  
...  

2013 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
BP Tripathi ◽  
JE Jones

The middle mountain region of Nepal, which occupies some 30% of the total land, is the homeland of 45% of the total population, with agriculture being the main source of their livelihoods. Hill farming is primarily based on organic manure with livestock, forest and crops being major components of an integrated system. The aim of this study is to develop and promote improved methods for research and development organizations to identify cost-effective and appropriate soil fertility management strategies through; providing an improved understanding of the biophysical and socio-economic factors affecting the adaptability of sustainable soil management strategies in hillside systems, developing methodologies for evaluating soil fertility technologies and management systems for differently resource farmers in different farming systems, and strengthening the capability of local professionals in collaborating institutions to provide useful information to farmers. The work is placing emphasis on promoting cost-effective methods of soil fertility management, building on farmers' own knowledge and systems. Participatory techniques have been used for gaining a better understanding of fertility indicators, trends and existing soil management practices during 2000/01 in the western hills of Nepal. Farmers are now concerned that increasing amounts of chemical fertilizer at increasingly higher cost have to be applied, soils are becoming “harder” and production is declining. As a result farmers in four agro-ecological zones opted to either test methods for “improving” the quality of farm yard manure (FYM), or “improve” crop residue management. Early results show that through covering the FYM with black plastic sheets, yield increases of over 30% can be achieved. The use of participatory farm management techniques is providing a basis for local NGOs and farmers to evaluate their own experiments and develop soil fertility technologies and systems for their environments.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/ajn.v1i0.7536 Agronomy Journal of Nepal (Agron JN) Vol. 1: 2010 pp.1-9


EDIS ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 2007 (14) ◽  
Author(s):  
Cheryl L. Mackowiak

SL-248, 4-page illustrated fact sheet by C.L Mackowiak, includes sections on soil sampling, soil analyses, soil pH/liming, fertilizer recommendations, and organic fertilizers. Published by the UF Department of Soil and Water Science, March 2007.


2018 ◽  
pp. 1-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. O. Awe ◽  
O. O. Nurudeen ◽  
S. O. Omotoso ◽  
A. A. Amiola ◽  
D. Ojeniyi ◽  
...  

The sustainable soil management necessary to maintain soil quality depends on the understanding of how the soil responds to agricultural practices over time. This paper reports the changes in physicochemical properties that resulted from different cropping systems on a soil in Ado Ekiti, Nigeria. Soil samples were collected from sole maize plot (1.0 ha), sole cowpea plot (1.0ha) and cassava/maize intercrop plot (0.6ha) on a land that was previously under fallow. The sand, silt and clay contents of the soil and some selected chemical parameters varied considerably within the study area (different cropping zones). The soil was generally sandy loam and was found to vary from slightly acidic to slightly alkaline and generally low in Soil Organic Matter (SOM) and Available P (Av. P) with no salinity problem. High magnitude of variability was observed for Electrical Conductivity (EC), Av. P and SOM while pH had the least magnitude. A geostatistical evaluation of the soil chemical properties showed moderate to strong spatial dependence. The geospatial maps clearly revealed the heterogeneity of the soil chemical properties across the field. Both classical statistics and geo-statistical analyses of the soil of the area provided a better understanding of the spatial variability of soil chemical properties and the influence that such could have on crop performance. The results indicated that the soil pH is slightly acidic and contained low amounts of both SOM and Av. P. It is suggested that planting of cover crops, minimum tillage and controlled application of phosphate fertilizer should be done so as to increase the SOM, improve Av. P and maintain the soil pH. Further studies should be conducted to include other soil chemical properties such that robust site specific management programme could be effected.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sabura Shara ◽  
Rony Swennen ◽  
Jozef Deckers ◽  
Fantahun Weldesenbet ◽  
Laura Vercammen ◽  
...  

Abstract. Enset (Ensete ventricosum) is a productive, drought-tolerant and multipurpose food security crop grown in the densely populated Ethiopian highlands. Its production suffers from poor soil fertility management and a bacterial wilt disease caused by the pathogen Xanthomonas campestris pv. musacearum. The aim of this study was to assess soil-plant-nutrient variation within enset home gardens over three different altitudes (ranging from 2000–3000 masl) in the Chencha catchment of the Gamo highlands and investigate whether this variation affects disease prevalence. Plant available P, Ca and Mg significantly increase with decreasing elevation but significantly decline with distance from the house. In addition, soil pH, conductivity, total organic carbon (TOC), total N, available K, Mn and Fe levels significantly decline with distance from the house. This indicates that soil fertility factors are influenced by both agro-ecology and farmers' management practices. Moreover, most nutrients reach very high levels in the garden whereas the more distant outfields are severely nutrient deprived. Plant nutrient levels are not correlated to soil nutrient levels except for N. Twenty two percent of the studied farms are symptomatic for bacterial wilt and its prevalence increases with decreasing elevation. Symptomatic gardens have a higher soil pH and available P, K and Ca levels. We conclude that soil fertility management in enset gardens should be optimized in relation to agro-ecological conditions and that both elevation and soil nutrient status need to be considered when developing strategies to curb the current Xanthomonas wilt epidemic.


2020 ◽  
Vol 24 (5) ◽  
pp. 839-844
Author(s):  
F. Waswa ◽  
M. Mwamburi ◽  
I.I.C. Wakindiki ◽  
R. Chemutai

Peri-urban agriculture is a common practice around many towns and cities in Africa because of the ready urban market for farm commodities. However, it is constrained by a myriad of factors like lack of land tenure and poor soil fertility management strategies. This study focussed on soil physicochemical properties and fertility management in Ruiru Sub County, which is a peri-urban area, in Kiambu County of Kenya. Data was obtained from soil samples that were collected from ten small contact farms identified by the Sub-County Ministry of Agriculture and analysed for selected physicochemical parameters critical in soil fertility management. The results from this study indicated that most farmers were tenants growing leafy vegetables on small farms ~0.1 ha. Soil fertility was mainly maintained using organic manures, while tillage was done by hand. Both practices signal the limitations imposed by the small farm size and lack of land ownership. The soil pH was 6.3 ±0.87, which was ideal for protontransfer reactions in the soil and availability of nutrients for plant uptake. Soil fertility was mostly limited by the interaction of soil pH, K and Ca (30%), total N, OC and Zn (27%) and Cu (15%), Mg (10%) and P (9%). Therefore, the management of Ca fertilisation in this area is key because it is the Ca concentration of the soil solution that influences K and pH through ion exchange and K release. Key words: Organic manures, Inorganic fertilizers, Crop farming, Principle component analysis


Author(s):  
Mateus Vieira da Cunha Salim ◽  
Robert Pritchard Miller ◽  
César A. Ticona-Benavente ◽  
Johannes van Leeuwen ◽  
Sonia Sena Alfaia

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