Assessment of Factors that Limit Optimal Use of Organic Fertilizers in Subsistence Food Production in Vihiga County, Kenya

In the face of skyrocketing prices of inorganic fertilizers, organic materials are considered the alternative sources of fertilizers. Research institutions have over the years succeeded in demonstrating high yield responses to recommended usage of organic fertilizers. Furthermore, organic fertilizer (biofertilizers) is a vital component of sustainable agriculture. The sound management of organic fertilization must attempt to ensure both an enhanced and safeguarded environment. Most Farmers in Vihiga County have adopted use of organic fertilizers. Despite this, crop yields remain low in farmers’ fields due to low soil fertility and inability of farmers to optimally use organic fertilizers. Researchers often use optimal organic materials recording high yields in experimental and farm demonstration fields. Little or no research has been done to determine why farmers still record low yields despite a lot of extension outreaches to promote available organic matter technology packages in the study area. This paper reports findings of a study carried out to determine factors that limit optimal use of organic fertilizer by farmers in Vihiga County, Kenya. The objective of the study was to compare organic fertilizer usage in farmers’ field with optimal (recommended) rates to determine if the usage were significantly different. This was aimed at providing advice based on empirical evidence to farmers on whether there is need to improve usages of organic fertilizer and to determine if low intensity of organic fertilizer was a possible cause of recorded low yields in farmers’ fields. Purposive sampling was used to select farmers who were using organic fertilizer for soil fertility. A total of 120 farmers were selected to provide data needed for the study. Primary data was collected using questionnaires and data was analyzed using descriptive statistic (t-test). The results of the analysis indicated a significant difference in the usage between what farmers applied and what was recommended by research. Usages of organic fertilizer among the sampled farmers were much lower than the recommended levels explaining the low maize yields among farmers in the study area. The study rejected the hypothesis that the farmers’ usages of organic fertilizer was not statistically significant different from that recommended by research institutions. This is because average usage of organic fertilizer of 320.3 kg/ha was significantly below those recommended by researcher of 5ton/ha (at 99% usage. Farmers must follow appropriate promoted technology recommendations. The study recommended promotion of organic fertilizer. Farmers should be sensitized on the need to bridge the gap between the current and the recommended usage for them to realize the benefits of organic fertilizer.

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Kajian Aplikasi Pupuk Organik Pada Tumpang Sari Tanaman Kelor-Selada Di Lahan Kering

Jurnal Sains Teknologi & Lingkungan ◽

10.29303/jstl.v5i1.105 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 5 (1) ◽

pp. 42

Author(s):

I Gusti Made Arya Parwata ◽

I Komang Damar Jaya ◽

Bambang Budi Santoso ◽

Jayaputra Jayaputra

Keyword(s):

Plant Growth ◽

Soil Fertility ◽

Organic Fertilizer ◽

Fertilizer Application ◽

Organic Fertilizers ◽

Growth And Yield ◽

High Yield ◽

Vegetable Crops ◽

Dry Land ◽

Land Equivalent Ratio

Lettuce and Moringa are recently popular vegetable crops because their demand improves significantly, and their development lead to dry land because its potencial in Indonesia is still high. The use of dry land should be followed by applying inter cropping technique in order to make plant micro climate becomes more favourable. In addition, low soil fertility and intensive ussage of inorganic fertilizers makes the application of organic fertilizers imperative. The objective of the research is to investigate the type of organic fertilizer giving high yield of lettuce and moringa cultivated using inter cropping technique in dry land. The results showed that the organic fertilizers applied improved the plant growth and yield, and also improved the land equivalent ratio (LER). The highest LER was showed by apllication of Organox, followed by Bio Extrim and Biota Plus, and the lowest one showed by without organic fertilizer application.

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Influence of irrigation and fertilizer rate on changing the nutritional regime of mixed crops (sorghum and pea) soil on stubble

Agrarian science ◽

10.32634/0869-8155-2021-344-1-136-139 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 344 (1) ◽

pp. 136-139

Author(s):

E. R. Allahverdiyev ◽

D. A. Isayeva

Keyword(s):

Soil Fertility ◽

Crop Yields ◽

Soil Samples ◽

Organic Fertilizers ◽

Nutrient Regime ◽

Phosphorus And Potassium ◽

High Yields ◽

Fertilizer Rates ◽

Mixed Crops ◽

Formation Phase

Relevance. The article quotes questions of the influence of fertilizer rates and the number of irrigations on the change in the nutrient regime of the soil when growing mixed crops of pea and sorgho in the conditions of the Karabakh zone of Azerbaijan. In this regard, one of the main issues considered was the development on a scientific and practical basis of the nature of changes in the nutrient regime of the soil and the effect of optimal fertilizer rates and the number of irrigations on crop yields in mixed crops in long-irrigated gray meadow soils.Methods. To study the effect of irrigation and fertilizer rates in mixed crops on changes in the nutrient regime of the soil, soil samples were taken from two soil layers (0-30 and 30-60 cm) after cutting. In the soil samples taken, compounds of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium that are readily absorbed by plants were analyzed.Results. Analysis of soil samples shows that the application of mineral and organic fertilizers against the background of different amounts of irrigation fundamentally affects the effective fertility of the soil. In general, in the phase of flowering and panicle formation under the influence of irrigation and fertilizers, effective soil fertility was observed compared to the control variant without fertilizing, which remained at a sufficient amount. And this indicates that the plant showed a high demand for this nutrient. The decrease in the number of nutrients in the panicle formation phase indicates its connection with the removal of high yields. Analysis of soil samples during the study shows that the introduction of mineral and organic fertilizers against a background of varying amounts of irrigation has fundamentally affected the effective soil fertility.

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Utilizing Cocoa Rind as Organic Fertilizer to Support Sustainable Agriculture

Journal of Tropical Soils ◽

10.5400/jts.2016.v21i1.33-39 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

pp. 33

Author(s):

Ramadhani Chaniago ◽

Winarto Ramlan

Keyword(s):

Sustainable Agriculture ◽

Organic Materials ◽

Agricultural Waste ◽

Organic Fertilizer ◽

Organic Fertilizers ◽

Microsoft Excel ◽

Carbon And Nitrogen ◽

Randomized Design ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Variant Analysis

The main key in choosing manure is the level of ripeness, the ratio of Carbon and Nitrogen (C/N) and the Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium (NPPt) contents. So far, the farmers have not effectively utilized organic materials as fertilizers in agricultural lands. Organic materials which can be used include agricultural waste and animal waste. The existence of alternative fertilizers and in order to support the development of sustainable agriculture, utilizing agricultural waste as the materials to make organic fertilizers is encouraged. Organic fertilizers can be in the forms of manure, compost, and the combination of both. The research was aimed to study the NPPt content in compost from cocoa rind and cow waste. This research was done in May – September 2015 in Sub-district Luwuk, District Banggai and in the Laboratory of Chemistry and Soil Fertility, Department of Soil Science Faculty of Agriculture, Hasanuddin University, Makassar. The experiment was conducted in a Completely Randomized Design (CRD). The experiment contained one factor with three treatments, which were repeated 3 times; thus, there were 9 treatments units. The treatments were comparison dosages of cocoa rind and cow waste, i.e. P1 = 50 kg of cocoa rind : 10 kg of cow waste; P2 = 50 kg of cocoa rind : 20 kg cow of waste; P3 = 50 kg of cocoa rind : 30 kg of cow waste. Data were analysed by comparing the average of NPPt element in cocoa rind compost and cow waste. Data was then analyzed statistically by One Way Anova (One Way Variant Analysis) by using SPSS 19.0 for Windows and further analyzed by Least Significant Difference (LSD) 1% by using Microsoft Excel Windows 7. The results showed that the highest macro nutrients content was in P2 with N = 0.25%; P = 3.91%; K = 5.23% and the lowest was in P3 with N = 0.19% and P = 3.33% as well as in P1 with K = 4.16%.Keywords: Agricultural waste, compost, cow waste [How to Cite: Ramadhani C and W Ramlan. 2016. Utilizing Cocoa Rind as Organic Fertilizer to Support Sustainable Agriculture. J Trop Soils 21: 33-39. Doi: 10.5400/jts.2016.21.1.33]

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Organik Matter: It’s Role in Sustainable Farming of Sugarcane

Perspektif ◽

10.21082/p.v14n1.2015.61-71 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 14 (1) ◽

pp. 61

Author(s):

Djajadi Djajadi

Keyword(s):

Organic Matter ◽

Soil Organic Matter ◽

Soil Fertility ◽

Green Manure ◽

Organic Fertilizer ◽

Soil Health ◽

High Yield ◽

Cane Yield ◽

Sustainable Farming

ABSTRACTOrganik matter has an important role in determining soil health of sugarcane, i.e. soil capacity to support sugarcane to produce sustainable high yield. Soil organic matter influences soil physical, chemical, and biological properties, so that a consequence of declining soil organic matter is poorer soil fertility and lower yield. This paper has an objective to elucidate the important role of organic matter on sustainable farming of sugarcane. The important role of organic matter in soil fertility has been known for a long time before Green Revolution concept was introduced. With more intensity in sugarcane farming and more increasing of sugar demand, application of organic fertilizer started to be substituted by chemical fertilizer. Using green manure and/or biofertilizer has a chance to be spread out to the farmers due to more practical and more efficient than solid organik fertilizer, such as dung manure or compost. Future research should be focusing on the efectivity of green manure and or biofertilzer sources in improving soil fertility and cane yield, minimizing soil pathogen, reducing soil erosion of sugar cane land monoculture, and improving awareness of farmers about soil degradation as consequences of sugarcane monoculture planting for years.Keywords: Organic matter, sugarcane, soil health sustainable farming Bahan Organik: Peranannya dalam Budidaya Tebu BerkelanjutanABSTRAKBahan organik tanah berperan penting dalam menentukan kesehatan tanah tebu, yaitu kapasitas tanah yang dapat mendukung produksi tebu yang tinggi secara berkelanjutan. Kadar bahan organik tanah mempengaruhi sifat fisik, kimia dan biologi tanah. Paper ini bertujuan untuk menguraikan tentang peranan bahan organik dalam memperbaiki sifat fisik, kimia dan biologi tanah pertanaman tebu. Pentingnya peran bahan oganik tersebut sudah disadari dari dulu, sehingga sebelum revolusi hijau penggunaan pupuk organik sudah umum dilakukan petani. Dengan semakin intensifnya budidaya tebu dan semakin meningkatnya kebutuhan gula, pemanfaatan pupuk organik sudah jarang dilakukan. Diperlukan usaha untuk meningkatkan dan mempertahankan kadar bahan organik pada lahan tebu, antara lain berupa gerakan masal dalam bentuk gerakan nasional melalui program aplikasi bahan organik. Pemanfaatan pupuk hijau dan/atau pupuk hayati berpeluang untuk diterapkan karena lebih praktis dan efisien daripada penambahan pupuk organik padat. Penelitian ke depan perlu difokuskan untuk mengkaji jenis-jenis pupuk organik dan pupuk hayati yang efektif memperbaiki kesuburan, dalam menekan serangan penyakit, meminimalkan erosi pada lahan-lahan tebu monokultur, dan meningkatkan kesadaran petani tebu tentang terjadinya degradasi lahan akibat penanaman tebu yang terus menerus.Kata kunci: Bahan organik, tebu, kesehatan tanah, budidaya berkelanjutan

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Heterogeneous Effects of Sustainable Agriculture Practices: Micro-evidence from Malawi

Journal of African Economies ◽

10.1093/jae/ejz030 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 29 (4) ◽

pp. 333-374

Author(s):

Giuseppe Maggio ◽

Solomon Asfaw

Keyword(s):

Organic Fertilizer ◽

Agricultural Practices ◽

Control Measures ◽

Organic Fertilizers ◽

High Yield ◽

Heterogeneous Effects ◽

Hybrid Seeds ◽

Nationally Representative ◽

Temperature Records ◽

Sustainable Agricultural Practices

Abstract Are the effects of sustainable agricultural practices heterogeneous across agro-ecology and wealth in Malawi? Would a wealth-enhancing policy be associated with increased effectiveness of these practices? Focusing on a nationally representative set of Malawian agricultural households, the article answers the above questions by employing plot-level panel data matched with a set of geo-referenced rainfall and temperature records. The findings suggest a positive correlation between aggregate yield and the adoption of organic fertilizer. A similar result holds for legume intercropping and for hybrid seeds, which are associated to reductions in yield volatility between the two waves. Nevertheless, these effects appear heterogeneous across the agro-ecological zone of adoption, since a reduced number of farmers in selected locations can improve yields through the adoption of these practices. Further exploration suggests that less wealthy households show higher returns when adopting hybrid seeds or legume intercropping. Wealthier households, in contrast, report high yield only when treated with technology-enhancing practices, such as organic fertilizers and soil erosion control measures.

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Effect of Vermicompost on Chemical and Biological Properties of an Alkaline Soil with High Lime Content during Celery (Apium graveolens L. var. dulce Mill.) Production

Notulae Botanicae Horti Agrobotanici Cluj-Napoca ◽

10.15835/nbha44110157 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 44 (1) ◽

pp. 280-290 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

Ilker UZ ◽

Sahriye SONMEZ ◽

Ismail Emrah TAVALI ◽

Sedat CITAK ◽

Dilek Saadet URAS ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mediterranean Region ◽

Organic Fertilizer ◽

Farmyard Manure ◽

Biological Properties ◽

Field Conditions ◽

Organic Fertilizers ◽

Apium Graveolens ◽

Alkaline Soil ◽

Lime Content ◽

Significant Difference

The aim of this study was to investigate impact of vermicompost on chemical and biological properties of an alkaline soil with high lime content in the presence of plant under the open field conditions in semiarid Mediterranean region of Turkey. The study also included farmyard manure and chemical fertilizers for comparison and was conducted in two consecutive growth seasons in the same plots to observe any cumulative effect. Plots were amended with fertilizers in different rates and celery (Apium graveolens L. var. dulce Mill.) was grown as the test plant. In general, vermicompost appeared to be more effective to increase organic matter, N, P, and Ca compared to farmyard manure. Soil alkaline phosphatase and Î²-glucosidase activities, especially in the second growth season, were significantly elevated by the vermicompost application. Urease activity, however, appeared not to be influenced by the type of organic fertilizer. A slight but statistically significant difference was detected between organic amendments in terms of number of aerobic mesophilic bacteria with vermicompost giving the lower values. Results showed that, in general, vermicompost significantly alters chemical and biological properties of the alkaline soil with high lime content during celery production under field conditions compared to farmyard manure and that it has a high potential to be used as an alternative to conventional organic fertilizers in agricultural production in the Mediterranean region of Turkey.

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Tingkat Pengetahuan Petani dalam Penggunaan Pupuk Organik dan Penerapannya pada Budidaya Tanaman Padi Sawah (Kasus di Subak Penarungan, Kecamatan Mengwi, Kabupaten Badung)

Jurnal Agribisnis dan Agrowisata (Journal of Agribusiness and Agritourism) ◽

10.24843/jaa.2017.v06.i04.p05 ◽

2017 ◽

pp. 505

Author(s):

I WAYAN BUDI ARTAWAN ◽

NI WAYAN SRI ASTITI ◽

WAYAN SUDARTA

Keyword(s):

Soil Fertility ◽

Sample Size ◽

Organic Farming ◽

Negative Impact ◽

Organic Fertilizer ◽

Organic Fertilizers ◽

Knowledge Level ◽

Agricultural Crops ◽

Public Attention ◽

Natural Farming

Farmers Knowledge Level in the Use of Organic Fertilizer and Its Applicationin Rice Cultivation (Case in Subak Penarungan, Sub-District of Mengwi,Badung Regency) Public attention to the issue of agriculture and the environment in recent years haveincreased as a result of a big negative impact on the environment, compared with itspositive impact on increasing the productivity of agricultural crops. This encouragesseveral regions to hold organic farming. Organic farming is a natural farming whichin practice trying to avoid the use of chemicals and fertilizers that are poisoning theenvironment with the aim to obtain a healthy environmental condition.This studyaims to determine (1) the level of farmers' knowledge on organic fertilizer; and (3)the application of organic fertilizers by the farmers in the cultivation of lowland rice.The research was conducted at the Subak of Penarungan, Mengwi Sub-District ofBadung Regency. The choice of research location was conducted by purposivesampling. The population of the research was the active members of Subak ofPenarungan totaling of 167 people. The sample size was determined by using theformula of Slovin, so that the number of respondents was 63 people.This researchuse method analysaize descriptive qualitative. The results showed that farmers'knowledge about organic fertilizers can be categorized in the high category withachieving a score of 3.41. However, the application of organic fertilizer by thefarmers is classified in the medium category by achieving a score of 3.05. Based onthe results of this study can be suggested farmers as actors should be more activedoing weeding and want to optimize the use of organic fertilizer as recommended bythe extension. Because the use of sustainable organic fertilizer for the future will givea big influence in soil fertility, quality and not damage the environment.

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The Waste-Free Production Development for the Energy Autonomy Formation of Ukrainian Agricultural Enterprises

Journal of Environmental Management and Tourism ◽

10.14505//jemt.v11.3(43).02 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (3) ◽

pp. 513

Author(s):

Grygorii KALETNIK ◽

Inna HONCHARUK ◽

Yuliia OKHOTA

Keyword(s):

Crop Residues ◽

Crop Yields ◽

Agricultural Waste ◽

Organic Fertilizer ◽

Humus Content ◽

Research Problem ◽

Organic Fertilizers ◽

Agricultural Enterprises ◽

Production Development ◽

Energy Autonomy

Agriculture has been considered as one of the priority countries sectors in our research; the share of agriculture in the gross domestic product of the world leading countries was investigated. The theoretical and practical aspects of non-waste agricultural production development using animal waste and crop residues fermented in biogas plants are revealed. The authors substantiate the relevance and potential of the introduction of waste-free technology which has considerable advantages of energy autonomy both for the enterprise and the country. The state of humus content in soils of Ukraine is also considered. International experience has been evaluated, which consists in the ability of agricultural waste both to produce alternative sources of energy and to use the products of their processing as organic fertilizers that significantly increase crop yields. The first steps of the Ukrainian agricultural enterprises to introduction of non-waste production on the example of the company LLC Organic-D have been presented; it heats and electrifies the complex, dries crops, and also uses organic fertilizer (digestate) due to waste processing in the biogas station. As a result of the research, it was found that the application of organic fertilizer can have a positive effect on soil recovery, because the soil acidity has changed from a level of weak acid (5.4 pH) to a level close to neutral (6 pH) for one year of its application. To conclude, the obtained results prove the relevance of the research problem.

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Improvement of Suboptimal Land Productivity Approach by Land and Plant Management

Journal of Tropical Soils ◽

10.5400/jts.2014.v19i2.99-109 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 19 (2) ◽

pp. 99

Author(s):

Marthen Pasang Sirappa ◽

Max Leovold Jhon Titahena

Keyword(s):

Crop Yields ◽

Organic Fertilizer ◽

Organic Fertilizers ◽

Growth And Yield ◽

Plant Management ◽

Land Productivity ◽

Livestock Manure ◽

Rice Varieties ◽

Average Growth ◽

Study Results

Assessment for increasing productivity of suboptimal land with using three kinds of organic fertilizer and six rice varieties had been conducted in the Debowae village, Waeapo district, Buru regency at 2011. Purpose of the assessment were to determine the effect of three types organic fertilizer and the use of six Inpara varieties to growth and productivity of rice in sub-optimal land. Study used a split plot design with three replications (farmers as replicates), where the main plot was three types of organic fertilizers (livestock manure, granular organic, and petroganic), while the subplot was 6 varieties Inpara (Inpara 1, Inpara 2, Inpara 3, Inpara 4, Inpara 5, and Indragiri). The soil types at the study site based on soil classification were Endoaquepts with soil fertility status was low. The study results showed that the use of organic manure combined with inorganic fertilizers, both from livestock manure, while granular organic and petrogranic, gave an average crop growth and yield better than the results obtained by farmers outside of the study. Average petroganic fertilizer had a better growth and higher crop yields compared to other organic fertilizers. The six varieties of rice swamps that were examined (Inpara 1, Inpara 2, Inpara 3, Inpara 4, Inpara 5, and Indragiri) had the average growth and better yields than rice varieties used by farmers outside of the study (2.75 t ha-1). Varieties Inpara 4, Indragiri, Inpara 1 and Inpara 2 had average yield above 7 t ha-1, while Inpara 3 and Inpara 5 average above 4 t ha-1. Combination of granular organic fertilizer with Inpara 4 variety and petroganic with Indragiri variety had the best results (8.37 and 8.02 t ha-1), while the lowest yield (4.48 t ha-1) was reached at combination of livestock manure with Inpara 5 variety.Keywords: adaptive varieties, land and plant management, organic fertilizers, suboptimal land [How to Cite: Marthen PS and MLJ Titahena. 2014. Improvement of Suboptimal Land Productivity Approach by Land and Plant Management. J Trop Soils 19(2): 109-119. Doi: 10.5400/jts.2014.19.2.109]

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Soil Chemical Properties and Yield Response of Okra (Abelmoschus Esculentus L) to Different Organic Fertilizer Sources

Journal of Agricultural Extension ◽

10.4314/jae.v25i2.6 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 25 (2) ◽

pp. 66-74

Author(s):

Benedict. O. Unagwu ◽

Roseline. U. Ayogu ◽

Vivian.O. Osadebe

Keyword(s):

Growth Performance ◽

Crop Yields ◽

Organic Fertilizer ◽

Animal Manure ◽

Organic Fertilizers ◽

Control Treatment ◽

Yield Response ◽

Pig Manure ◽

Manure Application ◽

Animal Manures

The study investigated the effects of animal manures (cow manure, CoM; chicken droppings, CkD; and pig manure, PiM) applied at 15 t ha-1 equivalent rate on the soil and growth performance of okra grown in a degraded ultisol. The treatments (CoM; CoM; PiM and Control unamended) were laid out in a completely randomized design and replicated three times. Animal manure application had significant effects on soil properties. Soilorganic matter increased by over 9% in the amended treatment relative to the control treatment. Except for N, increases in P (circa 14-70%)and K (circa 15-46%) nutrients were higher for CkD treatment than in other treatments. Generally, the amended treatments maintained a significantly higher (p ≤0.05) plant leave number, stem girth, plant height, okra pod length and yields when compared with the Control treatment. The results indicated that application of animal manure enhanced okra growth performance. The findings suggest that animal manure application can potentially increase okra yield when grown in a degraded soil. It is recommended that farmers use ample (15 t ha-1) ) quantity of animal manures to increase their crop yields, which invariably will enhance their income. Keywords: Soil fertility, organic fertilizers okra growth, okra yield response, farmers okra yeild.

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