Effect of manure application on crop yield and soil chemical properties in a long-term field trial of semi-arid Kenya

The sustainability of cereal/legume intercropping was assessed by monitoring trends in grain yield, soil organic C (SOC) and soil extractable P (Olsen method) measured over 13 years at a long-term field trial on a P-deficient soil in semi-arid Kenya. Goat manure was applied annually for 13 years at...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nutrient cycling in agroecosystems 2006-11, Vol.76 (2-3), p.341-354
Main Authors: Kihanda, F. M, Warren, G. P, Micheni, A. N
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agricultural practices
Agricultural production
animal manures
application rate
Aridity
Chemical properties
Computer simulation
crop rotation
Crop yield
Excess water
Fertilizers
field crops
field experimentation
flooded conditions
Goat manure
grain crops
grain yield
green manures
Intercropping
Legumes
long term experiments
Manures
Mineral fertilizers
nutrient availability
Nutrient requirements
Organic chemistry
organic fertilizers
Organic soils
phosphorus
Rainfall
Residual effects
Seasons
simulation models
Soil chemistry
soil fertility
soil organic matter
Soil properties
Sorghum
sustainable agriculture
Trends
water stress
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Summary:The sustainability of cereal/legume intercropping was assessed by monitoring trends in grain yield, soil organic C (SOC) and soil extractable P (Olsen method) measured over 13 years at a long-term field trial on a P-deficient soil in semi-arid Kenya. Goat manure was applied annually for 13 years at 0, 5 and 10 t ha-¹ and trends in grain yield were not identifiable because of season-to-season variations. SOC and Olsen P increased for the first seven years of manure application and then remained constant. The residual effect of manure applied for four years only lasted another seven to eight years when assessed by yield, SOC and Olsen P. Mineral fertilizers provided the same annual rates of N and P as in 5 t ha-¹ manure and initially ,gave the same yield as manure, declining after nine years to about 80%. Therefore, manure applications could be made intermittently and nutrient requirements topped-up with fertilizers. Grain yields for sorghum with continuous manure were described well by correlations with rainfall and manure input only, if data were excluded for seasons with over 500 mm rainfall. A comprehensive simulation model should correctly describe crop losses caused by excess water.
ISSN:1385-1314
1573-0867
DOI:10.1007/s10705-006-9024-z