Grain Legumes and Green Manures for Soil Fertility in ... - cimmyt

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'"~ v '" ~ ~ 1400000 1200000 1000000 800000 600000 400000 200000 0 ~ .£ iii IL "0 CI> 0 0 o ill ~> ~ ... ill > CI> "0 en Illl 8"055 Benefit • Total Costs o 8"05s PJargi1 Figure 1. Cost·benefit analysis of soil fertility improvement technologies Muswishi, 1998·2000 the capital invested is comparable to not applying fertilizer. Problems encountered, lessons, limitation of the work completed and farmer assessment of the technology Whilst farmers appreciated the increase in yield due to the green manures, they pointed out it was very difficult for them to justify weeding green manure crops. This is because other farm operations compete for the same labour. It is possible that this problem could be overcome by planting th~ green manures in the same plots where maize has already been planted, at first weeding of the maize crop. Some farmers also complained about the labour involved in ploughing the green manures under, especially where there is no animal draught power. Conclusions The soils of Muswishi Agricultural Camp were very . low in soil organic matter content rendering them infertile for most crops without external nutrient sources. These results show that incorporating the green manures into the local farming systems has beneficial effects by increasing maize yields. However, the green manures alone may not be sufficient to provide all the nutrients needed for the maize crop to full maturity. The maize grown aIter the green manures need supplementing with some inorganic fertilizer at the top dressing stage. The advantage is that the rate is less than the recommended one. Further, green manures are mainly used as a source of nitrogen while other elements like phosphorus and potassium may have to be added to avoid depleting the soil further of these essential nutrients. The number of green manure species used in the demonstration was limited. More species should be tried in the area to see if they can perform better and provide farmers with a wider selection. Analysis of costs and benefits showed that the treatment with sale sunnhemp had the highest gross margin and return to capital. ~ "0 I CI> It was sup~rior to all others. Sale ~ CI> en ~ 0 IL t '" g-I "0'" velvet bean had the second highest CI> Z IL ~en en gross margin, while fertilizer was 0 Z ~ .E third in profitability . Treatment The methods employed in this project allowed farmers to participate in the project from inception to conclusion. By farmers identifying the problem of soil fertility themselves and suggesting that green manures be used and then seeing how they were used to alleviate the problem meant that farmers felt they owned the project and results. As such, they not only contributed land to the project but also labour, which was essential. Researchers also made sure that whatever maize was obtained from the project was returned to the farmers after yield determination. Acknowledgements We wish to thank the Farm Level Research Applied Methods in Eastern and Southern Africa (FARJ\l1ESA) and the Tropical Soil Biology and Fertility (TSBF) for partially funding this research project. Many thanks are also extended to the entire Soil Fertility Team at Mt. Makulu and the Field Site Working Group at Chibombo District for diligently executing the field trials. We would also like to thank Mr. Lewis Bangwe for cond ucting the economic analysis. References Bowen, W.T., J.O. Quintana, J. Pereira, D.R. Bouldin, W.s. Reid and D.T. Lathwell, 1988. Screening legume green manures as nitrogen sources to succeeding non-legume crops. Plant and Soil 111:75-80. Bray, R.H, and L.T. Kurtz, 1945. Determination of total, organic and available forms of phosphorous in soils. Soil Science 59:39-45. Gilbert, R.A., 1998. Undersowing green manures for soil fertility enhancement in the maize-based cropping systems of Malawi. In: Waddington, S. R., H.K. Murwira, J.D.T. Kumwenda, D. Hikwa 176 Grain le!jumes and Green Manures for ~oil Fertility in Southern Africa
and F. Tagwira (eds.) 1998. Soil Fertility Research for Maize-Based Farming Systems in Malawi and Zimbabwe. Proceedings of the Soil Fert Net Results and Planning Workshop held from 7 to 11 July 1997 at Africa University, Mutare, Zimbabwe. Soil Fert Net and CIMMYf-Zimbabwe, Harare, Zimbabwe, pp. 73-80. Giller, K.E., and K.J. Wilson, 1995. Nitrugen fixation in tropical cropping systems. CAB International, Wallingford, UK. Kolar, J.S., H.5. Grewal and B. Singh, 1993. Nitrogen substitution and higher productivity of a ricewheat cropping system through green manuring. Tropical Agriculture 70:301-304. MacColl, D., 1990. Studies on maize at Bunda, Malawi. III. Yield in rotations with pasture legumes. Experimental Agriculture 26:263-271. Peoples, M.B., and D.F. Herridge, 1990. Nitrogen fixation by legumes in tropical and subtropical agriculture. Advances in Agronomy 44:155-223. SAS Institute, 1985. SAS user's guide: Statistics. Version 5 edition. Cary, NC, USA: SAS Institute Inc., 956 pp. Soil Survey, 1992. Keys to Soil Taxonomy, 5th edition. SMSS technical monograph No. 19. Blacksburg, Virginia, USA: Pocahontas Press, Inc., 556 pages. Steel, R.G.D., and J.H. Torrie, 1980. Principles and procedures of statistics. McGraw-Hill Book Co. Inc., Ne:v York, USA. Wakley, A., and I.A. Black, 1934. An examination of the Degqareff method for determining soil organic matter and a proposed modification of the chromic acid titration method. Soil Science 37:29 38. Yost, R.S., D.O. Evans, and N.A. Saidy, 1985. Tropical legumes for N production: Growth and N content in relation to soil pH. Tropical Agriculture 62:20-24. Grain legumes and Green Manures for Soil Fertility in Southern Africa 177
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Grain Legumes and Green Manures for
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Acknowledgments • The Leopard Roc
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Evall!ating mucuna green manure tec
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INTRODUCTION AND CONFERENCE OBJECTI
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Table 1. Paradigm shifts underlying
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100 90 80 - - 0 - - Uptake by ihe m
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- 6 ~ 9 8 7 0- 5 CḎ ns 4 0::: 3
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Table 3. Millet grain and total dry
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Dvorak KA 1996. Adoption potential
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LEGUMES FOR SOIL FERTILITY IN SOUTH
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to the system in such a way that th
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Muetzelfeldt, R.1. 1995. A framewor
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ing capacity. Legumes offer other b
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people/km2), land holdings are smal
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ments. It would help researchers to
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Own livestock Gununo farmers for th
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Questions and Answers ~ey Papers To
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Historical Perspective on Soyabean
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ganic amendment for resource-poor f
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MPhil. Thesis. University of Zimbab
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deal of research work has been bias
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1600 '7 ns 1400 ~ 1200 Cl ~ 1000 "C
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Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF)
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Boswell EP, Koide RT, Shumway DL, A
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Materials and Methods The trial was
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0.9 0.8 ~ 0.7 Rec '-' 0.6 Vl ::9 0.
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Series no 5. Soil Science SOciety o
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Materials and Methods Persistence o
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content resulted in increased rhizo
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(Mugwiia and Murwira, 1997). Howeve
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Table 2. Average maize yield estima
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implied that most fanners prefer to
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] Questions and Answers Rhizobium,
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ADDING A NEW DIMENSION TO THE IMPRO
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Materials and Methods The study use
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a) Chikwaka b) Chinyika !21 C. absu
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Table 3. N, P and Kconcentrations (
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Abstract SCREENING OF SHORT DURATIO
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Table 2. Characteristics of short d
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RISK DIVERSIFICATION OPPORTUNITIES
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management technologies with differ
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Table 3. Expected annual returns (Z
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Table 6. Risk diversification indic
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een renewed interest in green manur
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unfertilised maize crop of over 200
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Questions and Answers Screening of
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GREEN MANURE AND FOOD LEGUMES RESEA
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7000 6000 ';' €.. 5000 .~MzSole :
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Table 5. Maize grain yield (kg ha")
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Phiri, A.D.K. 1999. Effects of Sesb
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amount of roots with sl:nnhemp. It
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It was proved that a mixed farming
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Table 3. Above·ground biomass (t/h
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and horticulture in Zimbabwe: Case
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GRAIN LEGUMES AND GREEN MANURES IN
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Results Table 1. Adaptation of gree
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Four rates of fertilizer N were app
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THE ROLE OF COWPEA (VIGNA UNGUICULA
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Table 1. Non-legume cropping patter
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Table 9. Common pests on cowpeas as
Page 133 and 134: few of the farmers interviewed acqu
Page 135: Murwira, H.K., M.J. Swift and P.G.H
Page 138 and 139: Materials and Methods On farm exper
Page 140 and 141: 18000 1600) 14000 a) Zambia 12000 m
Page 143 and 144: EFFECT OF DIFFERENT GREEN MANURE LE
Page 145 and 146: .. ~ Table 2. The effect of time o
Page 147: Chivinge, O.A., E. Kasembe, and I.K
Page 150 and 151: times with regionally specific adap
Page 152 and 153: ter content at 180 cm was still wel
Page 154 and 155: to amount of biomass, quality of bi
Page 156 and 157: with the natural fallow, which did
Page 158 and 159: and K to maize as an equivalent amo
Page 160 and 161: forts to understand the mechanisms
Page 162 and 163: gen recovery rates in relation to p
Page 164 and 165: The first steps to improve soil fer
Page 167 and 168: Questions and Answers .Identificat
Page 169 and 170: MUCUNA - MAIZE ROTATIONS AND SHORT
Page 171: Table 3. Percent nitrogen (% N) con
Page 174 and 175: ~e decomposition of legume residues
Page 176 and 177: Table 3. Effect of forage legumes o
Page 178 and 179: available nutrients and vice versa,
Page 180 and 181: Conclusion and Recommendation Mucun
Page 182 and 183: Specific objectives were to: • Te
Page 187 and 188: EFFECT OF SURFACE APPLICATION AND I
Page 189: it 4 a···· · ... - :.!! e.....
Page 193 and 194: PERFORMANCE OF GREEN MANURES AND GR
Page 195: Mungwi soil, cowpea and soyabean pr
Page 198 and 199: Among BNF systems, symbiotic system
Page 200 and 201: 3500 .f"'3000 ca ,c2500 CI "" - 200
Page 202 and 203: above-ground biomass was not transl
Page 204 and 205: 3000 "0 ]i >. ,5 ~ C> 800 600 400 2
Page 206 and 207: Most interventions involving green
Page 208 and 209: ~ ~~----.-~r-~-------------r~~ Aoo
Page 210 and 211: stover N, followed by after pigeon
Page 212 and 213: tems in Malawi and Zimbabwe. Procee
Page 214 and 215: 1965). The tailings and AgLi were a
Page 216 and 217: The significant soybean yield could
Page 218 and 219: twice the yield is necessary. We ha
Page 220 and 221: Table 1. Maize and Grain Legumes Pr
Page 222 and 223: Recommendations and Conclusion In v
Page 224 and 225: performance of private sector compa
Page 226 and 227: the investment costs incurred. The
Page 228 and 229: Results and Planning Workshop. Soil
Page 231 and 232: A SOCIO-ECONOMIC ANALYSIS OF LEGUME
Page 233 and 234: Table 1. Gross margins from the dif
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Abstract LINKING TECHNOLOGY DEVELOP
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3. If households are linked to prod
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Table 9. Average Table 8. Pigeonpea
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ance of sorghum-pigeonpea intercrop
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Mligo, J.K., 1995. Pigeonpea breedi
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To Charles Nhemachena, et al. Q: 1)
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• Assessment of the potential ben
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few studies characterized the house
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• Conduct more research to measur
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Socio-Economics, Policy and Technol
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