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

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implied that most fanners prefer to invest their labour inputs where returns are already favourable, thus apparently following a nutrient concentration strategy - the poorer or less productive the field, the less applied. The ameliorative role of manure to soil was not a new concept to the smallholder farming community where cattle manure was viewed as a . common and significant soil fertility input in maize systems (Tanner and Mugwira, 1984; Mugwira and Murwira, 1997). Livestock manure applications to soil have been known to increase soil pH, infiltration rates, water holding capacities and decrease bulk densities (Grant, 1967; Murwira, 1993). Preliminary results from this study have revealed that cultivation of grain legumes for food is at a low scale in all the three Natural Regions, be it as rotations or intercrops while exploitation of legumes for soil fertility management is virtually non-existent. While information on the role of leguminous plants in replenishing soil fertility is available (Sanchez, 1995; Giller, 1998; Mapfumo, 2000), these results suggest that the strategies to translate this valuable information to the smallholder farming community need diversification. Currently there is a general belief among smallholder communities that legumes are a women's crop (Mapfumo et al., 200tb) and this belief coupled with poor extension methods and over emphasis on cereal production, have led to reduced legume cultivation. Application of leguminous residues in arable farming systems provides a ready supply of N to growing crops. While very few farmers appreciate the role of grain legume residues in soil amelioration, some results have shown that in cereal cultivation, N contributions from legumes can be as high as 250 kg N ha- 1 yrl (Giller, 2001). However, in poor sandy soils, reported values have mostly been less than 30 kg N ha- 1 (Mapfumo, 2000). It is imperative to note that the impact of legumes on soil productivity may not only be restricted to N contributions, which has been the major focus of previous work on organic input research. The quantity and quality of C supplied by many of these organic materials may also playa significant role in soil productivity. Information of the role of decomposable C on nutrient release and soil amelioration from high quality organics including legume residues is not well documented (Kirchmann and Bergquist, 1989). This information is essential in guiding farmers and land-managers to optimally use their organic resources, both in the short and in the long term. Legume resid ues are most beneficial in providing nutrients in the short-term, an option more likely to be appealing to most smallholder farmers (Palm et al., 2001). In the wake of diminishing resources, the groyving of legumes and utilizing their residues may be a realistic way of increasing soil available C in sandy soils. This study aims to address the practicalities of these issues. Are we as 'researchers doing enough to promote soil organic matter build-up in our inherently poor soils? Participatory experiments with fanners in Murewa (NR II) suggested that Cajanus cajan (pigeonpea) could be successfully grown by farmers yielding very high biomass of up to 23 t ha- 1 in 2 years (Mapfumo et al., 2001). While it is difficult to make conclusive statements based on these preliminary results, a few lessons can be drawn. In Zimuto, use of organic fertilizers in arable farming showed that soil C reserves could be improved judging from the relatively high contents of soil organic C, compared to the soils in Chinyika where mineral fertilizer usage takes precedence. Although cultivation in Chinyika is barely 20 years old, soil C and N are already depressed probably stemming from the heavy dependency on mineral fertilizer with little or no organic inputs. We therefore conclude that there is merit to develop strategies for the use of organic inputs, to not only improve the soil organic C status, but also crop yields through efficient nutrient uptake. The term organic fertilizer should be given a new meaning for the smallholder environment to not only mean manure qut crop residues as well. For the nonowners of cattle, the window of opportunity rests with the growing of legumes with the N-rich stover being retained in the field. It is imperative to investigate how nutrient availability is related to the quantity and quality of C supplied in organic resources used by farmers in the medium- to long-term if combined use of organics and mineral fertilizer is to be optimized. References Anderson, }.M. and Ingram, }.S.1. 1993. Tropical Soil Biology and Fertility: A Handbook of Methods. Second Edition. CAB International. Wallingford, UK. 221 pp. Ashworth, V.A. 1990. Agricultural Technology and the Communal Farm Sector. Main Report. Background paper prepared for the Zimbabwe Agricultural Sector Memorandum. The World. Bank, Agriculture Division, Southern Africa Department, Washington DC, USA. 159 pp. Giller, K.E. 1998. Tropical legumes: Providers and plunderers of nitrogen. In: Carbon and Nutrient Dynamics in Natural and Agricultural Tropical Ecosystems. L. Bergstrom and H. Kirchmann (Eds.). CAB International, Wallingford, UK, pp. 33-46. Giller, K.E. 2001. Nitrogen Fixation in Tropical Crop- 62 Grain legumes and Green Manures for Soil Fertility in Southern Africa
ping Systems. 2nd Edition. CAB International, Wallingford, UK. 423 pp. Grant, P.M. 1967. The fertility of sandveld soil under continuous cultivation. Part I. The effect of manure and nitrogen fertilize"r on the" nitrogen status of the soil. Rhodesia Zambia Mal'lwi Journal of Agricultural Research 5:71-79. Kirchmann, H. and Bergquist, R 1989. Carbon and nitrogen mineralization of white clover (Trifohum repens) of different age during aerobic incubation with soil. Zeitschrijt fur Pflanzenernahrung und Bodenkunde 152:283-88. Ma·pfumo, P. 2000. Potential Contribution of Legumes to Soil Fertility Management in Smallholder Farming Systems of Zimbabwe: The Case of Pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan fL] Millsp.). DPhil Thesis. Department of Soil Science and Agricultural Engineering. University of Zimbabwe, Harare, Zimbabwe.198pp. Mapfumo, P, Campbell, B.M., Mpepcreki, S. and Mafongoya, P.L. 2001b. Legumes in soil fertility management: The case of pigeon pea in smallholder farming systems of Zimbabwe. African Crop Science Journal 9:629-644. Mapfumo, P. and Giller, K.E. 2001. Soil Fertility Management Strategies and Practices by Smallholder Farmers in Semi-Arid Areas of Zimbabwe. PO Box 776, Bulawayo, Zimbabwe: International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) with permission from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). 60 pp. Mapfumo, P., Mtambanengwe, F., Nandwa, S., Yeboah, E. and Vanlauwe B. 2001a. Soil Organic Matter Dynamics for Sustainable Cropping and Environmental Management in Tropical Systems: Effect of Organic Resource Quality and Diversity. TSBF AfNet SOM Network Proposal. (Typed script). Minitab Inc. 2000. Minitab Statistical Software. Minitab Release 13.1. Minitab Inc. Mugwira, L.M. and Murwira, H.K. 1997. Use of cattle manure to improve soil fertility in Zimbabwe: Past and current research and future research needs. Soil Fert Net Network Research Results Working Paper No.2. Soil Fertility Network for Maize-Based Cropping Systems in Malawi and Zimbabwe. CIMMYT, Harare. 33 pp. Murwira, 1993. Nitrogen dynamics in a Zimbabwean granite derived sandy soil under manure fertilization. DPhil Thesis, University of Zimbabwe, Harare, 194 pp. Grain Legumes and Green Manures for Soil Fertility in Southern Africa Nyafhi, P. and Campbell, B.M. 1993. The acquisition and use of miombo litter by small-scale farmers in Masvingo, Zimbabwe. " Agroforestry Systems 22:43-48. Palm, CA., Murwira, H.K. and Carter, S.E. 1998. In: Soil Fertility Research for Maize-Based Farming Systems in Malawi and Zimbabwe. S.R. Waddington, H.K. Murwira, JD.T. Kumwenda, D. Hikwa and F. Tagwira (Eds.). Proceedings of the Soil Fert Net Results and Planning Workshop, 7-11 July, 1997. Africa University, Mutare. Soil Fert Net and CIMMYT-Zimbabwe, Harare. pp 21-29. Palm, CA., Gachengo, CN., Delve, R.J., Cadisch, G. and Giller, K.E. 2001. Organic inputs for soil fertility management in tropical agroecosystems: application of an organic resource database. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment. 83: 27-42. Piha, M.1. 1993. Optimizing fertilizer use and practical rainfall capture in a semi-arid environment with variable rainfall. Experimental Agriculture 29:404-15. Sanchez, P.A. 1995. The science of agroforestry. Agroforestry Systems 30:5-55. Sanchez, P.A. and Jama, B.A. 2002. Soil fertility replenishment takes off in East and Southern Africa. In: Integrated Plant Nutrient Management in Sub-Saharan Africa: From Concept to Practice. B. Vanlauwe, J. Diels, N. Sanginga and R Merckx (Eds.). pp. 23-45. CAB International, Wallingford, UK. Sanchez, P.A., Palm, CA., Szott, L.T., Cuevas, E. and Lal. R 1989. Organic input management in tropical agroecosystems. In: Dynamics of Organic Matter in Tropical Ecosystems. D.C Coleman, J.M. Oades and G. Uehara (Eds.). NifTAL" Project, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA . pp. 125-152. Smaling, E.M.A., Nandwa, S.M. and Janssen, B.H. 1997. Soil fertility in Africa is at stake. In: Replenishing Soil Fertility in Africa. Buresh, RJ., Sanchez, P.A. and Calhoun, F. (Eds.). Soil Science Society of America Special Publication 51. Madison, Wisconsin, USA.pp. 47-62. Tanner, p.o. and Mugwira, L.M. 1984. Effectiveness of communal area manure as sources of nutrients for young maize plants. Zimbabwe Agricultural Journal 81 :31-35. Vincent, V. and Thomas, RG. 1961. An Agroecological Survey of Southern Rhodesia: Part 1-Agro Ecological Survey. Government Printers, Salisbury, Rhodesia. 63
Page 2 and 3:
Grain Legumes and Green Manures for
Page 4 and 5:
Acknowledgments • The Leopard Roc
Page 6 and 7:
Evall!ating mucuna green manure tec
Page 9:
INTRODUCTION AND CONFERENCE OBJECTI
Page 12 and 13:
Table 1. Paradigm shifts underlying
Page 14 and 15:
100 90 80 - - 0 - - Uptake by ihe m
Page 16 and 17:
- 6 ~ 9 8 7 0- 5 CḎ ns 4 0::: 3
Page 18 and 19:
Table 3. Millet grain and total dry
Page 20 and 21: Dvorak KA 1996. Adoption potential
Page 23 and 24: LEGUMES FOR SOIL FERTILITY IN SOUTH
Page 25 and 26: to the system in such a way that th
Page 27: Muetzelfeldt, R.1. 1995. A framewor
Page 30 and 31: ing capacity. Legumes offer other b
Page 32 and 33: people/km2), land holdings are smal
Page 34 and 35: ments. It would help researchers to
Page 36 and 37: Own livestock Gununo farmers for th
Page 39: Questions and Answers ~ey Papers To
Page 42 and 43: Historical Perspective on Soyabean
Page 44 and 45: ganic amendment for resource-poor f
Page 46 and 47: MPhil. Thesis. University of Zimbab
Page 48 and 49: deal of research work has been bias
Page 50 and 51: 1600 '7 ns 1400 ~ 1200 Cl ~ 1000 "C
Page 52 and 53: Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF)
Page 54 and 55: Boswell EP, Koide RT, Shumway DL, A
Page 56 and 57: Materials and Methods The trial was
Page 58 and 59: 0.9 0.8 ~ 0.7 Rec '-' 0.6 Vl ::9 0.
Page 60 and 61: Series no 5. Soil Science SOciety o
Page 62 and 63: Materials and Methods Persistence o
Page 64 and 65: content resulted in increased rhizo
Page 66 and 67: (Mugwiia and Murwira, 1997). Howeve
Page 68 and 69: Table 2. Average maize yield estima
Page 73 and 74: ] Questions and Answers Rhizobium,
Page 75 and 76: ADDING A NEW DIMENSION TO THE IMPRO
Page 77 and 78: Materials and Methods The study use
Page 79 and 80: a) Chikwaka b) Chinyika !21 C. absu
Page 81 and 82: Table 3. N, P and Kconcentrations (
Page 83 and 84: Abstract SCREENING OF SHORT DURATIO
Page 85 and 86: Table 2. Characteristics of short d
Page 87 and 88: RISK DIVERSIFICATION OPPORTUNITIES
Page 89 and 90: management technologies with differ
Page 91 and 92: Table 3. Expected annual returns (Z
Page 93: Table 6. Risk diversification indic
Page 96 and 97: een renewed interest in green manur
Page 98 and 99: unfertilised maize crop of over 200
Page 101 and 102: Questions and Answers Screening of
Page 103 and 104: GREEN MANURE AND FOOD LEGUMES RESEA
Page 105 and 106: 7000 6000 ';' €.. 5000 .~MzSole :
Page 107 and 108: Table 5. Maize grain yield (kg ha")
Page 109: Phiri, A.D.K. 1999. Effects of Sesb
Page 112 and 113: amount of roots with sl:nnhemp. It
Page 114 and 115: It was proved that a mixed farming
Page 116 and 117: Table 3. Above·ground biomass (t/h
Page 118 and 119: and horticulture in Zimbabwe: Case
Page 121 and 122:
GRAIN LEGUMES AND GREEN MANURES IN
Page 123 and 124:
Results Table 1. Adaptation of gree
Page 125 and 126:
Four rates of fertilizer N were app
Page 127 and 128:
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
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few of the farmers interviewed acqu
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Murwira, H.K., M.J. Swift and P.G.H
Page 138 and 139:
Materials and Methods On farm exper
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18000 1600) 14000 a) Zambia 12000 m
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EFFECT OF DIFFERENT GREEN MANURE LE
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.. ~ Table 2. The effect of time o
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Chivinge, O.A., E. Kasembe, and I.K
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times with regionally specific adap
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ter content at 180 cm was still wel
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to amount of biomass, quality of bi
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with the natural fallow, which did
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and K to maize as an equivalent amo
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forts to understand the mechanisms
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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
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~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,
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Conclusion and Recommendation Mucun
Page 182 and 183:
Specific objectives were to: • Te
Page 184 and 185:
'"~ v '" ~ ~ 1400000 1200000 100000
Page 187 and 188:
EFFECT OF SURFACE APPLICATION AND I
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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
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3500 .f"'3000 ca ,c2500 CI "" - 200
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above-ground biomass was not transl
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3000 "0 ]i >. ,5 ~ C> 800 600 400 2
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Most interventions involving green
Page 208 and 209:
~ ~~----.-~r-~-------------r~~ Aoo
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stover N, followed by after pigeon
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tems in Malawi and Zimbabwe. Procee
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1965). The tailings and AgLi were a
Page 216 and 217:
The significant soybean yield could
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twice the yield is necessary. We ha
Page 220 and 221:
Table 1. Maize and Grain Legumes Pr
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Recommendations and Conclusion In v
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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
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Table 1. Gross margins from the dif
Page 235 and 236:
Abstract LINKING TECHNOLOGY DEVELOP
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3. If households are linked to prod
Page 239 and 240:
Table 9. Average Table 8. Pigeonpea
Page 241 and 242:
ance of sorghum-pigeonpea intercrop
Page 243:
Mligo, J.K., 1995. Pigeonpea breedi
Page 246 and 247:
To Charles Nhemachena, et al. Q: 1)
Page 248 and 249:
• Assessment of the potential ben
Page 250 and 251:
few studies characterized the house
Page 252 and 253:
• Conduct more research to measur
Page 254:
Socio-Economics, Policy and Technol
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