Abstract
A study was carried out to determine the effect of applying farm yard manure (FYM) and Minjingu rock phosphate (MRP) on soil available nitrogen, phosphorus and organic carbon. The study involved field experiments under varying precipitation pattern, soil fertility levels and cropping systems over four growth seasons. The experimental design was a randomized complete block (RCBD) with four replications in a split plot arrangement where the main plots were the three cropping systems; monocropping, intercropping and crop rotation and the split plots were FYM and MRP and sampling done at crop physiological maturity. Soil pH, N, P K and C increased in the different treatments in the following order control < MRP < FYM in the three cropping systems across the four growing seasons at both sites. In maize under rotation with chickpea control had; 0.281% N, 2.82% C and 10.68 ppm P. FYM; 0.554% N, 4.41% C and18.24 ppm P. MRP; 0.45% N, 3.6% C and 41.08 ppm P. Maize chickpea intercrop control; 0.389% N, 3.192% C and 13.4 ppm P. FYM; 0.531% N, 4.98% C and 41.02 ppm P. MRP; 0.49% N, 4.08% C and 50.9 ppm P. Soil under maize monocrop exhibited; control; 0.2% N, 2.59% C and11.26 ppm P. FYM; 0.416% N, 3.83% C and 18.01 ppm P. MRP; 0.28% N, 3.13% C and 26.1ppm P. Almost a similar trend was observed in maize and tomato plots at both sites in all the growing seasons. Thus it can be deduced that, FYM and MRP application and legume integration in cropping systems improves soil fertility.
Highlights
Several organic materials have been reported as suitable soil amendments for increasing crop production (Makinde & Ayoola, 2010; Lehmann & Joseph, 2009; Bonanomi et al, 2010)
The addition of farm yard manure (FYM) and Minjingu rock phosphate (MRP) improved significantly (p < 0.05) soil fertility in teams of pH, N, P, K and C compared to a control treatment with no inputs across seasons and cropping systems
Soil pH, N, P K and C increased in the different treatments in the following order control < MRP < FYM in the three cropping systems across the four growing seasons at both sites
Summary
Several organic materials have been reported as suitable soil amendments for increasing crop production (Makinde & Ayoola, 2010; Lehmann & Joseph, 2009; Bonanomi et al, 2010). The potential of cow dung, poultry droppings, refuse compost and farmyard manure as suitable soil amendments with fertiliser value in the tropics has been well studied (Makinde & Ayoola, 2010; Amanullah et al, 2010; Rufino et al, 2006; Das et al, 2012). Organic farmers use animal manure, certain processed fertilizers such as seed meal and various mineral powders such as indigenous rock phosphate (Jama & Van Straaten, 2006; Van Straaten, 2002) and greensand, a naturally occurring form of potash which provides potassium, to maintain soil fertility (Lal, 2003). Research on soil and soil organisms has proven beneficial to organic farming (Chen, 2006; Hole et al, 2005; Ramesh et al, 2005)
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