Abstract
The experiment was conducted on abandoned agricultural land at Bena-Tsemay District, Southern Ethiopia. It was designed to evaluate legume shrubs growth performance, and its potential for soil fertility enhancement through improved fallow practice. The results of the current study showed that the growth performance of legume species reveals variation in different growth parameters. The mean height of Sesbania sesban was significantly higher than the other species except for Senna siamea. Senna siamea recorded the highest mean stem diameter followed by Sesbania sesban, 3.47 cm, and 2.86 cm, respectively. Legume shrub species for soil fertility enhancement under improved fallow showed an increase in soil pH, organic carbon, organic matter, phosphorus level, available potassium, and total nitrogen during the growth period. Sesbania provides a large amount of nitrogen (2.91 t ha- 1) within two years fallow period, linked with the carbon to nitrogen ratio (11.22) having better mineralization potential. The growing of promising legume shrub species as an improved fallow practice has an important contribution in the restoration process of abandoned agricultural land and used as an option to grow crops in a rotational cropping system.
 Int. J. Agril. Res. Innov. Tech. 10(1): 64-70, June 2020
Highlights
The rapidly growing population puts considerable pressure on scarce natural resources, and there is an urgent need to develop more efficient and sustainable agricultural production systems to feed the growing population
Legume shrub species used in this study showed a significant difference (p
The findings showed some variation in stem diameter among the shrub species
Summary
The rapidly growing population puts considerable pressure on scarce natural resources, and there is an urgent need to develop more efficient and sustainable agricultural production systems to feed the growing population. The tradition of continuous cultivations results in natural resources degradation and soil fertility loss in agricultural landscapes. Improving soil fertility and applying an adequate supply of nutrients in agricultural land have major implications for meeting food security. An improved fallow is the planting of fast-growing legume tree/shrub species as a substitute to natural fallow to achieve benefits of the latter in a shorter time (Prinz, 1986; Young, 1997). Short-duration planted fallows using a wide range of legume shrub/tree species such as Sesbania sesban, Gliricidia sepium, Tephrosia vogelii, and Cajanus cajan have been found to replenish soil fertility and to increase subsequent maize yields (Kwesiga et al, 1999). Legume shrub species are characterized as fixes nitrogen, vigorous, fast-growing, and deeprooted, tolerant of drought, and they can accumulate atmospheric nitrogen (Hairiah et al, 2006)
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