EFFECTS OF INTEGRATED SOIL FERTILITY MANAGEMENT TECHNOLOGY ON SOIL FERTILITY AND CROP PRODUCTIVITY OF SMALL HOLDER FARMS IN IKARA, NORTHERN GUINEA SAVANNA OF NIGERIA
By
Author
Presented To
Department of Agricultural Science
ABSTRACT
| Integrated Soil Fertility Management (ISFM) is the application of soil fertility management principles and the knowledge to adapt these to local conditions which optimizes fertilizer and organic resource use efficiency and crop productivity. These practices necessarily include proper fertilizer and organic input management in combination with the utilization of germplasm. The objective of the study was determined the effects of the combined application of inorganic N fertilizer with manures and the maize–legume cropping systems on the fertility and crop productivity of smallholder farms. The study consisted of three experiments; a fertilizer-manure combination experiment, a maize-legume cropping systems experiment and an N response experiment. The treatments consisted of five levels of inorganic N fertilizer (0, 30, 60, 90.and 120 kg N ha-1)each combined with 2.5 t ha-1 sheep and goat manure except the zero, five maize legume cropping systems; soybean-maize rotation plus cowpea relay (SBMZRT), groundnut-maize rotation plus cowpea relay (GNMZRT), soybean/maize strip cropping (SBMZSP), groundnut/maize strip (GNMZSP) and a continuous maize cowpea intercrop (CTMZCPInt), and five levels of inorganic N fertilizer (0, 30, 60, 90.and 120 kg N ha-1). The treatments were laid out in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) and replicated four times. The experiments were carried out in 2012 and 2013, and repeated on three smallholder farms in Pampaida, Saulawa and Fulani Sule in Ikara Kaduna northern Guinea savanna Nigeria. The results showed that compared with sole fertilizer, combined application of inorganic fertilizer with sheep and goat manure significantly increased nutrient uptake (45.74 and 71.09 kg ha-1 respectively), grain yield (2.89 and 5.58 t ha-1 respectively), both of which increased with increasing N-levels, and AEN (18.38 and 51.07 kg kg-1 respectively) which decreased with increasing N levels. SBMZRT, on the other hand, gave the highest grain yield (6.96 t ha-1), nutrient uptake (111.58 ix kg ha-1) and AEN (63.74 kg kg-1) even though they did not differ significantly from the other maize-legume systems except the CTMZCPint which gave the lowest values (3.23 t ha-1, 40.66 kg ha-1 and 16.5 kg kg-1 respectively). Application of 90 kg N ha-1 when combined with 2.5 t ha-1 sheep and goat manure resulted in significantly higher SMBN (21.67 mg kg-1) and lowest C/N ratio (7.25), while 120 kg N ha-1 gave the highest SMBC in the same scenario but did not significantly differ with 90 kg N ha-1 when compared with other N levels. Combined application of inorganic fertilizer with sheep and goat manure proved to be more profitable (VCR = 3.06) than the sole fertilizer application (VCR =1.9).maize rotation with legumes are more profitable, returning higher value per unit cost invested than maize/legume strip cropping. There was however no significant difference between them, and they were all significantly better than the continuous maize cowpea relay. The information obtained indicates that AEN is amenable to improved management practices and that the various components of the ISFM results in improvement of AEN, grain yield and nutrient uptake of maize. These options also gave high soil microbial biomass as well as represented economically profitable alternatives for smallholder farmers. |
PLEASE NOTE:
That this Material is a Complete Project, Well Written and Contains 1 to 5 Chapters.
Click the download Button Below to Download the complete work. OR Call/WhatsApp Admin on: 09019904113 for Inquiry. Thank You
- FOR ENQUIRY
- support@e-projecttopics.com
- 09019904113
Learn and Obtain Diploma in Web development, Software development, Business, Technology and Creative Skills taught by industry experts. Explore a wide range of skills with our professional tutorials.
About E-Project Material Centre
E-Project Material Centre is a web service aimed at successfully assisting final year students with quality, well researched, reliable and ready made project work. Our materials are recent, complete (chapter 1 to Minimum of Chapter 5, with references) and well written.INSTANT ACCESS! INSTANT DOWNLOAD. Simply select your department, choose from our list of topics available and explore your data
Why Students Love to Use E-Project Material ?
Guaranteed Delivery Getting your project delivered on time is essential. You cannot afford to turn in your project past the deadline. That is why you must get your project online from a company that guarantees to meet your deadline. e-Project Topics Material Centre is happy to offer instant delivery of projects listed on our website. We can handle just about any deadline you send our way. Satisfaction Guaranteed We always do whatever is necessary to ensure every customer's satisfaction
Disclaimer
E-Project Topics Material Centre will only provide projects as a reference for your research. The projects ordered and produced should be used as a guide or framework for your own project. The contents of the projects should be able to help you in generating new ideas and thoughts for your own project. It is the aim of e-Project Topics Centre to only provide guidance by which the projects should be pursued. We are neither encouraging any form of plagiarism nor are we advocating the use of the projects produced herein for cheating.
Terms and Condition
Using our service is LEGAL and IS NOT prohibited by any university/college policies You are allowed to use the original model papers you will receive in the following ways:
- As a source for additional understanding of the subject
- As a source for ideas for you own research (if properly referenced)
- For PROPER paraphrasing ( see your university definition of plagiarism and acceptable paraphrase) Direct citing ( if referenced properly)