Nitrogen budgets and nitrogen use efficiency as agricultural performance indicators in Lake Victoria basin

Too little nitrogen (N) is a threat to crop productivity and soil fertility in subSaharan Africa (SSA). Nitrogen budgets (NB) and nitrogen use e ciency (NUE) are critical tools for assessing N dynamics in agriculture and have received little or no attention in the region. Data were collected from sm...

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Autores principales: Ntinyari, W., Gweyi-Onyango, J., Giweta, M., Mutegi, J., Mochoge, Benson, Nziguheba, G., Masso, C.
Formato: Journal Article
Lenguaje:Inglés
Publicado: Frontiers Media 2022
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/129809
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author Ntinyari, W.
Gweyi-Onyango, J.
Giweta, M.
Mutegi, J.
Mochoge, Benson
Nziguheba, G.
Masso, C.
author_browse Giweta, M.
Gweyi-Onyango, J.
Masso, C.
Mochoge, Benson
Mutegi, J.
Ntinyari, W.
Nziguheba, G.
author_facet Ntinyari, W.
Gweyi-Onyango, J.
Giweta, M.
Mutegi, J.
Mochoge, Benson
Nziguheba, G.
Masso, C.
author_sort Ntinyari, W.
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Too little nitrogen (N) is a threat to crop productivity and soil fertility in subSaharan Africa (SSA). Nitrogen budgets (NB) and nitrogen use e ciency (NUE) are critical tools for assessing N dynamics in agriculture and have received little or no attention in the region. Data were collected from smallholder farmers clustered into two categories, farmers applying and farmers not applying N fertilizers. NB were calculated using the Coupled Human and Natural Systems (CHANS) model approach for field and farm spatial scales. The results showed spatial variabilities in NB and NUE at the field level (maize and rice) across all the catchments. At the field level, N balances were negative for the two crops in all the catchments. Similarly, at the farm gate, a deficit of −78.37 kg N ha−1 was observed, an indicator of soil N mining. NUE values at the field scale varied across the catchments for both crops, with values for maize grown without N ranging from 25.76 to 140.18%. Even with the application of mineral N at higher levels in rice fields compared to maize fields, NUE values ranged between 81.92 and 224.6%. Our study revealed that the Lake Victoria region suers from ine cient N cycling due to depleted soil N pools and low synchrony between N input and N removal. Therefore, a challenge lies in exploiting more sustainable N sources for farmers in the region for sustainable farming systems. The NB and NUE provide critical information to agriculture stakeholders to develop environmental, agronomic, and economically viable N management solutions.
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spelling CGSpace1298092025-12-08T10:29:22Z Nitrogen budgets and nitrogen use efficiency as agricultural performance indicators in Lake Victoria basin Ntinyari, W. Gweyi-Onyango, J. Giweta, M. Mutegi, J. Mochoge, Benson Nziguheba, G. Masso, C. cropping systems fertilizers nitrogen nutrient management soil exhaustion east africa Too little nitrogen (N) is a threat to crop productivity and soil fertility in subSaharan Africa (SSA). Nitrogen budgets (NB) and nitrogen use e ciency (NUE) are critical tools for assessing N dynamics in agriculture and have received little or no attention in the region. Data were collected from smallholder farmers clustered into two categories, farmers applying and farmers not applying N fertilizers. NB were calculated using the Coupled Human and Natural Systems (CHANS) model approach for field and farm spatial scales. The results showed spatial variabilities in NB and NUE at the field level (maize and rice) across all the catchments. At the field level, N balances were negative for the two crops in all the catchments. Similarly, at the farm gate, a deficit of −78.37 kg N ha−1 was observed, an indicator of soil N mining. NUE values at the field scale varied across the catchments for both crops, with values for maize grown without N ranging from 25.76 to 140.18%. Even with the application of mineral N at higher levels in rice fields compared to maize fields, NUE values ranged between 81.92 and 224.6%. Our study revealed that the Lake Victoria region suers from ine cient N cycling due to depleted soil N pools and low synchrony between N input and N removal. Therefore, a challenge lies in exploiting more sustainable N sources for farmers in the region for sustainable farming systems. The NB and NUE provide critical information to agriculture stakeholders to develop environmental, agronomic, and economically viable N management solutions. 2022 2023-03-30T10:32:18Z 2023-03-30T10:32:18Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/129809 en Open Access application/pdf Frontiers Media Ntinyari, W., Gweyi-Onyango, J., Giweta, M., Mutegi, J., Mochoge, B., Nziguheba, G. & Masso, C. (2022). Nitrogen budgets and nitrogen use efficiency as agricultural performance indicators in Lake Victoria basin. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, 6:1023579, 1-14.
spellingShingle cropping systems
fertilizers
nitrogen
nutrient management
soil exhaustion
east africa
Ntinyari, W.
Gweyi-Onyango, J.
Giweta, M.
Mutegi, J.
Mochoge, Benson
Nziguheba, G.
Masso, C.
Nitrogen budgets and nitrogen use efficiency as agricultural performance indicators in Lake Victoria basin
title Nitrogen budgets and nitrogen use efficiency as agricultural performance indicators in Lake Victoria basin
title_full Nitrogen budgets and nitrogen use efficiency as agricultural performance indicators in Lake Victoria basin
title_fullStr Nitrogen budgets and nitrogen use efficiency as agricultural performance indicators in Lake Victoria basin
title_full_unstemmed Nitrogen budgets and nitrogen use efficiency as agricultural performance indicators in Lake Victoria basin
title_short Nitrogen budgets and nitrogen use efficiency as agricultural performance indicators in Lake Victoria basin
title_sort nitrogen budgets and nitrogen use efficiency as agricultural performance indicators in lake victoria basin
topic cropping systems
fertilizers
nitrogen
nutrient management
soil exhaustion
east africa
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/129809
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