Microvariability of soils in the tropics and its agronomic implications with special reference to West Africa

Within the range between macrovariability of soil and localized transient heterogeneity of, for instance, available nutrients in the surface soil, the term ‘soil microvariability’ has an intermediate position. The effect of microvariability on the growth and performance of upland food crops is gener...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Moormann, F.R., Kang, B.T.
Format: Journal Article
Language:Inglés
Published: 1978
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/175426
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author Moormann, F.R.
Kang, B.T.
author_browse Kang, B.T.
Moormann, F.R.
author_facet Moormann, F.R.
Kang, B.T.
author_sort Moormann, F.R.
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Within the range between macrovariability of soil and localized transient heterogeneity of, for instance, available nutrients in the surface soil, the term ‘soil microvariability’ has an intermediate position. The effect of microvariability on the growth and performance of upland food crops is generally very pronounced in the intertropical areas, leading to uneven stands of crops over short distances. The presence of soft and hardened plinthite (laterite) over wide areas in the subhumid tropics of West Africa is a common source of microvariability in view of the uneven depth and variable distribution of these formations. Conducting agricultural experiments, including testing of breeding lines in lands with considerable microvariability, is most commonly a cause for frustration of agricultural workers. The methodology of sequential testing, i.e. monitoring crop performance and laying out agronomic experiments across well‐defined and monitored intrafield variations of soils, appears very promising, especially in view of the evaluation of agronomic properties of different soils.
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spelling CGSpace1754262025-11-11T10:02:41Z Microvariability of soils in the tropics and its agronomic implications with special reference to West Africa Moormann, F.R. Kang, B.T. crop performance sequential sampling tropical soils upland soils food crops Within the range between macrovariability of soil and localized transient heterogeneity of, for instance, available nutrients in the surface soil, the term ‘soil microvariability’ has an intermediate position. The effect of microvariability on the growth and performance of upland food crops is generally very pronounced in the intertropical areas, leading to uneven stands of crops over short distances. The presence of soft and hardened plinthite (laterite) over wide areas in the subhumid tropics of West Africa is a common source of microvariability in view of the uneven depth and variable distribution of these formations. Conducting agricultural experiments, including testing of breeding lines in lands with considerable microvariability, is most commonly a cause for frustration of agricultural workers. The methodology of sequential testing, i.e. monitoring crop performance and laying out agronomic experiments across well‐defined and monitored intrafield variations of soils, appears very promising, especially in view of the evaluation of agronomic properties of different soils. 1978-01-01 2025-07-01T12:41:13Z 2025-07-01T12:41:13Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/175426 en Limited Access application/pdf Moormann, F. R., & Kang, B. T. (1978). Microvariability of soils in the tropics and its agronomic implications with special reference to West Africa. Diversity of Soils in the Tropics, 34, 29-43.
spellingShingle crop performance
sequential sampling
tropical soils
upland soils
food crops
Moormann, F.R.
Kang, B.T.
Microvariability of soils in the tropics and its agronomic implications with special reference to West Africa
title Microvariability of soils in the tropics and its agronomic implications with special reference to West Africa
title_full Microvariability of soils in the tropics and its agronomic implications with special reference to West Africa
title_fullStr Microvariability of soils in the tropics and its agronomic implications with special reference to West Africa
title_full_unstemmed Microvariability of soils in the tropics and its agronomic implications with special reference to West Africa
title_short Microvariability of soils in the tropics and its agronomic implications with special reference to West Africa
title_sort microvariability of soils in the tropics and its agronomic implications with special reference to west africa
topic crop performance
sequential sampling
tropical soils
upland soils
food crops
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/175426
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