Soil amendments and phosphorus fertilizer increase maize productivity and improve the fertility of acidic soils in Southwestern Ethiopia
Soil acidity is a major constraint to crop production in tropical regions, primarily due to aluminum toxicity and reduced nutrient availability. This challenge is widespread in the highlands of Southwestern Oromia, Ethiopia, where maize is a staple and cash crop. This study evaluated the effects of...
| Autores principales: | , , , , |
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| Formato: | Preprint |
| Lenguaje: | Inglés |
| Publicado: |
Research Square
2025
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| Materias: | |
| Acceso en línea: | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/180568 |
| _version_ | 1855520002965241856 |
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| author | Dereje, Getahun Wogi, Lemma Tadesse, Desalegn Sida, Tesfaye Shiferaw Silva, João Vasco |
| author_browse | Dereje, Getahun Sida, Tesfaye Shiferaw Silva, João Vasco Tadesse, Desalegn Wogi, Lemma |
| author_facet | Dereje, Getahun Wogi, Lemma Tadesse, Desalegn Sida, Tesfaye Shiferaw Silva, João Vasco |
| author_sort | Dereje, Getahun |
| collection | Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace) |
| description | Soil acidity is a major constraint to crop production in tropical regions, primarily due to aluminum toxicity and reduced nutrient availability. This challenge is widespread in the highlands of Southwestern Oromia, Ethiopia, where maize is a staple and cash crop. This study evaluated the effects of soil amendments and phosphorus (P) fertilization on post-harvest soil properties, maize physiology, and grain yield during the 2023 and 2024 growing seasons across 14 farmers’ fields in Kersa, Bedele, and Mettu districts. A split-plot design was used with farms as replicates, testing four soil amendments (control, calcitic lime, biochar, vermicompost) and four P rates (0, 15, 30, and 45 kg P ha⁻¹). Calcitic lime and vermicompost markedly improved soil fertility, enhanced maize physiological performance, and increased yields, whereas biochar was less effective. Lime was most effective in raising soil pH, lowering acidity saturation, and increasing P availability, resulting in 38–78% yield gains over the control. Vermicompost also achieved substantial gains (41–66%). Although P fertilization consistently increased yield, its efficiency declined under high acidity saturation. Findings indicate that P response is strongly constrained by soil acidity, and effective management in clay-rich acidic soils requires prior or concurrent soil acidity correction. Integrated strategies combining lime or vermicompost with P fertilization significantly enhanced nutrient availability, maize growth, and productivity. These results highlight the importance of site-specific soil fertility management tailored to acidity levels for improving maize yields in acidic tropical soils. |
| format | Preprint |
| id | CGSpace180568 |
| institution | CGIAR Consortium |
| language | Inglés |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| publishDateRange | 2025 |
| publishDateSort | 2025 |
| publisher | Research Square |
| publisherStr | Research Square |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | CGSpace1805682026-01-24T02:04:16Z Soil amendments and phosphorus fertilizer increase maize productivity and improve the fertility of acidic soils in Southwestern Ethiopia Dereje, Getahun Wogi, Lemma Tadesse, Desalegn Sida, Tesfaye Shiferaw Silva, João Vasco lime (amendment) vermicomposts biochar soil ph tropical soils Soil acidity is a major constraint to crop production in tropical regions, primarily due to aluminum toxicity and reduced nutrient availability. This challenge is widespread in the highlands of Southwestern Oromia, Ethiopia, where maize is a staple and cash crop. This study evaluated the effects of soil amendments and phosphorus (P) fertilization on post-harvest soil properties, maize physiology, and grain yield during the 2023 and 2024 growing seasons across 14 farmers’ fields in Kersa, Bedele, and Mettu districts. A split-plot design was used with farms as replicates, testing four soil amendments (control, calcitic lime, biochar, vermicompost) and four P rates (0, 15, 30, and 45 kg P ha⁻¹). Calcitic lime and vermicompost markedly improved soil fertility, enhanced maize physiological performance, and increased yields, whereas biochar was less effective. Lime was most effective in raising soil pH, lowering acidity saturation, and increasing P availability, resulting in 38–78% yield gains over the control. Vermicompost also achieved substantial gains (41–66%). Although P fertilization consistently increased yield, its efficiency declined under high acidity saturation. Findings indicate that P response is strongly constrained by soil acidity, and effective management in clay-rich acidic soils requires prior or concurrent soil acidity correction. Integrated strategies combining lime or vermicompost with P fertilization significantly enhanced nutrient availability, maize growth, and productivity. These results highlight the importance of site-specific soil fertility management tailored to acidity levels for improving maize yields in acidic tropical soils. 2025-09-10 2026-01-23T21:09:05Z 2026-01-23T21:09:05Z Preprint https://hdl.handle.net/10568/180568 en Open Access application/pdf Research Square Dereje, G., Wogi, L., Desalegn, T., Sida, T. S., & Silva, J. V. (2025). Soil amendments and phosphorus fertilizer increase maize productivity and improve the fertility of acidic soils in Southwestern Ethiopia. Research Square. https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7456620/v1 |
| spellingShingle | lime (amendment) vermicomposts biochar soil ph tropical soils Dereje, Getahun Wogi, Lemma Tadesse, Desalegn Sida, Tesfaye Shiferaw Silva, João Vasco Soil amendments and phosphorus fertilizer increase maize productivity and improve the fertility of acidic soils in Southwestern Ethiopia |
| title | Soil amendments and phosphorus fertilizer increase maize productivity and improve the fertility of acidic soils in Southwestern Ethiopia |
| title_full | Soil amendments and phosphorus fertilizer increase maize productivity and improve the fertility of acidic soils in Southwestern Ethiopia |
| title_fullStr | Soil amendments and phosphorus fertilizer increase maize productivity and improve the fertility of acidic soils in Southwestern Ethiopia |
| title_full_unstemmed | Soil amendments and phosphorus fertilizer increase maize productivity and improve the fertility of acidic soils in Southwestern Ethiopia |
| title_short | Soil amendments and phosphorus fertilizer increase maize productivity and improve the fertility of acidic soils in Southwestern Ethiopia |
| title_sort | soil amendments and phosphorus fertilizer increase maize productivity and improve the fertility of acidic soils in southwestern ethiopia |
| topic | lime (amendment) vermicomposts biochar soil ph tropical soils |
| url | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/180568 |
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