Precision of farmerbased fertility ratings and soil organic carbon for crop production on a Ferralsol

Abstract. Simple and affordable soil fertility ratings are essential, particularly for the resource-constrained farmers in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), in planning and implementing prudent interventions. A study was conducted on Ferralsols in Uganda to evaluate farmer-based soil fertility assessment te...

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Main Authors: Musinguzi, P., Ebanyat, Peter, Tenywa, J.S., Basamba, T.A.A., Tenywa, M.M., Mubiru, D.
Format: Journal Article
Language:Inglés
Published: Copernicus GmbH 2015
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/73000
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author Musinguzi, P.
Ebanyat, Peter
Tenywa, J.S.
Basamba, T.A.A.
Tenywa, M.M.
Mubiru, D.
author_browse Basamba, T.A.A.
Ebanyat, Peter
Mubiru, D.
Musinguzi, P.
Tenywa, J.S.
Tenywa, M.M.
author_facet Musinguzi, P.
Ebanyat, Peter
Tenywa, J.S.
Basamba, T.A.A.
Tenywa, M.M.
Mubiru, D.
author_sort Musinguzi, P.
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Abstract. Simple and affordable soil fertility ratings are essential, particularly for the resource-constrained farmers in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), in planning and implementing prudent interventions. A study was conducted on Ferralsols in Uganda to evaluate farmer-based soil fertility assessment techniques, hereafter referred to as farmers' field experiences (FFE), for ease of use and precision, against more formal scientific quantitative ratings using soil organic carbon (SQR-SOC). A total of 30 fields were investigated and rated using both techniques, as low, medium and high in terms of soil fertility – with maize as the test crop. Both soil fertility rating techniques were fairly precise in delineating soil fertility classes, though the FFE was inefficient in distinguishing fields > 1.2 % SOC with medium and high fertility. Soil organic carbon, silt and clay were exceptionally influential, accounting for the highest percentage in grain yield of 50 % in the topsoil (0–15 cm) and 67 % for the mean concentrations from 0 to 15 and 15 to 30 cm. Each unit increase in SOC concentration resulted in 966 to 1223 kg ha−1 yield gain. The FFE technique was effective in identifying low-fertility fields, and this was coherent with the fields categorized as low (SOC < 1.2 %). Beyond this level, its precision can be remarkably increased when supplemented with the SQR-SOC technique.
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spelling CGSpace730002023-10-02T10:01:40Z Precision of farmerbased fertility ratings and soil organic carbon for crop production on a Ferralsol Musinguzi, P. Ebanyat, Peter Tenywa, J.S. Basamba, T.A.A. Tenywa, M.M. Mubiru, D. ferralsol soil fertility crop production soil organic soil degradation soil management maize Abstract. Simple and affordable soil fertility ratings are essential, particularly for the resource-constrained farmers in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), in planning and implementing prudent interventions. A study was conducted on Ferralsols in Uganda to evaluate farmer-based soil fertility assessment techniques, hereafter referred to as farmers' field experiences (FFE), for ease of use and precision, against more formal scientific quantitative ratings using soil organic carbon (SQR-SOC). A total of 30 fields were investigated and rated using both techniques, as low, medium and high in terms of soil fertility – with maize as the test crop. Both soil fertility rating techniques were fairly precise in delineating soil fertility classes, though the FFE was inefficient in distinguishing fields > 1.2 % SOC with medium and high fertility. Soil organic carbon, silt and clay were exceptionally influential, accounting for the highest percentage in grain yield of 50 % in the topsoil (0–15 cm) and 67 % for the mean concentrations from 0 to 15 and 15 to 30 cm. Each unit increase in SOC concentration resulted in 966 to 1223 kg ha−1 yield gain. The FFE technique was effective in identifying low-fertility fields, and this was coherent with the fields categorized as low (SOC < 1.2 %). Beyond this level, its precision can be remarkably increased when supplemented with the SQR-SOC technique. 2015 2016-04-21T07:16:36Z 2016-04-21T07:16:36Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/73000 en Open Access Copernicus GmbH Musinguzi, P., Ebanyat, P., Tenywa, J.S., Basamba, T.A., Tenywa, M.M. & Mubiru, D. (2015). Precision of farmer based fertility ratings and soil organic carbon for crop production on a Ferralsol. Solid Earth Discussions, 7(1), 1237-1261.
spellingShingle ferralsol
soil fertility
crop production
soil organic
soil degradation
soil management
maize
Musinguzi, P.
Ebanyat, Peter
Tenywa, J.S.
Basamba, T.A.A.
Tenywa, M.M.
Mubiru, D.
Precision of farmerbased fertility ratings and soil organic carbon for crop production on a Ferralsol
title Precision of farmerbased fertility ratings and soil organic carbon for crop production on a Ferralsol
title_full Precision of farmerbased fertility ratings and soil organic carbon for crop production on a Ferralsol
title_fullStr Precision of farmerbased fertility ratings and soil organic carbon for crop production on a Ferralsol
title_full_unstemmed Precision of farmerbased fertility ratings and soil organic carbon for crop production on a Ferralsol
title_short Precision of farmerbased fertility ratings and soil organic carbon for crop production on a Ferralsol
title_sort precision of farmerbased fertility ratings and soil organic carbon for crop production on a ferralsol
topic ferralsol
soil fertility
crop production
soil organic
soil degradation
soil management
maize
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/73000
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