Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-t5pn6 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-18T12:52:30.764Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

SEQUENCING INTEGRATED SOIL FERTILITY MANAGEMENT OPTIONS FOR SUSTAINABLE CROP INTENSIFICATION BY DIFFERENT CATEGORIES OF SMALLHOLDER FARMERS IN ZIMBABWE

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 June 2014

H. NEZOMBA ,
F. MTAMBANENGWE ,
R. CHIKOWO  and
P. MAPFUMO
H. NEZOMBA*
Affiliation:
Soil Fertility Consortium for Southern Africa (SOFECSA), Department of Soil Science and Agricultural Engineering, University of Zimbabwe, P.O. Box MP167, Mount Pleasant, Harare, Zimbabwe
F. MTAMBANENGWE
Affiliation:
Soil Fertility Consortium for Southern Africa (SOFECSA), Department of Soil Science and Agricultural Engineering, University of Zimbabwe, P.O. Box MP167, Mount Pleasant, Harare, Zimbabwe
R. CHIKOWO
Affiliation:
Department of Crop Science, University of Zimbabwe, P.O. Box MP167, Mount Pleasant, Harare, Zimbabwe
P. MAPFUMO
Affiliation:
Soil Fertility Consortium for Southern Africa (SOFECSA), Department of Soil Science and Agricultural Engineering, University of Zimbabwe, P.O. Box MP167, Mount Pleasant, Harare, Zimbabwe
*
‡Corresponding author. Email: pmapfumo@agric.uz.ac.zw
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

Research has proved that integrated soil fertility management (ISFM) can increase crop yields at the field and farm scales. However, its uptake by smallholder farmers in Africa is often constrained by lack of technical guidelines on effective starting points and how the different ISFM options can be combined to increase crop productivity on a sustainable basis. A 4-year study was conducted on sandy soils (<10% clay) on smallholder farms in eastern Zimbabwe to assess how sequencing of different ISFM options may lead to incremental gains in soil productivity, enhanced efficiency of resource use, and increase crop yields at field scale. The sequences were primarily based on low-quality organic resources, nitrogen-fixing green manure and grain legumes, and mineral fertilizers. To enable comparison of legume and maize grain yields among treatments, yields were converted to energy (kilocalories) and protein (kg) equivalents. In the first year, ‘Manure-start’, a cattle manure-based sequence, yielded 3.4 t ha−1 of maize grain compared with 2.5 and 0.4 t ha−1 under a woodland litter-based sequence (‘Litter-start’) and continuous unfertilized maize control, respectively. The ‘Manure-start’ produced 12 × 106 kilocalories (kcal); significantly (p < 0.05) out-yielding ‘Litter start’ and a fertilizer-based sequence (‘Fertilizer-start’) by 50%. A soyabean-based sequence, ‘Soya-start’, gave the highest protein production of 720 kg against <450 kg for the other sequencing treatments. In the second year, the sequences yielded an average of 5.7 t ha−1 of maize grain, producing over 19 × 106 kcal and 400 kg of protein. Consequently, the sequences significantly out-performed farmers’ designated poor fields by ~ fivefold. In the third year, ‘Soya-start’ gave the highest maize grain yield of 3.7 t ha−1; translating to 1.5 and 3 times more calories than under farmers’ designated rich and poor fields, respectively. In the fourth year, ‘Fertilizer-start’ produced the highest calories and protein of 14 × 106 kcal and 340 kg, respectively. Cumulatively over 4 years, ‘Manure-start’ and ‘Soya-start’ gave the highest calories and protein, out-performing farmers’ designated rich and poor fields. Sunnhemp (Crotalaria juncea L.)-based sequences, ‘Green-start’ and ‘Fertilizer-start’, recorded the highest gains in plant available soil P of ~ 4 mg kg−1 over the 4-year period. Assessment of P agronomic efficiencies showed significantly more benefits under the ISFM-based sequences than under farmers’ designated rich and poor fields. Based on costs of seed, nutrients and labour, ‘Soya-start’ gave the best net present value over the 4 years, while ‘Fertilizer-start’ was financially the least attractive. Overall, the ISFM-based sequences were more profitable than fields designated as rich and poor by farmers. We concluded that ISFM-based sequences can provide options for farm-level intensification by different categories of smallholder farmers in Southern Africa.

Type
Research Article
Information
Experimental Agriculture , Volume 51 , Issue 1 , January 2015 , pp. 17 - 41
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2014 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Agronomy Research Institute (2002). Simplified Production Fact Sheets for Selected Field Crops Grown in Zimbabwe. Harare: Department of Agricultural Research and Extension (AGRITEX), Ministry of Lands, Agriculture and Rural Resettlement, 98 pp.Google Scholar
Anderson, J. M. and Ingram, J. S. I. (1993). Tropical Soil Biology and Fertility: A Handbook of Methods, 2nd edn. Wallingford, United Kingdom: C.A.B. International.Google Scholar
Ashaye, O. A., Adegbulugbe, T. A. and Sanni, S. (2005). Assessment of soybean processing technologies in Ilorin east and west local government area of Kwara State of Nigeria. World Journal of Agricultural Sciences 1:59–61.Google Scholar
Balesdent, J. and Balabane, M. (1992). Maize root-derived soil organic carbon estimated by 13C natural abundance. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 24:97–101.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Blackman, S. A., Obendorf, R. L. and Leopold, A. C. (1992). Maturation proteins and sugars in desiccation tolerance of developing soybean seeds. Plant Physiology 100 (1):225–230.Google Scholar
Buresh, R. J., Sanchez, P.A. and Calhoun, F. (1997). Replenishing Soil Fertility in Africa. Madison, Wisconsin: SSSA (Special Publication No 51), 264 pp.Google Scholar
Chikowo, R., Corbeels, M., Mapfumo, P., Tittonell, P., Vanlauwe, B. and Giller, K. E. (2010). Nitrogen and phosphorus capture and recovery efficiencies and crop responses to a range of soil fertility management strategies in sub-Saharan Africa. Nutrient Cycling in Agro-Ecosystems 88:59–77.Google Scholar
Chikowo, R., Mapfumo, P., Nyamugafata, P. and Giller, K. E. (2004). Maize productivity and mineral N dynamics following different soil fertility management practices on a depleted sandy soil in Zimbabwe. Agriculture Ecosystems and Environment 102:119–131.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chikowo, R., Tagwira, F. and Piha, M. (1999). Agronomic effectiveness of poor quality manure supplemented with phosphate fertilizer on maize and groundnut in maize-groundnut rotation. African Crop Science Journal 7:383–395.Google Scholar
Elwell, H. A. and Stocking, M. A. (1988). Loss of soil nutrients by sheet erosion as a major hidden farming cost. Zimbabwe Science News 22:79–82.Google Scholar
FAO (2009). Country Profile Food Security Indicators, Zimbabwe. Available at: http://www.fao.org/fileadmin/templates/ess/documents/foodsecuritystatistics/countryprofiles/eng/ZimbabweE.pdf. Accessed August–September 2013.Google Scholar
FAOSTAT, (2010). Production, Crops, Soyabean, Food and Agriculture Organization. Available at: http://faostat.fao.org. Accessed August 2012.Google Scholar
Gentile, R., Vanlauwe, B., van Kessel, C. and Six, J. (2009). Managing N availability and losses by combining fertilizer-N with different quality residues in Kenya. Agriculture Ecosystems and Environment 131:308–314.Google Scholar
Giller, K. E. (2001). Nitrogen Fixation in Tropical Cropping Systems. Wallingford, UK: CABI Publishing, 423 pp.Google Scholar
Giller, K. E. and Cadisch, G. (1995). Future benefits from biological nitrogen fixation: an ecological approach to agriculture. Plant and Soil 174:255–277.Google Scholar
Gittinger, J. P. (1984). Economic Analysis of Agricultural Projects, 2nd edn, 299–361. Baltimore, USA: The Johns Hopkins University Press.Google Scholar
Grant, P. M. (1981). The fertility of sandy soil in peasant agriculture. Zimbabwe Agricultural Journal 78:169–175.Google Scholar
Hartemink, A. E. and Huting, J. (2008). Land cover, extent, and properties of arenosols in Southern Africa. Arid Land Research and Management 22:134–147.Google Scholar
Janssen, B. H. (2011). Simple models and concepts as tools for the study of sustained soil productivity in long-term experiments. I. New soil organic matter and residual effect of P from fertilizers and farmyard manure in Kabete, Kenya. Plant and Soil 339:3–16.Google Scholar
Janssen, B. H., Guiking, F. C. T., van der Eijk, D., Smaling, E. M. A., Wolf, J. and van Reuler, H. (1990). A system for quantitative evaluation of the fertility of tropical soils (QUEFTS). Geoderma 46:299–318.Google Scholar
Kanonge, G., Nezomba, H., Chikowo, R., Mtambanengwe, F. and Mapfumo, P. (2009). Assessing the potential benefits of organic and mineral fertilizer combinations on maize and legume productivity under smallholder management in Zimbabwe. African Crop Science Proceedings 9:63–70.Google Scholar
Kasasa, P., Mpepereki, S., Musiyiwa, K., Makonese, F. and Giller, K. E. (1999). Residual nitrogen benefits of promiscuous soybeans to maize under field conditions. African Crop Science Journal 9:375–382.Google Scholar
Manzeke, G. M., Mapfumo, P., Mtambanengwe, F., Chikowo, R., Tendayi, T. and Cakmak, I. (2012). Soil fertility management effects on maize productivity and grain zinc content in smallholder farming systems of Zimbabwe. Plant and Soil. 361:57–69.Google Scholar
Manzeke, G. M. (2013). Exploring the Effectiveness of Different Fertilizer Formulations in Alleviating Zinc Deficiency in Smallholder Maize Production Systems in Zimbabwe. MPhil Thesis, University of Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe. 173 pp.Google Scholar
Mapfumo, P. (2009). Integrating Sustainable Soil Fertility Management Innovations in Staple Cereal Systems and Other Value Chains to Enhance Livelihoods and Environmental Systems in Southern Africa. SOFECSA Annual Report for SSA-CP FARA. SOFECSA, CIMMYT, Harare, Zimbabwe.Google Scholar
Mapfumo, P. (2011). Comparative analysis of the current and potential role of legumes in Integrated Soil Fertility Management in southern Africa. In Fighting Poverty in sub-Saharan Africa: The Multiple Roles of Legumes in Integrated Soil Fertility Management, 175–200 (Eds Bationo, A., Waswa, B., Okeyo, J. M., Maina, J. K. and Mokwunye, U.). New York, USA: Springer.Google Scholar
Mapfumo, P. and Giller, K. E. (2001). Soil Fertility Management Strategies and Practices by Smallholder Farmers in Semi-Arid Areas of Zimbabwe. International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT). Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, 60 pp.Google Scholar
Mapfumo, P. and Mtambanengwe, F. (2004). Base nutrient dynamics and productivity of sandy soils under maize-pigeonpea rotational systems in Zimbabwe. In Managing Nutrient Cycles to Sustain Soil Fertility in Sub-Saharan Africa, 225–238 (Ed Bationo, A.). Nairobi, Kenya: Academy Science Publishers/TSBF-CIAT.Google Scholar
Mapfumo, P., Chikowo, R., Giller, K. E., Mugendi, D., Kimetu, J. M., Palm, C. and Mutuo, P. (2001). Closing the Loop: Identifying N Sources and Minimizing N losses in Leguminous Cropping Systems. Final Report of the Project and Proceedings of the Rockefeller Foundation Nitrogen Exploration Project Review Workshop 22–24 November 2000, Mazvikadei Resort, Banket, Zimbabwe, 70 pp.Google Scholar
Mapfumo, P., Mtambanengwe, F. and Vanlauwe, B. (2007). Organic matter quality and management effects on enrichment of soil organic matter fractions in contrasting soils in Zimbabwe. Plant and Soil 296:137–150.Google Scholar
Mashiringwani, N. A. (1983). The present nutrient status of the soils in communal areas of Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe Agricultural Journal 80:73–75.Google Scholar
Mpepereki, S., Javaheri, F., Davis, P. and Giller, K. E. (2000). Soyabeans and sustainable agriculture: promiscuous soyabeans in southern Africa. Field Crops Research 65:137–149.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mtambanengwe, F. and Mapfumo, P. (2005). Organic matter management as an underlying cause for soil fertility gradients on smallholder farms in Zimbabwe. Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems 73:227–243.Google Scholar
Mtambanengwe, F. (2006). Soil Organic Matter Dynamics and Crop Productivity as Affected by Organic Resource Quality and Management Practices on Smallholder Farms. DPhil Thesis, University of Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe.Google Scholar
Mtambanengwe, F. and Kirchmann, H. (1995). Litter from tropical savanna woodland (miombo): chemical composition and C and N mineralization. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 27:1639–1651.Google Scholar
Mtambanengwe, F. and Mapfumo, P. (2008). Smallholder farmer management impacts on particulate and labile carbon fractions of granitic sandy soils in Zimbabwe. Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems 81:1–15.Google Scholar
Mugwira, L. M., Nyamangara, J. and Hikwa, D. (2002). Effects of manure and fertilizer on maize at a research station and in a smallholder (peasant) area of Zimbabwe. Communications in Soil Science and Plant Analysis 33:379–402.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nezomba, H., Tauro, T. P., Mtambanengwe, F. and Mapfumo, P. (2008). Nitrogen fixation and biomass productivity of indigenous legumes for fertility restoration of abandoned soils in smallholder farming systems. South African Journal of Plant and Soil 25:161–171.Google Scholar
Nijhof, K. (1987). The Concentration of Macro-Elements in Economic Products and Residues of (Sub) Tropical Field Crops. Centre for World Food Studies, Staff Working Paper (SWO) 87–08, Wageningen, the Netherlands, 52 pp.Google Scholar
Nyamangara, J., Piha, M. I. and Giller, K. E. (2003). Effect of combined cattle manure and mineral nitrogen on maize N uptake and grain yield. African Crop Science Journal 11:289–300.Google Scholar
Nyamapfene, K. (1991). Soils of Zimbabwe. Harare, Zimbabwe: Nehanda Publishers, 173 pp.Google Scholar
Palm, C. A., Gachengo, C., Delve, R., Cadisch, G. and Giller, K. E. (2001) Organic inputs for soil fertility management in tropical agroecosystems: application of an organic resource database. Agriculture Ecosystems and Environment 83:27–42.Google Scholar
Piha, M. I. (1993). Optimizing fertilizer use and practical rainfall capture in a semi-arid environment with variable rainfall. Experimental Agriculture 29:405–415.Google Scholar
Rurinda, J., Mapfumo, P., van Wijk, M. T., Mtambanengwe, F., Rufino, M. C., Chikowo, R. and Giller, K. E. (2013). Managing soil fertility to adapt to rainfall variability in smallholder cropping systems in Zimbabwe. Field Crops Research 154:211–225.Google Scholar
Rusinamhodzi, L., Corbeels, M., Zingore, S., Nyamangara, J. and Giller, K. E. (2013). Pushing the envelope? Maize production intensification and the role of cattle manure in recovery of degraded soils in smallholder farming areas of Zimbabwe. Field Crops Research 147:40–53.Google Scholar
Rusinamhodzi, L., Corbeels, M., Nyamangara, J. and Giller, K. E. (2012). Maize–grain legume intercropping is an attractive option for ecological intensification that reduces climatic risk for smallholder farmers in central Mozambique. Field Crops Research 136:12–22.Google Scholar
SADC FANR. (2007). Available at: http://www.sadc-fanr.org.zw. Accessed October 2012.Google Scholar
Sanders, J. L. and Brown, D. A. (1976). Effect of variations in the shoot: root ratio upon the chemical composition and growth of soybean. Agronomy Journal 68 (5):713–717.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shumba, E. (1983). Factors contributing to a decline in groundnut production in the Mangwende-Murewa District, and the need for a technical research input. Zimbabwe Agriculture Journal 80:251–254.Google Scholar
Swift, M. J., Bohren, L., Carter, S. E., Izac, A. M. and Woomer, P. L. (1994). Biological management of tropical soils: integrating process research and farm practice. In The Biological Management of Tropical Soil Fertility, 209–227 (Eds Woomer, P. L. and Swift, M. J.). Chichester, UK: Wiley-Sayce.Google Scholar
Tagwira, F. (1991). Zinc Studies in Zimbabwean Soils. DPhil Thesis, University of Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe.Google Scholar
Tittonell, P., Scopel, E., Andrieu, N., Posthumus, H., Mapfumo, P., Corbeels, M., van Halsema, G. E., Lahmar, R., Lugandu, S., Rakotoarisoa, J., Mtambanengwe, F., Pound, B., Chikowo, R., Naudin, K., Triomphe, B. and Mkomwa, S. (2012). Agroecology-based aggradation-conservation agriculture (ABACO): Targeting innovations to combat soil degradation and food insecurity in semi-arid Africa. Field Crops Research 132:168–174.Google Scholar
Tittonell, P., Vanlauwe, B., Leffelaar, P. A., Shepherd, K. and Giller, K. E. (2005). Exploring diversity in soil fertility management of smallholder farmers in western Kenya. II. Within farm variability in resource allocation, nutrient flows and soil fertility status. Agriculture Ecosystems and Environment 110:166–184.Google Scholar
United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) (1984). Composition of Foods: Cereal Grains and Pasta. Agriculture Handbook No. 8–20. Washington, DC: USDA.Google Scholar
Vanlauwe, B. and Giller, K. E. (2006). Popular myths around soil fertility management in sub-Saharan Africa. Agriculture Ecosystems and Environment 116:34–46.Google Scholar
Vanlauwe, B., Aihou, K., Aman, S., Iwuafor, E. N. O., Tossah, B. K., Diels, J., Sanginga, N., Lyasse, O., Merckx, R. and Deckers, J. (2001). Maize yield as affected by organic inputs and urea in the West African moist Savanna. Agronomy Journal 93:1191–1199.Google Scholar
Vanlauwe, B., Kihara, J., Chivenge, P., Pypers, P., Coe, R. and Six, J. (2011). Agronomic use efficiency of N fertilizer in maize-based systems in sub-Saharan Africa within the context of integrated soil fertility management. Plant and Soil 339:39–50.Google Scholar
Vanlauwe, B., Bationo, A., Chianu, J., Giller, K. E., Merckx, R., Mokwunye, U., Ohiokpehai, O., Pypers, P., Tabo, R., Shepherd, K. D., Smaling, E. M. A., Woomer, P. L. and Sanginga, N. (2010). Integrated soil fertility management: operational definition and consequences for implementation and dissemination. Outlook on Agriculture 39:17–24.Google Scholar
Vincent, V. and Thomas, R. G. (1961). An Agroecological Survey of Southern Rhodesia: Part 1-Agro-Ecological Survey. Salisbury, Rhodesia: Government Printer.Google Scholar
Waddington, S. R. and Karigwindi, J. (2001). Productivity and profitability of maize + groundnut rotations compared with continuous maize on smallholder farms in Zimbabwe. Experimental Agriculture 37:83–98.Google Scholar
World Reference Base for Soils, FAO/ISRIC/ISSS (1998). World Soil Resources Report No. 84. Food and Agriculture Organization, Rome. Available at: http://www.fao.org. Accessed August 2012.Google Scholar
Zingore, S. (2006). Exploring Diversity Within Smallholder Farming Systems in Zimbabwe: Nutrient Use Efficiencies and Resource Management Strategies for Crop Production. PhD thesis, Wageningen University, the Netherlands, 258 pp.Google Scholar
Zingore, S., Tittonell, P., Corbeels, M., van Wijk, M. T. and Giller, K. E. (2011). Managing soil fertility diversity to enhance resource use efficiencies in smallholder farming systems: a case from Murewa District, Zimbabwe. Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems 90:87–103.Google Scholar