Soil Fertility Management Book of Abstracts

314 Pages·2016·3.57 MB·English

Soil Fertility Management Book of Abstracts for Kenya
Kenya Soil Health Consortium
Collating, harmonizing, Disseminating
Soil Health Innovations
Soil Fertility Management
Book of Abstracts for Kenya
1925 - 2015

Kenya Soil Health Consortium
Collating, harmonizing, Disseminating
Soil Health Innovations
Soil Fertility Management
Book of Abstracts for Kenya
January, 2016
II Soil Fertility Management Book of Abstracts for Kenya
Compiled by Nesbert Mangale, Anne Muriuki, Angela N. Kathuku-Gitonga and James Mutegi
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Nesbert Mangale
Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization
Kenya Soil Health Consortium coordinator
Bsc, Msc, PhD (Soil Science-Soil fertility and plant nutrition)
Anne Muriuki
Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization
Kenya Soil Health Consortium Co-coordinator
Bsc, Msc, PhD (Soil Science)
Angela N. Kathuku-Gitonga
Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization
Kenya Soil Health Consortium Database Officer
Bsc, Msc (Soil Science)
James Mutegi
International Plant Nutrition Institute
Soil Health Consortia for Eastern and Southern Africa
Bsc, Msc, PhD (Soil Fertility and Plant Nutrition)
Design & Layout:
Conrad Mudibo, Ecomedia Limited
Soil Fertility Management Book of Abstracts for Kenya III
Acknowledgement
The Kenya Soil Health Consortium (KSHC) greatly acknowledges the financial support from the Alliance for a
Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) that enabled this book of abstracts to be compiled and produced. We also
recognize the International Plant Nutrition Institute (IPNI) for the technical backstopping towards the successful
production of this book and to the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO) for hosting the
consortium and financial administration. The consortium also appreciates immensely the assistance and support
given by the staff of libraries in the following institutions and research centres: Universities of: Nairobi, Kenyatta,
Eldoret, Egerton, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, South Eastern Kenya, Maseno, Masinde
Muliro University of Science and Technology, Pwani, Karatina and Embu all in Kenya; KALRO research centres
which include: NARL Kabete, Headquarters, Muguga, Njoro, Kitale, Kakamega, Kisii, Katumani and Mtwapa;
CGIAR centres viz: CIAT Africa, CABI, ICRAF, ICRISAT, IITA and ICIPE. We appreciate the role played by Ms
Beverly Agesa (IPNI) and Nahason Litiany (KSHC) on editing and layout of the book. All those who contributed
to the successful development and completion of the book of abstracts in any way are also acknowledged.
IV Soil Fertility Management Book of Abstracts for Kenya
Preface
The fundamental importance of agriculture in the development of Kenya’s economy cannot be underscored.
Agriculture is the backbone of Kenya’s economy directly contributing 26 per cent of Gross Domestic Product
(GDP) annually and indirectly 27 per cent through linkages with manufacturing, distribution and other service
related sectors. It also accounts for 65 percent of total exports and provides 18 per cent and 60 per cent of formal
and total employment respectively. Thus, the sector is not only the driver of Kenya’s economy but also the means
of livelihood for the majority of Kenyans, in particular, over 80 per cent of the rural population. Evidence has
shown that agriculture-led growth in Kenya is more than twice as effective in reducing poverty as compared
to growth led by industry. It is estimated that a 1 per cent increase in the sector results in a corresponding 1.6
per cent GDP growth in the overall economy. However, in spite of the importance of agriculture in Kenya’s
economy, the sector’s performance has continued to decline with time. Further, the country remains food and
nutrition insecure. Several factors have caused the continuous decline in the performance of the agricultural
sector including: poor soil health, low adoption of improved soil health technologies and limited uptake and use
of mechanized farming practices especially among smallholder farmers, yet soil health research started in 1925
in Kenya. To avoid costly duplication of soil health research in the country, the Kenya Soil health Consortium
(KSHC) compiled soil health research published abstracts for use by researchers, tutors and students in institutions
of higher learning in Kenya. The volume of soil health research publications emanating from Kenya is large and
the scope equally wide, however the main thrust of soil health research have been identified. These are dealt with
in the following chapters: Inorganic fertilizers, Organic fertilizers, Organic and inorganic fertilizer combinations,
Beneficial Microbes, Cropping systems and modelling, Soil and water management, Analytical methods and
Socio-economics. The abstracts were compiled for the period starting 1925 to 2015 from theses, referred journal
articles, book chapters, conference proceedings and technical reports.
Soil Fertility Management Book of Abstracts for Kenya V
Foreward
This compilation of soil health abstracts covers 90 years of research. Soil health research is of fundamental
importance for agricultural development in Kenya due to its high potential to boost the country’s economy and
food security. However, this is limited by low agricultural production brought about by poor soil health, limited
adoption of appropriate/effective Integrated Soil Fertility Management (ISFM) technologies coupled with limited
uptake/use of mechanized farming practices. Costly duplication of research efforts can be avoided by referencing
to materials from this wide range of published information resource. This book of abstracts is available in both
print and soft copies and will be a valuable resource for researchers, tutors and students. We acknowledge that
this may not be exhaustive of all the work done during the stated period but at the least this book of abstracts
provides significant information about most of the work that has been done in Kenya.
VI Soil Fertility Management Book of Abstracts for Kenya
Contents
Acknowledgement .............................................................................................. III
Preface ......................................................................................................................IV
Foreward ..................................................................................................................V
Inorganic Fertilizers .............................................................................................1
Organic Fertilizers ................................................................................................69
Organic And Inorganic Fertilizer Combinations .....................................97
Beneficial Microbes .............................................................................................191
Cropping Systems And Modeling ..................................................................205
Soil And Water Management ..........................................................................229
Analytical Methods ..............................................................................................271
Socio-Economics ..................................................................................................279
Soil Fertility Management Book of Abstracts for Kenya VII
Soil Fertility Management Book of Abstracts for Kenya 1
Inorganic Fertilizers
Overview
Inorganic fertilizers are natural materials or compounds formed through chemical processes for use to improve
soil fertility and plant nutrition. Inorganic fertilizers come in multi-nutrient formulas or single nutrient. Multi-
nutrient formulas include complete and balanced fertilizers which contain major nutrients such as nitrogen,
phosphorus and potassium as well as secondary such as calcium, magnesium and sulphur and micronutrients:
boron, zinc, molybdenum, manganese and others. There exist huge gaps in understanding the applicability of
different inorganic element combinations for boosting crop nutrition across various agro-ecosystems in Kenya.
The Kenyan government has been on the forefront to develop policies that promote beneficial and sustainable use
of fertilizers through subsidy programs. This section highlights some of the work and the results of studies carried
out in different parts of Kenya to evaluate the roles and functions that fertilizers can play in improving food crop
production in Kenya.