, to quantify N 2 fixed by mungbean, soybean and peanut and to examine effects of the legumes on the yields of succeeding maize and on status of N and P in soils during the following season.An early sorghum, non-nodulating soybean and maize which were used as standard crops in quantifying N 2 fixed by mungbean, soybean, and peanut, respectively, gave statistically comparable A-values for soil N though sorghum tended to give lower value than the other crops did.Amounts of fixed N2 were 37.5, 119.0 and 150 kg/ha for mungbean, soybean and peanut, respectively. Plots previously grew legumes yielded higher grain and stover weights and higher N and P uptake of maize than those previously grew maize. There were no significant differences among plots previously grew different legumes. A-values, in most cases, did not differentiate the effects of previous legumes from those of previous maize. However, changes in N and P status of soil, in most cases, were too small to produce A-values changes that were large enough to outrun the experimental errors.

A field experiment was conducted using as N-labelled urea on a Reddish Brown Lateritic (Peleustult) soil. Growing two crops on flat land and on soil ridges of 15 cm height produced similar comparative effects from fertilizer on maize. However, fertilizer applied by broadcasting on maize with a 50 cm effective band followed by incorporating was more useful to mungbean than that applied by banding below the cereal seed rows when crops were grown on flat land. The reverse was observed when crops were grown on ridges. It was deduced that the maize cultivar was not likely to affect comparative efficiencies of fertilizer.For fertilizer application at sowing, broadcasting in 50 cm maize effective band followed by incorporating was slightly superior to banding below maize seed rows. Side-dressing of fertilizer to maize at 4 weeks after sowing was superior to application at sowing. Evenlysplit application, at sowing and at 4 weeks after sowing, was either only slightly superior or comparable to non-split application by banding below maize seed rows at sowing, depending on placement method of the first application. Soil moisture status as a possible factor rendering discrepancy in the comparative efficiencies obtained by different authors is discussed.

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