Soil quality Change Following Compost and Farmyard Manure Application in Maize and Cassava based Agro-ecosystems of Mvomero and Masasi -Tanzania

Abstract

Soil quality is a major driver for improved crop production and sustainable food security. While crop response to soil applied organic amendments is widely studied, little has been done to establish the effect of such amendments on soil quality. Field experiments were conducted for two seasons (2019/20 and 2020/21) in Mvomero and Masasi districts to study the effects of compost (CP) and Farmyard manure (FYM) application on selected soil quality attributes. Both CP and FYM were applied on maize, and cassava plots at 0.0 t ha-1 (Control), 2.5 t ha-1, 5 t ha-1 and 7.5 t ha-1. Maize variety TMV-1 and Kiroba cassava variety were used as test crops in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replications. Representative soil samples were collected before applying soil amendments and at the end of each season and analyzed for soil pH, Organic carbon (OC) and Extractable phosphorus (P). Assays of activities of ß-glucosidase and Phosphatase were performed on the samples as indicators of soil quality change. Results indicated that soil OC and soil extractable P increased with CP and FYM application rates at both sites. Activities of ß-glucosidase and Phosphatase increased in line with OC and extractable P, respectively. Application of CP or FYM at 5 t ha-1 and 7.5 t ha-1 resulted into statistically similar effects on soil OC, extractable P and activities of ß-glucosidase and Phosphatase. It was concluded that application of either CP or FYM at 5 t ha-1 can improve soil OC and P availability in degraded soils of Masasi and Mvomero, while activities of ß-glucosidase and phosphatase can serve to indicate such changes in soil quality.