The Role of Agroforestry Trees in Intercepting Leached Nitrogen in the Agricultural Systems of the Central Highlands of Kenya

Mugendi, Daniel N.; Kanyi, Michael K.; Kung’u, J.B.; Wamicha, W. N.; Mugwe, J. N.

doi:10.4314/eaafj.v69i1.1807

Cited by 14 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…The soils under this study have these characteristics and thus the bulk of inorganic N as expected was in the nitrate form. Similar low quantities of soil NH 4 + -N compared to NO 3 --N were reported in a kandiudalfic Eutrodox in Western Kenya (Mekonnen et al, 1997;Maroko et al, 1998) and at a humic Nitisol at Embu, central Kenya (Mugendi et al, 2003).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 70%

“…Measures to curb downward movement of N like timely application of inputs and split fertilizer application that have been reported to reduce leaching should be encouraged (Randall and Mulla, 2001). In addition trees if well planted and integrated in the farming systems may assist in recovering some of this N that is lost to annual crops as observed by Mugendi et al (2003) who reported that treatments with tree hedges recorded a lower amount of mineral N in the 100-300 cm depth than treatments without tree hedges. This is mainly because trees root deep into sub-soil layers and way beyond the rooting depth of most annual crop-inaccessible nutrients (Mekonnen et al, 1997;Shepherd et al, 2000) and therefore are capable of taking up nutrients from zones where crop roots do not reach.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

“…The decline in nitrate in the top 20-50 cm depth would suggest that maize roots were able to utilize this nutrient at this depth. Mugendi et al (2003) reported more than 80% of maize roots to be concentrated in the top 0-60 cm depth and thus could absorb mineral N at 20-50 cm depth. The high mineral N at 100-150 cm soil depth could be attributed to greater N mineralization compared to plant uptake of topsoil immediately after the onset of the rainy season and subsequent nitrate leaching, an observation also reported by Phiri et al (1998) in Malawi, andNjinue andWagger (2003) at the Kenyan coast, respectively.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Soil Inorganic N and N Uptake by Maize Following Application of Legume Biomass, Tithonia, Manure and Mineral Fertilizer in Central Kenya

Mugwe

Mugendi

Mucheru-Muna

et al. 2011

Innovations as Key to the Green Revolution in Africa

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In the smallholder farms of central Kenya soils suffer from nitrogen (N) deficiency due to inability to replenish it through application of chemical fertilizers and/or manure. This study evaluated the effect of some organic materials such as Mucuna pruriens, Crotalaria ochroleuca, Calliandra calothyrsus, Leucaena trichandra, cattle manure and Tithonia diversifolia applied solely or combined with inorganic fertilizer on soil mineral N dynamics and N uptake by maize. Soils and maize samples were taken at 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 12, 16 and 20 weeks after planting maize (WAP) during 2002 long rain (LR) and 2004 LR seasons and analysed. The study showed that amounts of soil inorganic N and uptake of N by maize varied among the different sampling dates, treatments and between seasons. There was a general increase of mineral N after the start of the season followed by a drastic reduction during 6 and 4 WAP during 2002 and 2004 LR, respectively. This trend was attributed to the decomposition of organic materials at the beginning of the season followed by leaching due to intense rainfall during this period. Treatments that had tithonia, leucaena and calliandra applied recorded the highest amounts of soil inorganic N and also the highest N uptake by maize. Poor rainfall in 2004 LR restricted N uptake and was responsible for lower N uptake by maize in 2002 LR than in 2004 LR. At the end of the growing season, there were high amounts of mineral N at 100-150 cm soil depth that was probably due to leaching. This mineral N is below the rooting zone of most maize J. Mugwe ( )

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 70%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Soil Inorganic N and N Uptake by Maize Following Application of Legume Biomass, Tithonia, Manure and Mineral Fertilizer in Central Kenya

Mugwe

Mugendi

Mucheru-Muna

et al. 2011

Innovations as Key to the Green Revolution in Africa

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“…Similar treatment controls on short-term mineral N dynamics were observed during the 2007 long rains growing season in the field. Soil mineral N in the upper 60 cm of the soil profile, which contains 85% of root growth (Mugendi et al 2003), displayed distinct treatment interactions with time (Fig. 2).…”

Section: N Availabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Trade-offs between the short- and long-term effects of residue quality on soil C and N dynamics

et al. 2010

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The decline of soil organic matter (SOM) and its associated fertility is one of the most important constraints to enhanced crop productivity in subSaharan Africa. Integrated soil fertility management recognizes the potential benefits of the combined use of organic residue and mineral fertilizer inputs for improved crop yield and SOM build up. However, these benefits may be controlled by residue quality. We examined the short-to long-term C and N dynamics following application of different quality residues with and without N fertilizer in a series of experiments comprising different timescales of measurement in a Kenyan Humic Nitisol. The combined results of these studies indicate that residue quality and fertilizer additions alter short-term C and N mineralization. Combining low quality residue and fertilizer inputs immobilized a greater amount of fertilizer-N than high quality residue. Under field conditions, this reduction in available N induced by the combination of low quality residue and fertilizer reduced environmental N losses and created a positive interactive effect on crop N uptake. While input management manipulated short-term nutrient dynamics, it did not influence long-term SOM stabilization. The input of residue, regardless of quality, contributed to long-term soil fertility improvement. In conclusion, organic residue quality can be manipulated to optimize short-term nutrient dynamics while still conferring the same benefits to long-term SOM contents.

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“…Research on biomass transfer is done mainly by scientists with interest in agroforestry tree species. Studies have been conducted in many countries in Africa (Mugendi et al, 2004). Some of the plant species that have been used for biomass transfer include Tithonia diversifolia, Calliandra calothyrsus, Leucaena trichandra and Sesbania sesban.…”

Section: Biomass Transfermentioning

confidence: 99%

The Potential of Organic and Inorganic Nutrient Sources in Sub-Saharan African Crop Farming Systems

Ngetich¹,

Shisanya²,

Mugwe³

et al. 2012

Soil Fertility Improvement and Integrated Nutrient Management - A Global Perspective

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The Role of Agroforestry Trees in Intercepting Leached Nitrogen in the Agricultural Systems of the Central Highlands of Kenya

Cited by 14 publications

References 11 publications

Soil Inorganic N and N Uptake by Maize Following Application of Legume Biomass, Tithonia, Manure and Mineral Fertilizer in Central Kenya

Soil Inorganic N and N Uptake by Maize Following Application of Legume Biomass, Tithonia, Manure and Mineral Fertilizer in Central Kenya

Trade-offs between the short- and long-term effects of residue quality on soil C and N dynamics

The Potential of Organic and Inorganic Nutrient Sources in Sub-Saharan African Crop Farming Systems

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