Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-v9fdk Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-19T05:22:07.341Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Impact of depth of placement of mineral fertilizer micro-dosing on growth, yield and partial nutrient balance in pearl millet cropping system in the Sahel

Part of: AGS Millet Collection

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 October 2014

A. IBRAHIM ,
D. PASTERNAK  and
D. FATONDJI
A. IBRAHIM*
Affiliation:
International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), BP 12404 Niamey, Niger
D. PASTERNAK
Affiliation:
International Adviser Drylands Agriculture, 16/12 Harav Goren St., Rishon Letzion 75753, Israel
D. FATONDJI
Affiliation:
International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), BP 12404 Niamey, Niger
*
*To whom all correspondence should be addressed. Email: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

A study was carried out in the rainy seasons of 2008 and 2009 in Niger to investigate the effects of fertilizer micro-dosing on root development, yield and soil nutrient exploitation of pearl millet. Different rates of diammonium phosphate (DAP) were applied to the soil at different depths and it was found that although micro-dosing with DAP increased grain yield over the unfertilized control to a similar level as broadcast DAP, doubling the micro-dosage did not increase it further. Increasing the depth of fertilizer application from 5 to 10 cm resulted in significant increases in root length density, and deep application of fertilizer resulted in higher yields, although the increases were generally not significant. It was postulated that the positive effect of micro-dosing resulted from better exploitation of soil nutrients because of the higher root volume. Levels of nutrients exported from the soil were at least as high in plants receiving micro-dosing as the unfertilized control, and plants receiving micro-dosing exported 5–10 times more phosphorus from the soil than the amount added through fertilization.

Type
Crops and Soils Research Papers
Information
The Journal of Agricultural Science , Volume 153 , Issue 8 , November 2015 , pp. 1412 - 1421
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

Aune, J. B. & Bationo, A. (2008). Agricultural intensification in the Sahel – the ladder approach. Agricultural Systems 98, 119–125.Google Scholar
Bagayoko, M., Alvey, S., Neumann, G. & Buerkert, A. (2000 a). Root-induced increases in soil pH and nutrient availability to field-grown cereals and legumes on acid sandy soils of Sudano-Sahelian West Africa. Plant and Soil 225, 117–127.Google Scholar
Bagayoko, M., George, E., Römheld, V. & Buerkert, A. (2000 b). Effects of mycorrhizae and phosphorus on growth and nutrient uptake of millet, cowpea and sorghum on a west African soil. The Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 135, 399–407.Google Scholar
Bagayoko, M., Maman, N., Palé, S., Sirifi, S., Taonda, S. J. B., Traore, S. & Mason, S. C. (2011). Microdose and N and P fertilizer application rates for pearl millet in West Africa. African Journal of Agricultural Research 6, 1141–1150.Google Scholar
Bationo, A. & Mokwunye, A. U. (1991). Alleviating soil fertility constraints to increased crop production in West Africa: the experience in the Sahel. In Alleviating Soil Fertility Constraints to Increased Crop Production in West Africa (Ed. Mokwunye, A. U.), pp. 195–215. Developments in Plant and Soils Sciences vol. 47. Dordrecht, the Netherlands: Kluwer Academic Publishers.Google Scholar
Bationo, A. & Waswa, B. (2011). New challenges and opportunities for integrated soil fertility management in Africa. In Innovations as Key to the Green Revolution in Africa (Eds Bationo, A., Waswa, B., Okeyo, J. M., Maina, F. & Kihara, J. M.), pp. 3–17. Dordrecht, The Netherlands: Springer.Google Scholar
Bationo, A., Christianson, C. B. & Klaij, M. C. (1993). The effect of crop residue and fertilizer use on pearl millet yields in Niger. Fertilizer Research 34, 251–258.Google Scholar
Bationo, A., Lompo, F. & Koala, S. (1998). Research on nutrient flows and balances in West Africa: state-of-the-art. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 71, 19–35.Google Scholar
Buerkert, A. & Hiernaux, P. (1998). Nutrients in the West African Sudano-Sahelian zone: Losses, transfers and role of external inputs. Zeitschrift für Pflanzenernährung und Bodenkunde 161, 365–383.Google Scholar
Buerkert, A., Bationo, A. & Piepho, H.-P. (2001). Efficient phosphorus application strategies for increased crop production in sub-Saharan West Africa. Field Crops Research 72, 1–15.Google Scholar
Fatondji, D., Pasternak, D. & Woltering, L. (2008). Watermelon production on stored rainwater in Sahelian sandy soils. African Journal of Plant Science 2, 151–160.Google Scholar
Hafner, H., George, E., Bationo, A. & Marschner, H. (1993). Effect of crop residues on root growth and phosphorus acquisition of pearl millet in an acid sandy soil in Niger. Plant and Soil 150, 117–127.Google Scholar
Houba, V. J. G., Van der Lee, J. J. & Novozamsky, I. (1995). Soil Analysis Procedures; Other Procedures (Soil and Plant Analysis, part 5B). Wageningen, The Netherlands: Department of Soil Science & Plant Nutrition, Wageningen Agricultural University.Google Scholar
Klaij, M. C. & Vachaud, G. (1992). Seasonal water balance of a sandy soil in Niger cropped with pearl millet, based on profile moisture measurements. Agricultural Water Management 21, 313–330.Google Scholar
Lawes Agricultural Trust (2007). Genstat Version 9. Rothamsted, UK: Lawes Agricultural Trust (Rothamsted Experimental Station).Google Scholar
Marenya, P. P. & Barrett, C. B. (2009). State-conditional fertilizer yield response on western Kenyan farms. American Journal of Agricultural Economics 91, 991–1006.Google Scholar
Muehlig-Versen, B., Buerkert, A., Bationo, A. & Roeheld, V. (2003). Phosphorus placement on acid arenosols of the west African Sahel. Experimental Agriculture 39, 307–325.Google Scholar
Newman, E. I. (1966). A method of estimating the total length of root in a sample. Journal of Applied Ecology 3, 139–145.Google Scholar
Sivakumar, M. V. K. & Salaam, S. A. (1999). Effect of year and fertilizer on water-use efficiency of pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum) in Niger. The Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 132, 139–148.Google Scholar
Soil Survey Staff (1999). Soil Taxonomy: A Basic System of Soil Classification for Making and Interpreting Soil Surveys, 2nd edn, U.S. Department of Agriculture Handbook 436. Washington, DC: USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.Google Scholar
Stoorvogel, J. J. & Smaling, E. M. A. (1990). Assessment of Soil Nutrient Depletion in Sub-Saharan Africa: 1983–2000. Report no. 28. Wageningen, The Netherlands: Winand Staring Centre.Google Scholar
Tabo, R., Bationo, A., Gerard, B., Ndjeunga, J., Marchal, D., Amadou, B., Annou, M. G., Sogodogo, D., Taonda, J.-B. S., Hassane, O., Diallo, M. K. & Koala, S. (2007). Improving cereal productivity and farmers’ income using a strategic application of fertilizers in West Africa. In Advances in Integrated Soil Fertility Management in Sub-Saharan Africa: Challenges and Opportunities (Eds Bationo, A., Waswa, B., Kihara, J., & Kimetu, J.), pp. 201–208. Dordrecht, The Netherlands: Springer.Google Scholar
Tennant, D. (1975). A test of a modified line intersect method of estimating root length. The Journal of Ecology 63, 995–1001.Google Scholar
Twomlow, S., Rohrbach, D., Dimes, J., Rusike, J., Mupangwa, W., Ncube, B., Hove, L., Moyo, M., Mashingaidze, N. & Mahposa, P. (2011). Micro-dosing as a pathway to Africa's Green Revolution: evidence from broad-scale on-farm trials. In Innovations as Key to the Green Revolution in Africa: Exploring the Scientific Facts (Eds Bationo, A., Waswa, B., Okeyo, J. M., Maina, F. & Kihara, J. M.), pp. 1101–1113. Dordrecht, The Netherlands: Springer.Google Scholar
Von Liebig, J. (1940). Chemistry in its Application to Agriculture and Physiology. London: Taylor and Walton.Google Scholar
Walkley, A. & Black, I. A. (1934). An examination of the Degtjareff method for determining soil organic matter, and a proposed modification of the chromic acid titration method. Soil Science 37, 29–38.Google Scholar
West, L. T., Wilding, L. P., Landeck, J. K. & Calhoun, F. G. (1984). Soil Survey of the ICRISAT Sahelian Center, Niger, West Africa. Soil and Crop Sciences Department/TROPSOILS. College Station, TX: Texas A&M University.Google Scholar
Zingore, S., Delve, R. J., Nyamangara, J. & Giller, K. E. (2008). Multiple benefits of manure: the key to maintenance of soil fertility and restoration of depleted sandy soils on African smallholder farms. Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems 80, 267–282.Google Scholar