Appraisal of Soil Fertility Management Practices and Affecting Factors in Shabeley District of Fafan Zone, Somali, Ethiopia
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.20372/afnr.v2i1.924Keywords:
Soil fertility, Practices, Constraints, Fertilizer, ShebeleyAbstract
Soil fertility management is continuously modified and adapted as conditions change in time. The main objective of this study was to evaluate soil fertility management practices and their limitations at Shabeley district. The district was purposively selected, whereas Kebeles was selected randomly. Ninety seven households from all kebeles of the district was surveyed using semi-structured questionnaire. Furthermore, key informants’ interview and observation in the field were carried out during this study. In addition to thirty composite soil samples of 0-30cm depth from different cultivated lands in study sites were collected, to verify farmers’ perception of soil fertility with the actual soil nutrient status. The study revealed that top soil removal, and insufficient fertilizer supply are the main soil fertility loss. Whereas, crop residual, manure and crop rotation was some of the soil fertility management improvement practices in the area. According to the result of the current study, only about 26.8% % of the respondents use chemical fertilize. The main reasons for not using chemical fertilizer in the farmers was the physical unavailability of the fertilizer. The soil laboratory tests was indicated that pH of the soil samples ranged from neutral (6.7-7.3) to strongly alkaline (>8). Whereas, organic carbon (OC), Total Nitrogen (TN) and Available phosphorus (AP) of the sampled soil was indicated low to medium content in the soil. Suggesting that external application of nutrient and organic matter sources through an integrated soil fertility management approach was needed for optimal crop growth and sustained yield improvement in shabeley woreda.
Downloads
Metrics
References
Abegaz, A., Keulen, H. V., Haile, M., & Oosting, S. J. (2007). Nutrient dynamics on smallholder farms in Teghane, Northern Highlands of Ethiopia. In Advances in integrated soil fertility management in sub-Saharan Africa: Challenges and opportunities (pp. 365-378). Springer Netherlands.
Ahmed, A., Dechassa, N., Gebeyehu, S., & Alemayehu, Y. (2018). Characterization of soil of Jijiga plain in the Somali regional state of Ethiopia. East African Journal of Sciences, 12(1), 1-
Bationo, A., & Waswa, B. S. (2011). New challenges and opportunities for integrated soil fertility management in Africa. Innovations as key to the green revolution in Africa: exploring the scientific facts, 3-17.
Bista, P., Ghimire, R., Shah, S. C., & Pande, K. R. (2010, November). Assessment of soil fertility management practices and their constraints in different geographic locations of Nepal. In Forum geografic (Vol. 9, No. 9, pp. 41-48).
CSA (Central Statistics Agency). (2013). Agricultural Sample Survey 2012/2013 (2005 E.C.). Volume I. Report on Area and Production of Major Crops (Private Peasant Holdings, Meher Season). Statistical Bulletin 532, Addis Ababa.
FAO. (2017). The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2017. Buildingg Resilience for Peace and Food Security. FAO, Rome, Italy.
Gram, G., Roobroeck, D., Pypers, P., Six, J., Merckx, R., & Vanlauwe, B. (2020). Combining organic and mineral fertilizers as a climate-smart integrated soil fertility management practice in sub-Saharan Africa: A meta-analysis. PloS one, 15(9), e0239552.
Hag Husein, H., Lucke, B., Bäumler, R., & Sahwan, W. (2021). A contribution to soil fertility assessment for arid and semi-arid lands. Soil Systems, 5(3), 42.
Husein, H. H., Mousa, M., Sahwan, W., Bäumler, R., & Lucke, B. (2019). Spatial distribution of soil organic matter and soil organic carbon stocks in semi-arid area of northeastern Syria. Natural Resources, 10(12), 415.
Kassu, K. (2011). Soil erosion, deforestation and rural livelihoods in the central Rift Valley Area of Ethiopia: A case study in the Denku Micro-watershed Oromia Region. South Africa: Unpublished Report.
Kimaru-Muchai, S. W., Ngetich, F. K., Mucheru-Muna, M. W., & Baaru, M. (2021). Zai pits for heightened sorghum production in drier parts of Upper Eastern Kenya. Heliyon, 7(9).
Kubiku, F. N. M., Mandumbu, R., Nyamadzawo, G., & Nyamangara, J. (2022). Field edge rainwater harvesting and inorganic fertilizers for improved sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.) yields in semi-arid farming regions of Marange, Zimbabwe. Heliyon, 8(2).
Kugedera, A. T., Badza, T., & Odindo, A. O. (2023). Integrated soil fertility management practices for improved crop production in smallholder farming systems of semi-arid areas: A synthetic review. Cogent Food & Agriculture, 9(1), 2256137.
Kugedera, A. T., Nyamadzawo, G., & Mandumbu, R. (2022). Augmenting Leucaena leucocephala biomass with mineral fertiliser on rainwater use efficiency, agronomic efficiency and yields on sorghum (Sorghum bicolor [(L.) Moench]) under rainwater harvesting techniques in semi-arid region of Zimbabwe. Heliyon, 8(7). e09826. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2022. e09826
Lal, R. (2005). World crop residues production and implications of its use as a biofuel. Environment International, 31(4), 575-584.
Lewoyehu, M., Alemu, Z., & Adgo, E. (2020). The effects of land management on soil fertility and nutrient balance in Kecha and Laguna micro watersheds, Amhara Region, Northwestern, Ethiopia. Cogent Food & Agriculture, 6(1), 1853996.
Mairura, F. S., Musafiri, C. M., Kiboi, M. N., Macharia, J. M., Ng'etich, O. K., Shisanya, C. A., ... & Ngetich, F. K. (2022). Farm factors influencing soil fertility management patterns in Upper Eastern Kenya. Environmental Challenges, 6, 100409.
Masaka, J., Dera, J., & Muringaniza, K. (2020). Dryland grain sorghum (sorghum bicolor) yield and yield component responses to tillage and mulch practices under subtropical African conditions. Agricultural Research, 9(3), 349-357. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40003-019-00427-5
Mugandani, R., & Mafongoya, P. (2019). Behaviour of smallholder farmers towards adoption of conservation agriculture in Zimbabwe. Soil use and management, 35(4), 561-575. https://doi.org/10.1111/sum.12528
Naorem, A., Jayaraman, S., Dang, Y. P., Dalal, R. C., Sinha, N. K., Rao, C. S., & Patra, A. K. (2023). Soil constraints in an arid environment—challenges, prospects, and implications. Agronomy, 13(1), 220. https:// doi.org/10.3390/agronomy13010220
Raimi, A., Adeleke, R., & Roopnarain, A. (2017). Soil fertility challenges and Biofertiliser as a viable alternative for increasing smallholder farmer crop productivity in sub-Saharan Africa. Cogent Food & Agriculture, 3(1), 1400933.
Sahrawat, K. L. (2016). How fertile are semi-arid tropical soils?. Current Science, 1671-1674.
Singh, B., & Singh, Y. (2015). Soil fertility: Evaluation and management. Soil science: An introduction. Indian Soc. Soil Sci, 649-669.
Zhang, Q., Li, Y., & Yang, X. (2016). Soil pH and nutrient availability regulate soil microbial communities in a long-term fertilization experiment. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 98, 37-49. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2016.04.016
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
Categories
License
Copyright (c) 2024 Journal of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Journal of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources
Wallaga University,
All rights reserved.
Accepted 2024-04-30
Published 2024-04-30
