Combining Manure with Mineral N Fertilizer Maintains Maize Yields: Evidence from Four Long-Term Experiments in Kenya

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dc.contributor.authorLaub, Moritz
dc.contributor.authorCorbeels, Marc
dc.contributor.authorNdungu, Samuel Mathu
dc.contributor.authorMucheru-Muna, Monicah Wanjiku
dc.contributor.authorMugendi, Daniel
dc.contributor.authorNecpalova, Magdalena
dc.contributor.authorDe Broek, Marijn Van
dc.contributor.authorWaswa, Wycliffe
dc.contributor.authorVanlauwe, Bernard
dc.contributor.authorSix, Johan
dc.date.accessioned2023-07-03T13:07:18Z
dc.date.available2023-07-03T13:07:18Z
dc.date.issued2023
dc.descriptionArticleen_US
dc.description.abstractContext: Crop productivity in sub-Saharan Africa cannot be substantially improved without simultaneously addressing short-term crop nutrient demand and long-term soil fertility. Integrated soil fertility management tackles both by the combined application of mineral fertilizers and organic resource inputs but few studies examined its‘ long-term effectiveness. Objective: To address this knowledge gap, this study analysed maize yield trends in four long-term (31–37 cropping seasons) field experiments in Kenya with contrasting soil textures and under different climates. Methods: All sites had two maize cropping seasons per year, received a base P and K fertilization and tested combinations of organic resource addition (1.2 and 4 t C ha-1 yr-1 ranging from farmyard manure, to high-quality Tithonia diversifolia and Calliandra calothyrsus material to low-quality saw dust), combined with (+N) and without (-N) mineral N fertilizer (120 kg N ha-1 season-1). General maize yield trends across sites and site specific trends were analyzed. Results: Across sites, the no-input control experienced significant average maize yield reductions of 50 kg ha-1 yr-1 over the study period. In contrast, the treatment with farmyard manure +N maintained yields at both 1.2 and 4 t C ha-1 yr-1. High initial yields following additions of Tithonia and Calliandra, reduced over time. Assessment by site showed site specificity of maize yields and yield trends. For example, the two climatically favorable sites in western Kenya experienced yield gains with high quality organic resources at 4 t C ha-1 yr-1, leading to yields of up to 8 t ha-1 per season, while sites in central Kenya experienced yield losses, leading to 3.5 t ha-1 per season. Yield site specificity for ± mineral N treatments was stonger than for organic resource treatments, e.g. the clayey site in central Kenya in the end showed no yield differences between ± N, except for the 1.2 t C ha-1 yr-1 farmyard manure treatment. Yet, farmyard manure plus mineral N consistently achieved highest yields of all organic resource treatments at all sites and farmyard manure addition at 1.2 t C ha-1 yr-1 (about 5 t dry matter) was the most N-efficient treatment. Conclusions: At realistic application rates, maize yield in integrated soil fertility management is best sustained by a combined application of farmyard manure and mineral N. Implications: Mixed crop-livestock systems and a combined manure and mineral N application are key ingredients for sustained productivity of smallholder systems in sub-Saharan Africa.en_US
dc.description.sponsorshipThe Swiss National Science Foundation Switzerland and by the project “Agricultural Intensification and Dynamics of Soil Carbon Sequestration in Tropical and Temperate Farming Systems” (DSCATT) supported by the Agropolis Foundation, France.en_US
dc.identifier.citationLaub, M., Corbeels, M., Ndungu, S. M., Mucheru-Muna, M. W., Mugendi, D., Necpalova, M., ... & Six, J. (2023). Combining manure with mineral N fertilizer maintains maize yields: Evidence from four long-term experiments in Kenya. Field Crops Research, 291, 108788.en_US
dc.identifier.otherhttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.fcr.2022.108788
dc.identifier.urihttp://ir-library.ku.ac.ke/handle/123456789/26043
dc.language.isoenen_US
dc.publisherElsevieren_US
dc.subjectISFMen_US
dc.subjectMaize yield potentialen_US
dc.subjectResidue qualityen_US
dc.subjectFood securityen_US
dc.subjectSustainable intensificationen_US
dc.titleCombining Manure with Mineral N Fertilizer Maintains Maize Yields: Evidence from Four Long-Term Experiments in Kenyaen_US
dc.typeArticleen_US
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