Legume green manuring for maize production on smallholder farms in the eastern and central Kenya Region
2002
Gltarii, J.N.(KARI-National Agricultural Reseach Centre, Embu, Kenya) | Mureithi, J.G.(Kenya Agricultural Research Institute, Nairobi (Kenya). National Agricultural Research Laboratories) | Karumba, S.K.(KARI-National Agricultural Reseach Centre, Embu, Kenya) | Mwaniki, K.(KARI-National Agricultural Reseach Centre, Embu, Kenya)
On-farm legume green' manuring trials were conducted for four seasons commencing September 1997 at Karurina and Gachoka locations of Embu and Mbeere districts of Eastern Province, Kenya. The main objective of the study was to introduce green manure legumes, velvet bean (Mucuna pruriens) and sunnhemp (Crotalaria ochroleuca) in smallholder farms for soil fertility improvement. The green manures were used alone or in combination with half the recommended rates of inorganic fertiliser (20 kg N ha-I ) or animal manure (5.0 t ha-I). The results showed that sunnhemp or velvet bean may be grown as an intercrop with maize without adversely affecting maize yields. Highest levels of legume biomass was achieved during the 1997 short rains when 9.6 and 6:7 t ha-I was recorded in velvet bean and sunnhemp, respectively. The use of legume green manure as a source of nitrogen increased maize grain yields significantly (P0.05) at the wetter site of Karurina where 6.48 and 6.1 t ha-l were obtained during 1998 and 1999 long rains, respectively. In the less wet site of Gachoka, maize yields were 4.72 t ha-I in the green manure plots during 1998 long rains compared to 3.11 t ha-I in the inorganic N fertilised plots. Similar trends were observed during 1999 cropping seasons. Combined use of green manure and inorganic N was more beneficial during less wet period of 1999 long rains when lower quantities of legume herbage were generated for incorporation into the soil. Participatory farmer evaluation of the treatments revealed that the smallholders ranked legume green manure higher than either mineral fertiliser or animal manure. The farmers noted that green manure usage would cut farm input costs and conserve soil moisture.
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