Green manuring to improve soil fertility and reduce striga weed infestation in smallholder farms in South Nyanza, Kenya
2002
Onyango, C.(Community Mobilisation Against Desertification) | Oduwo, A.(Community Mobilisation Against Desertification) | Kidula, N.(KARI-Regional Reseach Kisii, Kenya) | Mureithi, J.G.(Kenya Agricultural Research Institute, Nairobi (Kenya). National Agricultural Research Laboratories) | Okoko, N.(KARI-Regional Reseach Kisii, Kenya)
Maize and sorghum are the major staple food crops in lower South Nyanza. However, their yields have been on the decline mainly due to low soil fertility and high striga weed population. Traditional approaches used to control striga weed population, which included fallowing, use of farm yard manure (FYM) and uprooting are no longer used by farmers. Fallowing is no longer possible due to high availability of FYM, while labour for uprooting of striga is too high and is no longer available. Studies were conducted using Sunnhemp (Crotalaria ochroleuca) Dolichos (lAblab purpureus) and Mucuna (Mucuna pruriens) as green manures to improve maize grain yield and control striga population. In the long rains of 1996, the three legumes were grown as sole crops or intercropped with sorghum or maize in five different sites and data on nodulation, dry matter yield and cereal grain yield collected. Results on dry matter yield showed significant (P 0.05) differences between cropping practises but not between species and sites. The sole cropped legumes produced dry matter of about 3 t ha-l and when intercropped the legumes produced yields of about 1 t ha-l. The number of nodules per plant was only accurately assessed for sunnhemp and th~ nodules were higher at the drier site LM5 (110 nodules) than the wetter site LM3 (87) and LM2 (60). Maize grain yield was not affected by intercropping legumes in the maize two weeks after planting of maize. Practical implications of these results and farmer experiences with green manure legumes are discussed. .
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