Nutrient management in highland vertisols of Ethiopia
2001
Asgelil Dibabe (EARO, Addis Abeba (Ethiopia)) | Taye Bekele | Tekaligh Mamo
Vertisols account for 12.6 million ha in Ethiopia. Out of these, 7.6 million ha are located in the Ethiopian highlands. These soils are among the productive soils, but proper fertility and moisture management practices need to be followed if their potential is to be exploited. These soils are generally hard when dry and sticky when wet and therefore presents serious limitations to their use. Nitrogen and phosphorus are the two most important nutrient elements, which are relatively low in Ethiopian Vertisols. Therefore, most nutrient management attempts have dealt with these two elements. A number of fertilizer experiments have been conducted on these soils in order to study the effect of N and P fertilizers under Vertisols conditions. Results of fertilizer trials have shown a marked response of crops to fertilizer application at different locations. The fertilizer effect was more marked for crops under drained conditions. Rhizobium inoculation studies on faba bean, lentils, and chickpeas were carried out at different locations. No significant responses to inoculation were noticed indicating the presence of active rhizobia in Vertisols. The biological nitrogen fixation research program should give equal empasis to highland pulses and forage legumes and devote an increasing effort to more detailed studies on nitrogen fixation and production of inoculants.
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