Interactive effect of goat manure, phosphate fertiliser and lime on soil fertility in Embu County, Kenya
Abstract
194 words
Nutrient mining resulting from crop uptake and erosion; and soil acidity which makes plant
nutrients less available through different means such as phosphorus fixation and impairment
of biological mediated processes in the soil. A study was conducted aiming at evaluating the
interactive effects of manure, lime and phosphorus fertiliser on soil chemical properties in
an acid soil. The study consisted of 5 treatments: manure (0 and 5 ton.ha-1), lime (0 and 2
ton.ha-1) and P fertiliser (0 and 30 kg P2O5 ha-1). The experiment was laid out in a randomized
complete block design (RCBD) with 4 replicates in plots of 4.0 m x 4.5 m and was conducted
during 2012 short rain (October 2012 to January 2013) and 2013 long rain (March to June
2013). Integrated application of manure, lime and phosphate fertiliser affected positively soil
chemical properties by increasing soil pH (14.1%), exchangeable Ca (86.7%), Mg (30.8%),
K (266.7%) cations exchange capacity (73.7%), and reduced exchangeable acidity (76.2%).
Therefore, integrated application of goat manure with lime and P fertilizer showed to be the
best practice. This is recommended to smallholder farmers in order to improve soil fertility
in the Central Highlands of Kenya.
Subjects
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