Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Senkoro, Catherine J.
• Marandu, Atanasio E.
• Ley, George J.
• Wortmann, Charles S.

Titel

Maize and pigeon pea sole crop and intercrop nutrient response functions for Tanzania

Ist Teil von

• Nutrient cycling in agroecosystems, 2017-12, Vol.109 (3), p.303-314

Ort / Verlag

Dordrecht: Springer Netherlands

Erscheinungsjahr

2017

Quelle

Springer Journals

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• Low soil fertility constrains crop productivity in Tanzania. Fertilizer recommendations were lacking for pigeon pea ( Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp.) sole crop (PPSC) and intercrop. Trials were conducted in eastern and northern Tanzania to determine: maize ( Zea mays L.) (MSC), PPSC and intercrop (MzPpI) nutrient response functions; the agronomic and economic efficiency for applied nutrients; other nutrient deficiencies; and a means of calculating MzPpI response functions from MSC functions. The treatment structure allowed for determination of MSC and MzPpI response functions for N, P and K and of PPSC functions for P and K. Overall mean PPSC yield was 2.31 Mg ha −1 with a 12% increase due to applied P. Yield of MSC was increased by N only and of MzPpI by N and P, although intercropped pigeon pea yield was not affected by nutrient application. Yields were not increased with K, Mg, S, Zn, and B application. Yield of MzPpI, as maize grain value equivalent, was more than with MSC but response to N were similar. The agronomic efficiency of fertilizer N at the economically optimal rate (EOR) for MSC was 32 kg kg −1 . The EOR of N were similar for MSC and MzPpI and was on average 27 kg ha −1 less for the most compared with the least costly fertilizer N scenario with 3% less yield with the lower EOR. The coefficients for MzPpI N and P response functions can be estimated from MSC functions, hence reducing field research requirements for optimization of fertilizer use for MzPpI.