Assessing soil nutrient change under long-term application of mineral fertilizer micro-dosing to pearl millet [Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br.] on a sahelian sandy soil

Year 2020, Volume: 9 Issue: 1, 34 - 42, 01.01.2020

Sani İssa Mahaman Sanoussi Fatondji Dougbedji Ezenwa Matthew A.a. Okhimamhe Ali Ibrahim İsiah Sule

https://doi.org/10.18393/ejss.642212

Cited By: 1

Abstract

In the Sahel, mineral fertilizer micro-dosing
technique is known for its benefits to provide higher nutrient uptake and
higher crop yields. A study was set up at ICRISAT research station at Sadoré in
Niger, which aims at evaluating the sustainability of the technology in the
long-term with emphasis on soil nutrients dynamics. The study has started since
2008 and was laid-out in a randomized complete block design that involved two
pearl millet varieties, three planting densities, and four nutrients management
options. For this study, a sub-set of the treatments from this long-term
experiment was used. The nutrient management factor, which includes 4 levels
was considered. The most important findings obtained indicated that the change
in soil nutrient was markedly different on the planting hills and that from
between hill. The change in soil pH-H₂O values on the planting was -7.06
% for the control plots and -9.57 % for the plots applied with NPK. The total
nitrogen content has dropped in the two different plots. The amplitude of drop
has lowered with the application of NPK micro-dosing on the planting hills with
respectively -5.11 % and -12.45 % in the control plots and the micro-dose
plots. Positive change in available P was significantly observed (P≤0.05) in
soil between hill with 1.08% in the control plots and 15.97 % in the amended
plots. Both grain yield and total dry matter showed similar trend in which
decreased yield was obvious over the time. In 2008, an average grain yield of
732 kg. ha^-1 and 989 kg. ha^-1 was obtained respectively
for the control plots and 6g per hill of NPK plots. Whereas in 2016, 146 kg. ha^-1
and 218 kg. ha^-1 were produced respectively for the control
plots and the mineral fertilizer micro-dosing plots. These findings indicated
that in the Sahel low-input based millet cropping systems, for the mineral
fertilizer micro-dosing technology to be sustainable in the long term, the
improvement and maintenance of soil fertility should be considered as the
cornerstone.

Keywords

Fertilizer micro-dosing, sustainability, nutrient mining, long-term, Sahel

References

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