| dc.description.abstract | aize yield in Kericho County, Kenya is limited by infertile acidic soils. The effect of
inorganic sources of nutrients and amendments; triple superphosphate (TSP), calcium
ammonium nitrate (CAN) and lime, were compared to a range of organic nutrient sources;
Farmyard manure (FYM) of low and high quality, dried cow dung, goat manure, tithonia
applied as green manure or dried, in a greenhouse and field experiment. Two soils
collected from two farmers’ fields in Sigowet and Litein locations (Hereafter referred to as
Sigowet and Litein) were used in the greenhouse where maize was grown for six weeks
and its biomass yield determined. The treatments that showed promise were used in a
subsequent field experiment where maize was grown to maturity and grain yield
determined. In the greenhouse, maize responded to application of all the sources of
nutrients and amendments, except lime when applied without TSP, on Sigowet’s soil. On
Litein’s soil, maize did not respond to application of lime alone or with TSP, TSP and dried
tithonia. High quality FYM gave the highest increase (136%) in dry matter yields on
Litein’s soil. In the field experiment, goat manure gave the highest grain yield. Maize failed
to significantly respond to either CAN or TSP when applied alone but the application of the
two in combination (TSP + CAN) effected a significant response indicating that both N and
P were deficient in this soil. All the manures, except low quality FYM, gave yields that
were higher or comparable to the standard recommended fertilizer practice (TSP + CAN)
and could be economically attractive substitutes as they are locally available. There was a
poor correlation between dry matter biomass yield in the greenhouse and grain yield in the
field. Extrapolation of greenhouse findings to different fields should therefore be treated
with caution. | en_US |
