BookAndre Bationo, Djimasbé Ngaradoum, Sansay Youl, Francois Lompo, Joseph Opoku Fening, editors.
Summary: Improving fertilizer recommendations for increased return from fertilizer investments and optimized crop response to fertilizer has been a major area of investigation of IFDC. Since 2008, IFDC through its Natural Resource Management (NRM) Program has partnered with national agricultural research services to undertake research, development and extensive on-farm trials in various agroecosystems in West Africa to develop site specific fertilizer recommendations for crops. Validation trials have been conducted in many countries (Benin (maize, cassava), Burkina (rice, maize and sorghum) Ghana (maize, cocoa and cassava) and Togo (maize and cassava). However, these fertilizer recommendation data remain scattered and most of them need final statistical analysis before they can be fully utilized and/or scaled out. As part of its efforts to improve fertilizer use and efficiency in West Africa, and following the recent adoption of the West African fertilizer recommendation action plan (RAP) by ECOWAS, IFDC has taken technical lead with key partner institutions and experts to build on previous and current fertilizer recommendations for various crops and countries in West Africa for wider uptake by public policy makers and fertilizer industry actors.
Contents:
Intro; Preface; Scientific Steering Committee; Contents;
Chapter 1: Combining the DSSAT Model with Experimentation to Update Recommendations of Fertilizer Rates for Rice and Maize in ... ; 1.1 Introduction; 1.2 Materials and Methods; 1.2.1 Site Description; 1.2.2 Methodology for Updating Recommendations of Fertilizer Rates for Rice Production; 1.2.2.1 Experimental Design for Nutrient Omission Trials; 1.2.2.2 Experimental Device for Studying the Response of Rice to Nitrogen and Phosphorus; 1.2.2.3 Farming Operations; 1.2.2.4 Data Analysis. 1.3 Methodology for Updating Recommendations of Fertilizer Rates for Maize Production1.3.1 Conduct of Validation Trials; 1.3.2 Determination of the Optimal Fertilizer Rate; 1.4 Results; 1.4.1 Diagnosis of Soil Fertility in Irrigated Rice Farming; 1.4.2 Rice Response to Increasing Rates of N and P; 1.4.3 Economic Evaluation of Nitrogen and Phosphorus Recommendations; 1.4.4 Effects of Fertilizer Rates on Maize Yields in Western Burkina Faso; 1.4.5 Effects of Fertilizer Rates on Maize Yields in Eastern Burkina Faso; 1.4.6 Optimal Fertilizer Rate for Western Burkina Faso using the DSSAT Model. 1.4.7 Optimal Rate for Eastern Burkina Faso1.5 Discussion; 1.5.1 Limiting Nutrients; 1.5.2 Optimal Rates of Nitrogen and Phosphorus for Rice Production; 1.5.3 Effects of Fertilizer Rates on Maize Yields; 1.6 Conclusion; References;
Chapter 2: Participatory Evaluation of Productivity, Fertility Management, and Dissemination of Irrigated Exotic Vegetables in ... ; 2.1 Introduction; 2.2 Materials and Methods; 2.2.1 Site Description; 2.2.2 Participatory Approach to Experiments, Demonstration, and Practices; 2.2.3 Design of Field Experiments for Irrigated Vegetable Production. 2.2.4 Design of Field Experiments for Subsequent Rain Fed Millet Production2.2.5 Farmer Survey; 2.2.6 Soil Sampling and Analysis; 2.3 Results; 2.3.1 Results of Mother and Group Baby Trials; 2.3.2 Results of Individual Baby Trials; 2.4 Discussion; 2.4.1 Productivity of Exotic Vegetables with Fertilizer Application; 2.4.2 Land Productivity in Vegetable Cultivation; 2.5 Conclusions; References;
Chapter 3: Recommendation of a New Fertilizer Rate for Rice in the Irrigated Areas of the Niger River Valley; 3.1 Introduction; 3.2 Materials and Methods; 3.2.1 Materials; 3.2.1.1 Experimental Site. 3.2.1.2 Biological Material3.2.2 Methods; 3.2.2.1 Choice of Farmers and Investigation Process; 3.2.2.2 Sampling and Analysis of Soil Samples; 3.2.2.3 Agronomic Trial; 3.3 Results and Discussions; 3.3.1 Results; 3.3.1.1 Soil Physico-chemical Characteristics in the Four Irrigated Areas of the Study; 3.3.1.2 Fertilizer Use by Farmers; 3.3.1.3 Effect of Treatments on Rice Yields; 3.3.2 Discussions; 3.4 Conclusion; References;
Chapter 4: The Interactive Effect of Residue Quality, Quantity, Soil Texture and N Management on Maize Crop Yield in Ghana; 4.1 Introduction; 4.2 Materials and Methods.