Soil management technologies for climate change adaptation and mitigation are needed to increase and sustain food production in smallholder agriculture while sequestering inert carbon in the soil. In a field studies a...Soil management technologies for climate change adaptation and mitigation are needed to increase and sustain food production in smallholder agriculture while sequestering inert carbon in the soil. In a field studies at Crops Research Institute, Kwadaso-Kumasi Ghana, a control treatment, five inorganic fertilizer combinations （P30K60, N60P30K60, N120P30K60, NlsoP30K60 and N24oP3oK6o） and four biochar rates ＋ inorganic fertilizer （2 t/ha Biochar ＋ N60P30K60, 4 t/ha Biochar ＋ N60P30K60, 6 t/ha Biochar ＋ N6oP3oK6o and 8 t/ha Biochar ＋N6oP3oK6o） were assessed for their effect on soil moisture storage, soil available nitrogen and crop yield. The test crop was okra. Biochar amendments increased soil moisture storage by 14% relative to sole inorganic fertilizer applications. Biochar ＋ inorganic fertilizer relative to sole inorganic fertilizer increased soil available nitrate concentration by 85% at 0-15 cm soil depth but decreased soil ammonium-N by 71%. Compared to control, inorganic fertilizer （P3oK6o） resulted in more than 100% increase in okra fresh fruit yield. Addition of 60 kg N/ha to P3oK6o caused 23% decline in okra fresh fruit yield but showed 60% more okra fresh fruit yield than the control. Inorganic N rates of 120,180 kg N/ha and 240 kg N/ha combined with P3oK6o however caused a decline of 74% in okra fresh fruit yield. Biochar ＋ inorganic fertilizer increased okra fresh fruit yield by 100% compared to sole inorganic fertilizer. Biochar, an inert carbon, combined with inorganic fertilizer has tremendous potential to address food insecurity through soil moisture storage and soil N availability.展开更多
Though Ghana＇s crop yield growth rate was at 17%, 5% of every 1.2 million Ghanaians have insufficient and limited access to nutritious food. Climate change and climate variability have enormously affected the state o...Though Ghana＇s crop yield growth rate was at 17%, 5% of every 1.2 million Ghanaians have insufficient and limited access to nutritious food. Climate change and climate variability have enormously affected the state of agricultural productivity and hence could result in food insecurity. As many ongoing projects use Boolean suitability analysis, land use planning, management recommendations sores, it still remains inadequate to support rural resource poor farmers. This then, is affecting livelihood and agricultural productivity. In this paper, a geostatistical quantitative method to support a geographic information system （GIS） based on multi-criteria decision support system （GMCDSS） for an enhanced land suitability assessment （LSA） and landuse planning （LP） was devised. Project findings indicated that, recommended farm inputs could be estimated and applied accordingly at farm plot levels Soil amendment indicators （e.g., 1.0 t/ha lime ＋ 1.0 t/ha gypsum was estimated for liming） was quantified and currently, farmers can save money in soil fertility management. It has shown that, instead of applying 5.0 t/ha poultry manure （PM） or five bags of N-P-K fertilizer （rate of 15： 15： 15 N-P2O5-K2O/ha） ＋ two bags of sulphate of ammonia （SA）, a farmer may apply 2.0 t/ha PM ＋ two bags 15：15：15 N-P2O5-K2O/ha ＋ one bag of SA. GMCDSS assessment has proved to be fundamental in： （1） urban planning; （2） ensuring food security; （3） poverty reduction and interventions to the effects of climate change and climate variability.展开更多
文摘Soil management technologies for climate change adaptation and mitigation are needed to increase and sustain food production in smallholder agriculture while sequestering inert carbon in the soil. In a field studies at Crops Research Institute, Kwadaso-Kumasi Ghana, a control treatment, five inorganic fertilizer combinations （P30K60, N60P30K60, N120P30K60, NlsoP30K60 and N24oP3oK6o） and four biochar rates ＋ inorganic fertilizer （2 t/ha Biochar ＋ N60P30K60, 4 t/ha Biochar ＋ N60P30K60, 6 t/ha Biochar ＋ N6oP3oK6o and 8 t/ha Biochar ＋N6oP3oK6o） were assessed for their effect on soil moisture storage, soil available nitrogen and crop yield. The test crop was okra. Biochar amendments increased soil moisture storage by 14% relative to sole inorganic fertilizer applications. Biochar ＋ inorganic fertilizer relative to sole inorganic fertilizer increased soil available nitrate concentration by 85% at 0-15 cm soil depth but decreased soil ammonium-N by 71%. Compared to control, inorganic fertilizer （P3oK6o） resulted in more than 100% increase in okra fresh fruit yield. Addition of 60 kg N/ha to P3oK6o caused 23% decline in okra fresh fruit yield but showed 60% more okra fresh fruit yield than the control. Inorganic N rates of 120,180 kg N/ha and 240 kg N/ha combined with P3oK6o however caused a decline of 74% in okra fresh fruit yield. Biochar ＋ inorganic fertilizer increased okra fresh fruit yield by 100% compared to sole inorganic fertilizer. Biochar, an inert carbon, combined with inorganic fertilizer has tremendous potential to address food insecurity through soil moisture storage and soil N availability.
文摘Though Ghana＇s crop yield growth rate was at 17%, 5% of every 1.2 million Ghanaians have insufficient and limited access to nutritious food. Climate change and climate variability have enormously affected the state of agricultural productivity and hence could result in food insecurity. As many ongoing projects use Boolean suitability analysis, land use planning, management recommendations sores, it still remains inadequate to support rural resource poor farmers. This then, is affecting livelihood and agricultural productivity. In this paper, a geostatistical quantitative method to support a geographic information system （GIS） based on multi-criteria decision support system （GMCDSS） for an enhanced land suitability assessment （LSA） and landuse planning （LP） was devised. Project findings indicated that, recommended farm inputs could be estimated and applied accordingly at farm plot levels Soil amendment indicators （e.g., 1.0 t/ha lime ＋ 1.0 t/ha gypsum was estimated for liming） was quantified and currently, farmers can save money in soil fertility management. It has shown that, instead of applying 5.0 t/ha poultry manure （PM） or five bags of N-P-K fertilizer （rate of 15： 15： 15 N-P2O5-K2O/ha） ＋ two bags of sulphate of ammonia （SA）, a farmer may apply 2.0 t/ha PM ＋ two bags 15：15：15 N-P2O5-K2O/ha ＋ one bag of SA. GMCDSS assessment has proved to be fundamental in： （1） urban planning; （2） ensuring food security; （3） poverty reduction and interventions to the effects of climate change and climate variability.
