A comparative analysis on the use of organic and inorganic fertilizers in cocoa production and their impact on the soil: (a case study of selected cocoa farms in Tafo in the East- Akim District in the Eastern Region)
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Date
2016-03-23
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Abstract
In sustainable agricultural systems, recycling of nutrients is a major component of
nutrient management. Cocoa as a perennial crop requires high nutritional supply for its
proper growth and development. The continual uptake of nutrients from the soil by
cocoa results in a likely degradation of soil nutrients overtime, hence there is the need to
apply fertilizers in cocoa production to replenish the lost nutrients. A case study was
conducted on ten cocoa farms in Tafo in the East-Akim District in the Eastern Region to
investigate the use of organic and inorganic fertilizer application and their effects on
soilphysico-chemical and biological properties and howthe effects impact cocoa
production. Treatments included organic fertilization, inorganic fertilizer application
and these were compared to control plots, which were plots of virgin forest. The
treatments were fitted in a Completely Randomized, Design (CRD), each with five (5),
replications. The inorganic farms showed increased levels of the plants’ major
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nutrients such as available phosphorus, total nitrogen, exchangeable potassium (K ),
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Calcium (Ca ) and magnesium (Mg ). However these farms recorded reduced values
for soil pH, organic matter content and reduction in soil biofauna both in biomass and
diversity. Soil from the organic farms on the other hand recorded increased values in
soil pH, organic matter content and more soil microbes were contained in such farms
both in diversity and in biomass. The organic farms recorded low levels of soil major
nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus and exchangeable bases. The control plots
(forests) on the other hand recorded the highest values in almost all the parameters
considered. Additions of amendments did not significantly (p 0.05) influence the levels
of the major soil nutrients that were measured, however subsequent application of
chemical fertilizers was likely to render the soil acidic on the bases of the results
obtained for soil pH. There were also significant differences between the values
recorded for all the species of bacteria and fungi and also some species of Nematodes,
with the three treatments. Results of the study suggested that integrating organic and
inorganic fertilizers would be effective in restoring the productivity of degraded soils
and enhance the growth and development of Cocoa.
Description
A thesis submitted to the School of Graduate Studies, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of the Degree of Master of Science.