Organic Manure Improves Soybean Response to Rhizobia Inoculant and P-Fertilizer in Northern Ghana
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2020
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Frontiers in Agronomy,
Abstract
Inherently low concentrations of soil nutrients and erratic rainfall pattern in sub-Sahara
Africa limit soybean response to rhizobia inoculant and P-fertilizer. The study was
conducted to: (i) improve soybean response to rhizobia inoculation and P-fertilizer
through the addition of organic manure; (ii) enhance rain water use efficiency and (iii)
determine the economic viability of combined application of the three factors in soybean
cropping systems in the Northern region of Ghana. A factorial experiment with two levels
of rhizobia inoculant, two levels of Phosphorus, two different kinds organic manure
[fertisoil (a commercially prepared compost from urban waste, rice husks, of poultry
manure and shea butter waste) and cattle manure] and a control arranged in randomized
complete block design with three replications was established on farmers’ fields. The
combined application of rhizobia inoculant, P-fertilizer, and organic manure markedly
increased nodulation, shoot biomass, haulms, harvest index (HI), P agronomic efficiency
(P-AE), and rain water use efficiency (RUE) compared to the control. The combined
application of rhizobia inoculant, P-fertilizer, and fertisoil increased grain yield by four-folds
whereas the combined application of rhizobia inoculant, P-fertilizer, and cattle manure
increased grain yield by three- folds. Harvest index, P-AE, and RUE were relatively higher
with the fertisoil treatment combinations than with the cattle manure combinations and
the control treatment. The application of rhizobia inoculant, P-fertilizer in combination
with fertisoil was profitable with VCR of 2 as compared to the combination of cattle
manure which had a VCR of 0.40. The results showed that fertisoil offers a better option
of improving soybean response to rhizobia inoculant and P-fertilizer; and has the potential
to enhance rain water use efficiency. However, the long term benefit must be quantified.
Description
This article is Published by Frontiers in Agronomy, 2020 and is also available at doi: 10.3389/fagro.2020.00009
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Frontiers in Agronomy, September 2020 | Volume 2 | Article 9