PHOSPHORUS AVAILABILITY AS AFFECTED BY THE APPLICATION OF PHOSPHATE ROCK COMBINED WITH ORGANIC MATERIALS TO ACID SOILS IN WESTERN KENYA

Abstract

Most of the agricultural lands in the highlands of western Kenya are depleted of plant nutrients, particularly phosphorus. This depletion has resulted in a continued decline in crop production in the area. Recent experiments, in which direct application of indigenous phosphate rocks were evaluated, have yielded variable results, depending on the relative reactivity of the rock phosphate tested. The effectiveness of rock phosphate was generally low compared with fertilizers such as triple super phosphate. This is attributed to the relatively low solubility of the rocks as opposed to the readily water soluble phosphorus fertilizers. Phosphate rocks are available locally and are cheaper than triple super phosphate. If the solubility of these phosphate rocks could be improved, the resource-poor smallholder farmers in western Kenya would have an affordable source of phosphorus for their crops. Greenhouse and field experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of combining different on-farm organic materials with the Minjingu rock phosphate (from Tanzania) on the availability of phosphorus to maize (Zea mays) in western Kenya. The greenhouse results indicated that there were significant positive linear relationships between rock phosphate application rates and (i) the Olsen-extractable soil phosphorus in the soil samples taken four weeks and nine weeks respectively after the application of the treatments; (ii) the dry matter yield, and (iii) phosphorus uptake. Results of the field experiments showed that rock phosphate combined with farmyard manure or crop residues (maize stover) generally increased the Olsen-extractable soil phosphorus, maize yields and phosphorus uptake, particularly in the first season when both the Minjingu rock phosphate and organic materials were applied, but the effectiveness of the materials and their combinations varied between the two sites. Combining Minjingu rock phosphate with the organic materials improved its relative agronomic effectiveness for maize.