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Ernest B, Eltigani A, Yanda PZ, Hansson A, Fridahl M. Evaluation of selected organic fertilizers on conditioning soil health of smallholder households in Karagwe, Northwestern Tanzania. Heliyon 2024; 10:e26059. [PMID: 38384502 PMCID: PMC10878946 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e26059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2023] [Revised: 02/06/2024] [Accepted: 02/07/2024] [Indexed: 02/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Soil management is a strategy for improving soil suffering from problems such as low pH, nutrient deficiency, and erosion. The study evaluated the effects of human urine (HU), biogas slurry (BS), standard compost (StC), animal manure (AM), and synthetic fertilizer (SF) in comparison with no soil fertility management (NFM) on soil pH, cation exchange capacity (CEC), soil organic carbon (SOC), soil moisture content, nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), sodium (Na), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), manganese (Mn), and iron (Fe) in the Karagwe district, a Northwestern Tanzania. Four household farms representing each soil amendment type were selected for soil sampling. A total of 192 soil samples were collected and air-dried. After laboratory analysis, BS-enriched soil had the highest pH (6.558), CEC (23.945 cmol+/kg), SOC (5.573%), soil moisture (5.573%), N (0.497%), P (247.130 mg/kg), K (3.036 cmol+/kg), Ca (18.983 cmol+/kg), Mg (4.076 cmol+/kg), Na (2.960 cmol+/kg), and Cu (12.548 mg/kg). Similar soil properties were lower in NFM than in the other soils. The soil properties on the chosen farms did not differ significantly depending on the sampling zone for each organic fertilizer. Therefore, the result indicates that all evaluated organic fertilizers improved soil health compared to NFM, but BS and HU fertilizers led to relatively better soil health improvements than StC, AM, and SF.
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Affiliation(s)
- Baraka Ernest
- Department of Medical Botany, Plant Breeding, and Agronomy, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, P.O Box 65001, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
- Institute of Resource Assessment, University of Dar es Salaam, P.O Box 35097, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
| | - Amna Eltigani
- Programme Area “Next-Generation Horticultural Systems”-HORTSYS, Leibniz Institute of Vegetable and Ornamental Crops (IGZ), DE-14979, Großbeeren, Germany
| | - Pius Z. Yanda
- Institute of Resource Assessment, University of Dar es Salaam, P.O Box 35097, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
| | - Anders Hansson
- Department of Thematic Studies: Environmental Change, Centre for Climate Science and Policy Research (CSPR), Linköping University, SE-58183, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Mathias Fridahl
- Department of Thematic Studies: Environmental Change, Centre for Climate Science and Policy Research (CSPR), Linköping University, SE-58183, Linköping, Sweden
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Serrani D, Cocco S, Cardelli V, D'Ottavio P, Rafael RBA, Feniasse D, Vilanculos A, Fernández-Marcos ML, Giosué C, Tittarelli F, Corti G. Soil fertility in slash and burn agricultural systems in central Mozambique. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2022; 322:116031. [PMID: 36055093 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.116031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2022] [Revised: 08/09/2022] [Accepted: 08/15/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Slash and burn is a land use practice widespread all over the world, and nowadays it is formally recognized as the principal livelihood system in rural areas of South America, Asia, and Africa. The practice consists of a land rotation where users cut native or secondary forest to establish a new crop field and, in some cases, build charcoal kilns with the cut wood to produce charcoal. Due to several socio-economic changes in developing countries, some scientists and international organizations have questioned the sustainability of slash and burn since in some cases, crop yield does not justify the soil degradation caused. To estimate the soil quality in agricultural and forest soils at different ages of the forest-fallow period (25, 35, and 50 years), this survey investigated rural areas in three locations in Manica province, central Mozambique: Vanduzi, Sussundenga, and Macate. Soil profiles were trenched and sampled with a pedological approach under crop fields and forest-fallow. The chronosequence was selected to test the hypothesis that the increase in forest-fallow age causes an improvement of soil fertility. Results highlighted discrete variations among locations in mineralogy, Al- and Fe-oxyhydroxides, sand, silt, pH, total organic carbon, humic carbon, total nitrogen, available phosphorous, chloride, nitrate, fluoride, and ammonium. Few differences in mineralogy, Fe-oxyhydroxides, available P, chloride, and nitrate were detected between crop fields and forest-fallow within the same location. Such differences were mostly ascribed to intrinsic fertility inherited from the parent material rather than a longer forest-fallow period. However, physicochemical soil property improvement did not occur under a forest age of 50 years (the longest forest-fallow considered), indicating that harmonization of intrinsic fertility and agronomic practices may increase soil organic matter and nutrient contents more than a long forest-fallow period.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dominique Serrani
- Department of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences - D3A, Polytechnic University of Marche, 60131, Ancona, Italy.
| | - Stefania Cocco
- Department of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences - D3A, Polytechnic University of Marche, 60131, Ancona, Italy
| | - Valeria Cardelli
- Department of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences - D3A, Polytechnic University of Marche, 60131, Ancona, Italy
| | - Paride D'Ottavio
- Department of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences - D3A, Polytechnic University of Marche, 60131, Ancona, Italy
| | - Rogério Borguete Alves Rafael
- Department of Rural Engineering, Soil Science Division, Faculty of Agronomy and Forestry Engineering, University Eduardo Mondlane, Av. Julius Nyerere, No. 3435, P. Box 257, University Campus, Building #1, Maputo, Mozambique
| | - Domingos Feniasse
- Instituto de Investigação Agrária de Moçambique, Sussundenga Research Center, Manica, Mozambique
| | - Alcídio Vilanculos
- Instituto de Investigação Agrária de Moçambique, Sussundenga Research Center, Manica, Mozambique
| | - Maria Luisa Fernández-Marcos
- Department of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, Lugo, 27002, Spain; Instituto de Biodiversidade Agraria e Desenvolvemento Rural, Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, Lugo, 27002, Spain
| | - Chiara Giosué
- Department of Materials, Environmental Sciences, and Urban Planning - SIMAU, Polytechnic University of Marche, 60131, Ancona, Italy
| | - Francesca Tittarelli
- Department of Materials, Environmental Sciences, and Urban Planning - SIMAU, Polytechnic University of Marche, 60131, Ancona, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Corti
- Department of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences - D3A, Polytechnic University of Marche, 60131, Ancona, Italy; CREA - Council for Agricultural Research and Analysis of the Agricultural Economy, Centre of Agricultural and Environmental Research, 50125, Firenze, Italy
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Sorption and Desorption of Vanadate, Arsenate and Chromate by Two Volcanic Soils of Equatorial Africa. SOIL SYSTEMS 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/soilsystems5020022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Sorption of oxyanions by soils and mineral surfaces is of interest due to their role as nutrients or pollutants. Volcanic soils are variable charge soils, rich in active forms of aluminum and iron, and capable of sorbing anions. Sorption and desorption of vanadate, arsenate, and chromate by two African andosols was studied in laboratory experiments. Sorption isotherms were determined by equilibrating at 293 K soil samples with oxyanion solutions of concentrations between 0 and 100 mg L−1 V, As, or Cr, equivalent to 0−2.0 mmol V L−1, 0−1.3 mmol As L−1, and 0−1.9 mmol Cr L−1, in NaNO3; V, As, or Cr were determined by ICP-mass spectrometry in the equilibrium solution. After sorption, the soil samples were equilibrated with 0.02 M NaNO3 to study desorption. The isotherms were adjusted to mathematical models. After desorption with NaNO3, desorption experiments were carried out with a 1 mM phosphate. The sorption of vanadate and arsenate was greater than 90% of the amount added, while the chromate sorption was much lower (19–97%). The sorption by the Silandic Andosol is attributed to non-crystalline Fe and Al, while in the Vitric Andosol, crystalline iron species play a relevant role. The V and Cr sorption isotherms fitted to the Freundlich model, while the As sorption isotherms conformed to the Temkin model. For the highest concentrations of oxyanions in the equilibrating solution, the sorbed concentrations were 37–38 mmol V kg−1, 25 mmol As kg−1, and 7.2–8.8 mmol Cr kg−1. The desorption was low for V and As and high for Cr. The comparison of the sorption and desorption isotherms reveals a pronounced hysteresis for V in both andosols and for Cr in the Silandic Andosol. Phosphate induced almost no V desorption, moderate As desorption, and considerable Cr desorption.
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