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Maize stover transfers from maize fields to banana-based agroforestry homegardens and the corresponding nutrient flows in central-northern Tanzania

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Title Maize stover transfers from maize fields to banana-based agroforestry homegardens and the corresponding nutrient flows in central-northern Tanzania
 
Creator Meya, A.I.
Swennen, R.
Ndakidemi, P.A.
Mtei, K.M.
Merckx, R.
 
Subject sustainability
maize
bananas
domestic gardens
nutrients
agroforestry
nutrient balance
livestock manure
agroecosystems
 
Description Open Access Journal
Maize (Zea mays) stover produced in the drier lowland areas on the volcanic foot slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro serves as an important additional fodder for smallholder zero-grazed dairy cattle farming in the humid highland areas of the region. The obtained cattle manure is used to replenish nutrients and manage soil fertility in banana-based agroforestry homegardens of the highlands, which contributes significantly to sustaining crop production, thus food security and the livelihoods of the community. The study aims to provide a preliminary evaluation of the amounts of stover removed from smallholder maize-based fields in the lowlands and the subsequent nutrient flows to the banana-based agroforestry homegardens of the highlands. In 54 smallholder maize fields selected at random from 11 villages in the Hai and Siha districts of the Kilimanjaro region, we conducted an agronomic survey to record the types and amounts of fertilizer used, plant spacing at harvest, and maize stover biomass yield. Most of the surveyed maize-based fields received inadequate nutrient inputs, which were limited to mineral nitrogen alone if any. Of the surveyed fields, 16.7% received recommended
amounts of 74 kg N ha􀀀1 by the Ministry of Agriculture, 46.3% suboptimal amounts and 37.0% did not receive fertilizer at all. Plant density was only 50% of the recommended population density. While this was only a preliminary study on nutrient flows between maize and banana-based agroecosystems, our findings demonstrated that potassium exports via harvested banana bunches exceeded the inputs in the home gardens. We conclude that (i) soil fertility management techniques, preferably integrated soil fertility management, suitable for small-scale maize production in the lowlands should be formulated while optimizing plant density to increase production, (ii) maize-based agroforestry farming system adapted to drier conditions to deal with windstorm and soil erosion problems in the lowlands is urgently needed, and (iii) wider and more detailed research on nutrient flows between maize and banana-based agroecosystems should be conducted to document their respective soil nutrient balances and the sustainability of such practice.
 
Date 2023
2023-07-26T12:26:50Z
2023-07-26T12:26:50Z
 
Type Journal Article
 
Identifier Meya, A.I., Swennen, R., Ndakidemi, P.A., Mtei, K.M. & Merckx, R . (2023). Maize stover transfers from maize fields to banana-based agroforestry homegardens and the corresponding nutrient flows in central-northern Tanzania. Frontiers in Forests and Global Change, 6:1131328, 1-10.
2624-893X
https://hdl.handle.net/10568/131296
https://doi.org/10.3389/ffgc.2023.1131328
BIOTECH & PLANT BREEDING
 
Language en
 
Rights CC-BY-4.0
Open Access
 
Format 1-10
application/pdf
 
Publisher Frontiers Media SA
 
Source Frontiers in Forests and Global Change