Browsing by Author "Lusike, W.A."
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Item Integrating Inorganic and Organic Fertilizers in Cropping Systems for the Transformation of Maize Productivity in Nakuru County(East African Agricultural and Forestry Journa, 2023) Ooro, P.A.; Mwangi, H.G.; Esilaba, A.O.; Nyongesa, D.; Miriti, J.M.; Okoti, M.; Lusike, W.A.; Githunguri, C.; Thuranira, E.G.; Moraa, L.M.; Luvonga, J.; Osoo, J.O.; Bor, P.K.; Kenya Agricultural Livestock & Research Organization -Njoro (KALRO), Headquaters & KabeteDespite the immense significance of maize (Zea mays L.) for Kenya’s economic prosperity and food security, productivity and production have not significantly increased over time. This is attributed to a number of things, including decreased soil fertility. In order to ascertain the applicability of Integrated Soil Fertility Management (ISFM), a study was carried out between 2016 and 2017 in Nakuru County at the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO), Njoro Centre, Nakuru County. The treatments were arranged in a split-split plot in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) replicated four times. Soil and water conservation (SWC) and conventional tillage (CT) were allocated to the main plot, the split-plots and fertilizer sources i.e Farm yard manure (FYM), Nitrogen (N) and Phosphoros (P) fertilizers to the split-split plot. Kenya Seed Company maize hybrid (H6213) and Egerton bean variety (Chelalang) were used as test crops. A variety of maize and bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L) characteristics, such as plant stand at germination, plant vigor, days to 50% blooming, days to 50% maturity, plant stand at harvest, number of pods per plant, number of cobs, number of seeds per pod, grain yield, and 100-grain weight, were all recorded. Applying a full rate of inorganic fertilizer resulted in significantly maize yields (P< 0.05) compared to all other fertility management strategies, with the exception of those where a half rate of both inorganic and organic fertilizers was applied. The results further showed that the use of inorganic fertilizer alone considerably increased maize output whether cultivated as a sole crop or an intercrop compared to farmyard manure applied alone or in conjunction with inorganic fertilizer.
