Browsing by Author "Wasilwa, L. A."
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Item Effectiveness of Indigenous Bradyrhizobium Strains on Promiscuous Soybean Genotypes(2012) Wasilwa, L. A.; Mungai, N. W.; Wasike, V. W.; Wachira, F.N.; Mumera, L. M.; Vanlauwe, B.; Kenya Agricultural Research Institute P.O BOX 57811 NAIROBISmall-holder fanners frequently cannot cope with the high and ever increasing prices of inorganic fertilizers. Consequently, low yields, chronic food and nutritional insecurity are frequent phenomena. Cheaper and sustainable alternatives to improving soil fertility especially for N are being sought. The use of indigenous strains of Bradyrhizobium inoculants offers a potential economic and sustainable option in meeting soybean nitrogen needs. Inoculation of soybean in Kenya has often relied on introduced rhizobia. This is because elite indigenous strains have not been isolated, tested and selected for use under local conditions. This study was conducted to assess the nodulation and nitrogen fixation of nine indigenous Bradyrhizobium strains inoculated on three promiscuous soybean varieties grown in sand under greenhouse conditions. Three soybean and nine indigenous Bradyrhizobium strains genotypes were evaluated in a randomized complete block design. There was a significant (PItem Evaluation of the Rhizosphere Soil pH and Electrical Conductivity of Bixa Treated with Different Fertilizer Amendments(African Journal of Horticultural Science, 2021-03) Pole, F.N.; Gweyi-Onyango, P. J.; Ambuko, J.; Wasilwa, L. A.Bixa orellana L. is a shrub that is commercially known as ‘annato’. The main product that is obtained from Bixa orellana is an organic dye which is present in the seed coat, commercially called ‘annatto’. It is widely used in the cosmetic and the food industry for giving red to orange-yellow colours. Bixa farming in Kenya has declined since the 1970’s due to the use of cheap synthetic materials. However, the limited use of synthetic food colours has triggered a high demand for natural bixa. A study was undertaken in Kwale County with the objective of evaluating the Rhizosphere soil pH and Electrical Conductivity (EC) of bixa plants treated with different fertilizer amendments. This was done in Shimoni at the Kenya bixa nucleus farm where bixa plants of the same age were subjected to treatments of different levels of organic (poultry manure at 5 tons/ha and 10 tons/ha respectively) and inorganic fertilizers (NPK 17: 17: 17 at 100 kg/ha and 150 kg/ha) as well as a combination of the two (manure 2.5 tons plus NPK 50 kg/ha and manure 5 tons plus NPK 75 kg/ha respectively) with a control, in a randomized complete block design with 3 replications. Bixa roots from each treatment were dug out and analysed for the rhizosphere soil pH and electrical conductivity respectively. The results revealed that the rhizosphere soil pH improved with the application of both organic and inorganic fertilizer soil amendments from 5.78 to 6.5. The treatment in which manure was applied at the rate of 10 tons/ha produced significantly higher levels of rhizosphere pH than the rest. On the soil rhizosphere EC, the study revealed that the EC significantly reduced with increased use of organic fertilizer amendments to as low as 0.2 (mS*/cm). The application rate of manure at 10 tons/ha recorded the lowest EC levels.
