Kenya Agricultural Research Institute- National Agricultural Research Laboratory Annual Report 2005

Abstract

Integrated nutrient management (INM), a combined use of mineral and organic inputs, is perceived to be one strategy of enhancing nutrient use efficiency. In Sub-Saharan Africa, declining organic resource availability and the high cost of mineral fertilizer, often restrict application. There is therefore need to provide guidelines for more efficient use of diminishing organic resource use innovations that gain immediate acceptance by stakeholders. Soil nutrient stocks are regarded as capital stocks while nutrient fluxes are service flows in economic terms. The recapitalization approach is therefore to determine the minimal size of the nutrient stock that will minimize the service flow. Objectives addressed in this study were to find out if biomass transfer manures (compost, poultry and tithonia) can substitute urea and whether mega dose application strategy (once in three years application) is more economical and feasible than annual dose application strategy.