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Cassava Yield and Economic Response to Fertilizer in Tanzania, Kenya and Ghana
Author(s) -
Senkoro Catherine J.,
Tetteh Francis M.,
Kibunja Catherine N.,
NdunguMagiroi Keziah W.,
Quansah Gabriel W.,
Marandu Atanasio E.,
Ley George J.,
Mwangi Teresa J.,
Wortmann Charles S.
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
agronomy journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.752
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1435-0645
pISSN - 0002-1962
DOI - 10.2134/agronj2018.01.0019
Subject(s) - tanzania , nutrient , manihot esculenta , fertilizer , crop , agronomy , yield (engineering) , crop yield , mathematics , agroforestry , biology , environmental science , ecology , materials science , environmental planning , metallurgy
Core Ideas Cassava is a major food crop in tropical Africa Cassava is efficient in uptake of immobile nutrients. Cassava is highly responsive to applied N.Cassava ( Manihot esculenta Crantz) is a major food crop in Africa with little information of response to applied nutrients. Our objectives were to: determine cassava yield response to macronutrients for production areas in Ghana, Kenya and Tanzania; evaluate the effect Mg, S, Zn and B application; and determine agronomic efficiency (AE) and value cost ratio (VCR) for nutrient application. Fresh storage root yield with no fertilizer averaged 14.4 Mg ha −1 and mean yield increases due to 80 kg ha −1 N applied were 8.1, 6.5 and 9.0 Mg ha −1 in Ghana, Kenya and Tanzania. Storage root yield was increased 93% with P application for Aduma in Ghana and there was a curvilinear to plateau response to K at Wenchi Ghana. No other responses to P and K rates occurred, but an N × P synergism occurred in Tanzania. There were no responses to applied Mg, S, Zn, and B. The VCR for N at all sites was >2 indicating sufficient profit opportunity to make N application attractive to many financially constrained farmers. The mean soil organic C (SOC) was 8 g kg −1 ; the results may lose applicability with much higher SOC soils. Over all trials, application of 80 kg ha −1 N had, on average 8.44 Mg ha −1 increased yield with 105 kg kg −1 agronomic efficiency and 7.8 $ $ −1 profit to cost ratio. The results indicate that cassava is efficient in P and K uptake with restricted and little profit potential for P and K application in these countries, respectively.