Effects of Tillage and Crop Residue Application on Soybean Nitrogen Fixation in a Tropical Ferralsol

Job Kihara, Christopher Martius, Andre Bationo and Paul L. G. Vlek
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Job Kihara: Tropical Soil Biology and Fertility (TSBF) Institute of CIAT, Box 30677, Nairobi 00100, Kenya
Christopher Martius: Zentrum für Entwicklungsforschung (ZEF), Walter-Flex Str. 3, Bonn 53113, Germany
Andre Bationo: Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA-Alliance), CSIR Office Complex, #6 Agostino Neto Road, Airport Residential Area, PMP KIA 114, Airport-Accra, Ghana
Paul L. G. Vlek: Zentrum für Entwicklungsforschung (ZEF), Walter-Flex Str. 3, Bonn 53113, Germany

Agriculture, 2011, vol. 1, issue 1, 1-16

Abstract: This study was aimed at quantifying soybean ( Glycine max ) nitrogen fixation under reduced tillage (RT) and conventional tillage (CT) in a tropical Ferralsol of the sub-humid zone of western Kenya, using the isotope 15 N dilution method. Crop residue (CR) management was a superimposed treatment in soybean-maize rotation and intercropping systems. This study quantified N in abscised soybean leaves. Soybean-N derived from the atmosphere (%NDfA) ranged between 41–65%; it was higher ( P −1 with intercropping and 53–82 kg N ha −1 with rotation. Seasonal litter fall contained about 15 kg N ha −1 , with 54% NDfA. Annual nitrogen balances with soybean and maize grain removed were better in RT (−9 to −32 kg N ha −1 ) than in CT (−40 to −60 kg N ha −1 ). Application of P increased nodule weight ( P

Keywords: intercropping; litter fall; N balance; %NDFA; 15 N dilution (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2011
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