The contribution of root and leaf litter to soil nitrogen dynamics, nitrogen uptake and balance was evaluated under cereal–legume rotations in a tropical moist savanna soil. Two legumes, soyabean (Glycine max) and stylo (Stylosanthes hamata), and maize (Zea mays) as a control were grown in four farmers' fields of different native fertility in 1993. At the end of the season, soyabean grain and stover were harvested and stylo biomass was removed for fodder. At the beginning of the 1994 season levels of total mineral nitrogen at a soil depth of 0–30 cm were 75, 52 and 44 kg ha−1 following soyabean, stylo and maize respectively. Total nitrogen uptake by maize was over 25% higher following legumes than following maize. Maize yield was 20 and 24% higher when grown after stylo and soyabean than after maize in spite of the removal of the standing legume biomass from the plots. Sorghum grain yield and nitrogen uptake were not significantly affected by the previous crops. Nitrogen balance estimates indicated that loss of nitrogen, probably due to leaching, was lowest in the plots previously planted with stylo. Results indicated opportunities to integrate appropriate legume-based technologies into the farming systems based on an identification of inherent nitrogen-release patterns.
Residues remaining after the harvest of crop and forestry products are being proposed as a substantial energy source for the nation. An estimated 22 percent of the residues might be utilized, providing a renewable source of high-grade energy with the potential of supplying 1 percent of the current U.S. gasoline consumption as ethanol or 4 percent of the total electrical energy used. These net energy benefits are limited by high energy costs to collect, transport, and process the residues. Environmental threats include soil erosion, water runoff, and nutrient loss.
Summary
The dynamics of weed populations were ana lysed in intensified cereal‐based cropping sys tems of the northern Guinea savanna in Nigeria, A total of four common weed associations were identified through cluster analysis. Five factors describing soil fertility conditions and field his tory best differentiated the weed communities according to a discriminant model. The analysis shows that maize‐based cropping systems with a high frequency of cereal cropping and a low fre quency of noncereal cropping tended to be domi nated by weeds such as Commelina spp. and Kyllinga squamulata. As soil fertility declined, Vernonia spp. and Eclipta prostrata became more important. Increased frequency of noncereal crops in mixed cropping with cereals was associ ated with reduced incidence of weeds such as Leucas martinicensis, Oldenlandia corymbosa, Spermacoce verticillata, Litdwigia hyssopifolia, Celosia laxa, and,Ipomoea spp. Further diversifi cation of cereal‐based systems to obtain a re duced frequency of cereals is likely to increase the incidence of Dactvloctenium aegyptium in crop fields. The information provides guidance for technology development and transfer on weed control for intensifying systems in the northern Guinea savanna of Africa.
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