Mucuna pruriens and Lablab purpureus can immediately benefit from rock phosphate (RP), but as both herbaceous legumes have only limited economic value, these benefits are only meaningful if yields of a subsequent maize crop are improved. The impact of RP application to Mucuna and Lablab on grain ...
Vanlauwe, Bernard
,
Diels, J.
,
Sanginga, P.
,
Carsky, R.
,
Deckers, J.
,
Merckx, R.
,
[Utilization of rock phosphate by crops on a representative toposequence in the northern Guinea savanna zone of Nigeria: response by maize to previous herbaceous legume cropping and rock phospate treatments]
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Utilization of rock phosphate by crops on a representative toposequence in the northern Guinea savanna zone of Nigeria: response by maize to previous herbaceous legume cropping and rock phospate treatments
The impact of land use (unfertilized continuous maize cropping, unfertilized and fertilized alley cropping with maize, Gliricidia sepium tree fallow, natural fallow) on the soil organic matter (SOM) status and general soil fertility characteristics were investigated for a series of soils represen...
Vanlauwe, Bernard
,
Aihou, K.
,
Tossah, S.
,
Aman, B.K.
,
Diels, J.
,
Lyasse, O.
,
Hauser, S.
,
Sanginga, P.
,
Merckx, R.
,
[Nitrogen and phosphorus uptake by maize as affected by particulate organic matter quality, soil characteristics, and landuse history for soils from the West African moist savanna zone]
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Nitrogen and phosphorus uptake by maize as affected by particulate organic matter quality, soil characteristics, and landuse history for soils from the West African moist savanna zone
Data from the derived savanna zone in southern Benin indicated that some intensive cropping systems (maize/Cajanus and maize/Mucuna relays; maize/cotton with Senna siamea hedgerows) returned about 12 Mg DM ha-1 year-1 of plant biomass to the soil. This compared favorably with the 8 Mg DM ha-1 yea...
Diels, J.
,
Lyasse, O.
,
Sanginga, N.
,
Vanlauwe, Bernard
,
Aihou, K.
,
Iwuafor, E.N.O.
,
Merckx, R.
,
Deckers, J.
,
[Options for soil organic carbon maintenance under intensive cropping in the West African savanna]
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Options for soil organic carbon maintenance under intensive cropping in the West African savanna
In cover cropping systems in the tropics with herbaceous legumes, plant residues are expected to supply nitrogen (N) to non-legume crops during decomposition. Field experiments were carried out to (i) determine the effects of residue quality on decomposition and N release patterns of selected pla...
Sanginga, P.
,
Vanlauwe, Bernard
,
Merckx, R.
,
Ibewiro, B.
,
[Nitrogen contributions from decomposing cover crop residues to maize in a tropical derived savanna]
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Nitrogen contributions from decomposing cover crop residues to maize in a tropical derived savanna
Populations of plant parasitic nematodes and their effects on symbiotic nitrogen (N) fixation in herbaceous legumes and on some selected characteristics of other plant species associated with such cover crops were studied. Two legume species [mucuna, Mucuna pruriens (L) DC. var. utilis (Wright) B...
Sanginga, P.
,
Vanlauwe, Bernard
,
Merckx, R.
,
Ibewiro, B.
,
[Influence of phytoparasitic nematodes on symbiotic N2 fixation in tropical herbaceous legume cover crops]
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Influence of phytoparasitic nematodes on symbiotic N2 fixation in tropical herbaceous legume cover crops
Reliable estimates of symbiotically fixed N2 in herbaceous legumes are important in order to determine their role in maintaining or improving N levels in tropical low-external-input farming systems. We have studied the effects of different management systems on the suitability of two non-N2-fixin...
Ibewiro, B.
,
Sanginga, P.
,
Vanlauwe, Bernard
,
Merckx, R.
,
[Evaluation of symbiotic dinitrogen inputs of herbaceous legumes into tropical cover crop systems]
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Evaluation of symbiotic dinitrogen inputs of herbaceous legumes into tropical cover crop systems
The fate of 15N-labeled plant residues from different cover-cropping systems and labeled inorganic N fertilizer in the organic, soil mineral, microbial biomass and soil organic matter (SOM) particle-size fractions was investigated in a sandy Lixisol. Plant residues were from mucuna (legume), labl...
Ibewiro, B.
,
Vanlauwe, Bernard
,
Sanginga, P.
,
Merckx, R.
,
[Transformations and recovery of residue and fertilizer nitrogen15 in a sandy Lixisol of West Africa]
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Transformations and recovery of residue and fertilizer nitrogen15 in a sandy Lixisol of West Africa
Sulfur (S) deficiency in soils is increasingly recognized in agricultural systems. The quantification of S mineralization/immobilization processes after incorporation of organic materials into soils is a key factor to predict the availability of S to growing plants. However, immobilization and mi...
Nziguheba, G.
,
Smolders, E.
,
Merckx, R.
,
[The mineralization of sulfur from organic residues measured by inverse isotope dilution]
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The mineralization of sulfur from organic residues measured by inverse isotope dilution
Phosphorus (P) uptake by plant roots depends on P intensity (I) and P quantity (Q) in the soil. The relative importance of Q and I on P uptake is unknown for soils with large P sorption capacities because of difficulties in determining trace levels of P in the soil solution. We applied a new isot...
Pypers, Pieter
,
Delrue, J
,
Diels, J.
,
Smolders, E
,
Merckx, R.
,
[Phosphorus intensity determines short-term P uptake by pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan L.) grown in soils with differing P buffering capacity : Comparison of E- and L-values]
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Phosphorus intensity determines short-term P uptake by pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan L.) grown in soils with differing P buffering capacity : Comparison of E- and L-values
There are several indications that legumes are capable of accessing sparingly soluble phosphorus (P) in the soil through root-induced processes. We hypothesize that this plant-induced mobilization of P can be demonstrated if the plant accessible P assessed by isotopic dilution ( L-value ) exceeds...
Pypers, Pieter
,
Loon, L. van
,
Diels, J.
,
Abaidoo, R.C.
,
Smolders, E
,
Merckx, R.
,
[Plant-available P for maize and cowpea in P-deficient soils from the Nigerian Northern Guinea savanna : Comparison of E- and L-values]
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Plant-available P for maize and cowpea in P-deficient soils from the Nigerian Northern Guinea savanna : Comparison of E- and L-values