Local communities often have substantial knowledge related to trends in soil quality and the associated limiting factors. Despite this, soil quality (SQ) degradation is a critical problem in Ethiopia and there is little or insufficient scientific information documenting local community experience...
The decline of cooking banana production in parts of East Africa has been associated with a loss of soil fertility and increased pest pressure. Previous work indicated that the use of mineral fertilizers at recommended rates is not financially viable on plantations where pest pressure is high. Th...
Ssali, H.
,
McIntyre, B.
,
Gold, C.
,
Kashaija, I.
,
Kizito, F.
,
[Effects of mulch and mineral fertilizer on crop, weevil and soil quality parameters in highland banana]
,
Effects of mulch and mineral fertilizer on crop, weevil and soil quality parameters in highland banana
Degradation of crop and grazing lands is a pervasive problem that negatively impacts agricultural productivity and livelihoods of crop-livestock farmers in the Blue Nile basin of Ethiopia. Area enclosure together with a cut and carry livestock feeding system is often advocated as an approach for ...
Erkossa, Teklu
,
Geleti, D.
,
Williams, Timothy O.
,
Laekemariam, F.
,
Haileslassie, Amare
,
[Restoration of grazing land to increase biomass production and improve soil properties in the Blue Nile Basin: effects of infiltration trenches and Chloris gayana reseeding]
,
Restoration of grazing land to increase biomass production and improve soil properties in the Blue Nile Basin: effects of infiltration trenches and Chloris gayana reseeding
Though soil quality (SQ) degradation is a serious challenge to national food security, little information is available that evaluate farmer SQ knowledge vis-à-vis scientific knowledge at catchment scale in Ethiopia. Scientific soil analysis is not an effective approach for SQ assessment in develo...
Brhane Tesfahunegn, Gebrayesus
,
Tamene, Lulseged
,
Vlek, Paul L.G.
,
[Evaluation of soil quality identified by local farmers in Mai-Negus catchment, northern Ethiopia]
,
Evaluation of soil quality identified by local farmers in Mai-Negus catchment, northern Ethiopia
To better understand the complex mechanisms of action of earthworms on plants, we set up an experimental system using the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh, Aporrectodea caliginosa a common temperate earthworm and two types of soil with contrasted contents in organic matter and nutrient...
Jana, U
,
Barot, S
,
Blouin, Manuel
,
Lavelle, Patrick M.
,
Laffray, D
,
Repellin, A
,
[Earthworms influence the production of above- and belowground biomass and the expression of genes involved in cell proliferation and stress responses in Arabidopsis thaliana]
,
Earthworms influence the production of above- and belowground biomass and the expression of genes involved in cell proliferation and stress responses in Arabidopsis thaliana
In this study, the impact of forest disturbance on earthworm assemblages was assessed using monoliths dug out at 5 m intervals along a gradient of land-use intensification. The land-use types comprised primary forest (as a baseline), secondary forest, tree plantation, fallow, perennial and annual...
Tondoh, Jérôme E.
,
Guei, AM
,
Csyzdum, C
,
Okoth, Peter F.
,
[Effect of land-use on the earthworm assemblages in semi-deciduous forests of Central-West Ivory Coast]
,
Effect of land-use on the earthworm assemblages in semi-deciduous forests of Central-West Ivory Coast
Data on earthworm surface cast deposition in undisturbed, cropped and recovering sites from West and Central Africa were compiled to assess the effects of land use system (LUS) change and if casting can be used to indicate soil quality. Annual cast deposition in undisturbed systems was significan...
Hauser, S.
,
Norgrove, L.
,
Asawalam, D.
,
Schulz, S.
,
[Effect of land use change, cropping systems and soil type on earthworm cast production in West and Central Africa]
,
Effect of land use change, cropping systems and soil type on earthworm cast production in West and Central Africa
Sampling and analysis or visual examination of soil to assess its status and use potential is widely practiced from plot to national scales. However, the choice of relevant soil attributes and interpretation of measurements are not straightforward, because of the complexity and site-specificity o...
Bünemann, Else K.
,
Bongiorno, Giulia
,
Bai, Zhanguo
,
Creamer, Rachel E.
,
Deyn, Gerlinde de
,
Goede, Ron G.M. de
,
Fleskens, Luuk
,
Geissen, Violette
,
Kuyper, Thomas W.
,
Mäder, Paul
,
Pulleman, Mirjam
,
Sukkel, Wijnand
,
Groenigen, Jan Willem van
,
Brussaard, Lijbert
,
[Soil quality – A critical review]
,
Soil quality – A critical review
We report on an attempt to distinguish cropped from fallowed land and young from old fallow by the rate of decomposition of a standard material, to contribute towards the development of simple, yet reliable indicators of soil quality and agricultural sustainability on tropical soils. In three sou...
Hauser, S.
,
Gang, E.
,
Norgrove, L.
,
Birang, M.
,
[Decomposition of plant material as an indicator of ecosystem disturbance in tropical land use systems]
,
Decomposition of plant material as an indicator of ecosystem disturbance in tropical land use systems
A water and soil quality baseline study was carried out across the ~ 4500 km2 Vientiane Plain in Lao PDR. Eight water quality and nine soil parameters were analysed using field kits at 95 sites in March 2015. Elevated electrical conductivity and chloride were apparent at two sites due to geogenic...
Brindha, Karthikeyan
,
Pavelic, Paul
,
Sotoukee, T.
,
[Environmental assessment of water and soil quality in the Vientiane Plain, Lao PDR]
,
Environmental assessment of water and soil quality in the Vientiane Plain, Lao PDR