Could the Desmodium 'Push-Pull' System for Striga Control in Africa Work on Phelipanche Ramosa and Orobanche Crenata?

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Could the Desmodium 'Push-Pull' System for Striga Control in Africa Work on Phelipanche Ramosa and Orobanche Crenata? Could the Desmodium ‘push-pull’ system for Striga control in Africa work on Phelipanche ramosa and Orobanche crenata ? Mohamed Shrif • Alistair Murdoch • Irene Mueller-Harvey Push-pull habitat management system designed for control of maize stem borer DESMODIUM NAPIER PUSH PULL Photo by Sam Njihia, KARI, Kenya Sam by Njihia, Photo MAIZE Plot sizes: 15 x 15 to 50 x 50 metres Napier Desmodium Maize System developed by Khan and co-workers at ICIPE in Kenya The push-pull strategy in the field Photo from Francis Muyecko, KARI, Kenya “But my main problem is NOT stem borer, it’s Striga” “And mine is actually Orobanche/ Phelipanche” SERENDIPITY! Objectives • To determine whether this ‘push-pull’ control system developed by ICIPE in Western Kenya using Desmodium intortum (Silverleaf) and D. uncinatum (Greenleaf), could be adapted to control Phelipanche and Orobanche • Results here for two Greek seed lots (D1 and D6) of Phelipanche ramosa kindly supplied by Falia • Results not presented today on Orobanche crenata and also for Striga hermonthica. Experimental system Reading University, 2009/10 Desmodium No Phelipanche ramosa Desmodium Tube Tube Tomato Upper pots Desmodium Greenleaf or Lower pots Desmodium Silverleaf Host plants of Striga (Millet), Pea for O.crenata and Tomato for Phelipanche ramosa Shoots per pot Shoots per pot parasitising tomato parasitising of Shoots P. ramosa D1 Silverleaf + D1 P.ramosa LSD (P=0.05) = 32.80 = LSD (P=0.05) Greenleaf + D1 P. ramosa D6 Silverleaf + D6 Greenleaf + D6 (D1 & D6) parasitising tomato D6)parasitising (D1& of shoots of weight Dry Shoot dry weight per pot , mg mg , pot per dryShoot weight P. ramosa D1 Silverleaf + D1 Greenleaf + D1 P. ramosa D6 LSD =(P=0.05) mg 4.1 Silverleaf + D6 P.ramosa Greenleaf + D6 Flavonoid compounds affecting Striga hermonthica HPLC trace • Dual action A. Germination stimulation B. Inhibition of subsequent growth • Overall effects – reduced attachment to host B A – suicidal germination Inhibition of Germination stimulation subsequent growth From Pickett, Hamilton, Hooper, Khan and Midega (2010) Ann. Rev. Phytopathol. 2010.48:161- 177 Attachments (in vitro) study using conditioned and GR24-stimulated P. ramosa seeds and Desmodium greenleaf exudates at a range of concentrations So far so good Now for the bad news! Height, cm, of tomato 14 weeks after 14 planting tomato of cm, Height, Control Silverleaf Greenleaf P. ramosa D1 Silverleaf + D1 LSD, LSD, Greenleaf + D1 P =0.05 P. ramosa D6 Silverleaf + D6 Greenleaf + D6 Negative effects of Desmodium and P. ramosa on tomato Treatment Height Shoot weight Fruit weight Tomato only 120 cm 55 mg 31 mg Desmodium - 19% - 39% - 68% uncinatum (Silverleaf) Desmodium intortum - 21% - 38% - 62% (Greenleaf) P. ramosa seed lot D1 - 25% - 43% - 39% P. ramosa seed lot D1 - 48% - 69% - 36% + Silverleaf P. ramosa seed lot D1 - 36% - 69% - 81 % + Greenleaf LSD (%) P = 0.05 8 % 13% 6% Conclusions • Both Desmodium species effectively reduced the number and dry weight of Ph. ramosa shoots parasitising tomato • Ph. ramosa seed lot D1 was affected by the Desmodium more than D6 • Desmodium , however, reduced tomato height and yield So sorry, the answer to the question posed is yes and no Acknowledgements Our grateful thanks to the government of Libya for a scholarship to Mohamed Shrif To Laurence Hansen and Caroline Hadley for technical assistance (Plant Environment Laboratory), To Ron Brown (Chemistry& Biochemistry Laboratory) for their technical assistance.
Recommended publications
  • Desmodium Intortum Scientific Name  Desmodium Intortum (Mill.) Urb
    Tropical Forages Desmodium intortum Scientific name Desmodium intortum (Mill.) Urb. Synonyms Early flowering stage (cv. Greenleaf) Trailing, scrambling perennial herb or subshrub; image with Megathyrsus Basionym: Hedysarum intortum Mill.; Desmodium maximus cv. Petrie, S Qld, Australia hjalmarsonii (Schindl.) Standl.; Meibomia hjalmarsonii Schindl. Family/tribe Family: Fabaceae (alt. Leguminosae) subfamily: Faboideae tribe: Desmodieae subtribe: Desmodiinae. Morphological description Leaflets usually ovate-acute, Inflorescence a terminal or axillary with dark spots on the upper surface raceme Trailing, scrambling perennial herb or subshrub with (cv. Greenleaf) strong taproot. Stems 1.5 - 4.0 mm diameter, longitudinally grooved, often reddish-brown, sometimes ± glabrescent, mostly with dense, hooked or recurved hairs, glandular, sticky to the touch; ascendant, non- twining, rooting at the nodes if in prolonged contact with moist soil, to several metres long. Leaves pinnately trifoliolate; stipules 2 - 6 mm long, usually recurved, often persistent; petiole 3 - 5(- 9) cm long, pubescent; terminal leaflet usually ovate sometimes broadly elliptic, 5 Immature pods - 13 cm long, 2 - 7 cm wide, petiolule 6 - 12 mm long; Pods up to 12-articulate; articles semicircular or rhombic breaking up at lateral leaflets 3-10 cm long, 1.5 - 6 cm wide, petiolule 2 - maturity 4 mm; all laminae covered with ascending hairs on both surfaces; base rounded to truncate, apex acute, often with sparse reddish-brown/purplish marks on the upper surface. Racemes terminal or axillary, to 30 cm long; rachis with dense appressed to spreading hooked hairs, 2-flowered at each node; pedicel filiform, 6-10 mm; calyx 2.5-3 mm, 5-lobed, lowest lobe longest; corolla pink, purplish red to violet becoming bluish or greenish white, 9-11 mm.
    [Show full text]
  • Pasture Improvement Technologies
    Pasture improvement technologies based on an on-farm study in Uganda Sandra Mwebaze 1 Working Paper No. 18, 2002 Regional Land Management Unit (RELMA) 1 Department of Animal Production and Marketing, MAAIF, P.O. Box 513, Entebbe Uganda Earlier published in the RELMA Working Paper Series Conservation tillage II: Handling and care of draught animals under Tanzanian conditions Lars-Ove Jonsson. 2003. WP No. 17 Conservation tillage I: Management practices for animal drawn systems in Tanzania Lars-Ove Jonsson, Emanuel Mawenya and Johan Rockström. 2003. WP No. 16 Land tenure and land degradation in eastern Africa: The context of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification Elin Cohen. 2002. WP No. 15 Water-balance accounting for designing and planning rainwater harvesting systems for supplementary irrigation Johan Rockström. 2002. WP No. 14 Tree Nursery Trade in Urban and Peri-urban areas: A Survey in Nairobi and Kiambu Districts, Kenya Caleb Basweti et al. 2001. WP No. 13 Market Status of Avocado and Associated Products in Kenya Dora Magana-Mugambi. 2001. WP No. 12 Study on the Nutrition Value of Avocado and Properties of Avocado Oil Lisa Eriksson. 2001. WP No. 11 Use of Lactoperoxidase in Milk Preservation: Report on a Regional Workshop held in Nairobi, March 2000 Aichi Kitalyi. 2001. WP No. 10 Inventory of Potential Palatable Range Grasses in Southern Province, Zambia Evaristo C. Chileshe and Saeli Inambao. 1999. WP No. 9 Economic potential of Natural Woodlands as a Component of Dryland Farming Systems in Kibwezi Division, Makueni District, Kenya Lucy Emerton. 1999. WP No. 8 On-farm Woody Biomass Surveys (1993 and 1998): A Case Study from Nakuru and Nyandarua Districts in Kenya P.M.
    [Show full text]
  • The Genus Desmodium Desv. (Fabaceae) in Gujarat, India Sandipkumar L
    Biological Forum – An International Journal 5(2): 94-99(2013) ISSN No. (Print): 0975-1130 ISSN No. (Online): 2249-3239 The Genus Desmodium Desv. (Fabaceae) in Gujarat, India Sandipkumar L. Patel * and J. P. Patel ** *Seedlings Research Foundation Trust, Motapondha, Valsad, Gujarat, India. ** V.P. & R.P.T.P. Science College, Sardar Patel University, V.V. Nagar, Anand, (GJ), India. (Received 05 October, 2013, Accepted 25 October, 2013) ABSTARCT: The genus Desmodium Desv. (Fabaceae) is revised in Gujarat, India. A total of 13 species are recognized. The present investigation is an attempt to make a comprehensive account having details on updated botanical names and choosing of specific morphological characters for accurate and easy identification. Artificial identification key was reframed so as to identify currently recognized Desmodium species in Gujarat. Keywords: Desmodium, Identification, Gujarat shading plants in the fields, which can also INTRODUCTION suppress the growth of weeds (Khan et al., 2001). The genus Desmodium Desv., commonly known Moreover, the various Desmodium species have as tick clover or beggarweed, contains about 280 served in folk medicine as febrifuges, remedies species: mostly in subtropical and tropical for dysentery and liver diseases and have been regions. Many of its members play an important used in poultice and other decoctions to treat role in sustainable agriculture, forestry and acne, ulcers, catarrh, abscesses and eye diseases forage production (Gu et al., 2007). For example, (Allen and Allen, 1981). In India, about 50-60 Desmodium intortum and Desmodium Desmodium species are found. heterocarpon have been used for forages and Table1: List of Desmodium species recorded for the Flora of Gujarat in major taxonomic works.
    [Show full text]
  • SYMBIOTIC NITROGEN FIXATION and ESTABLISHMENT of SIX MONTANA NATIVE LEGUMES SPECIES by Sarah Jean Metcalf
    SYMBIOTIC NITROGEN FIXATION AND ESTABLISHMENT OF SIX MONTANA NATIVE LEGUMES SPECIES by Sarah Jean Metcalf A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Science in Land Rehabilitation MONTANA STATE UNIVERSITY Bozeman, Montana May 2005 © COPYRIGHT By Sarah Jean Metcalf 2005 All Rights Reserved ii APPROVAL Of a thesis submitted by Sarah Jean Metcalf This thesis has been read by each member of the thesis committee and has been found to be satisfactory regarding content, English usage, format, citations, bibliographic style, and consistency and is ready for submission to the College of Graduate Studies. Jeff Jacobsen Approved for the Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences Jon Wraith Approved for the Department of College of Graduate Studies Bruce McLeod iii STATEMENT OF PERMISSION TO USE In presenting this thesis in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a master degree at Montana State University-Bozeman, I agree that the Library shall make it available to borrowers under the rules of the Library. If I have indicated my intention to copyright this thesis by including a copyright notice page, copying is allowable only for scholarly purposes, consistent with “fair use” as prescribed in the U.S. Copyright Law. Requests for permission for extended quotation from or reproduction of this thesis in whole or in part may be granted only by the copyright holder. Sarah Metcalf May 05, 2005 iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First of all, I would like to acknowledge the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the MSU Foundation Seed Program as well as the Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences at MSU for funding this project.
    [Show full text]
  • Allelopathy in a Grass-Legume Association
    ALLELOPATHY IN A GRASS-LEGUME ASSOCIATION: A CASE STUDY WITH HEMARTHRIA ALTISSIMA AND DESMODIUM INTORTUM A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE DIVISION OF THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN AGRONOMY AND SOIL SCIENCE MAY 1979 By Chiu-Chung Young Dissertation Committee: Duane P. Bartholomew, Chairman Ben Bohlool Yoshinori Kanehiro Chung-Shih Tang Arthur S. Whitney We certify that we have read this dissertation and that in our opinion it is satisfactory in scope and quality as a dissertation for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Agronomy and Soil Science. DISSERTATION COMMITTEE Chairman ALLELOPATHY IN A GRASS-LEGUME ASSOCIATION: A CASE STUDY WITH HEMARTHRIA ALTISSIMA AND DESMODIUM INTORTUM By Chiu-Chung Young A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE DIVISION OF THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY ABSTRACT In Hawaii, the legume Desmodium intortum (Mill.) Urb. could not be established in a pasture of the tetraploid Hemarthria altissima (Poir.) Stapf and Hubb cv. bigalta limpograss, but intortum was easily established in a sward of the less vigorous greenalta limpograss. The effects of root residues and root exudates of intortum and the limpo- grasses on the growth, nodulation and nitrogen fixation of intortum were studied in experiments designed to avoid competition between root systems of the grass and legume for nutrients, water, and space and between aerial plant parts for light. Finally, allelochemicals in the root exudates of bigalta and greenalta limpograsses were collected, isolated and partially characterized. The growth of intortum in fertilized soil which contained root residue of bigalta limpograss was significantly less than the growth of intortum in the presence of greenalta limpograss.
    [Show full text]
  • Push-Pull: Chemical Ecology-Based Integrated Pest Management Technology
    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Online Research @ Cardiff Push-Pull: Chemical Ecology-Based Integrated Pest Management Technology 1 1 2 2 Zeyaur Khan & Charles A. O. Midega & Antony Hooper & John Pickett Abstract Lepidopterous stemborers, and parasitic striga weeds smallholder mixed cropping systems in Africa. Adopted by belonging to the family Orobanchaceae, attack cereal crops in about 125,000 farmers to date in eastern Africa, it effectively sub-Saharan Africa causing severe yield losses. The smallholder addresses major production constraints, significantly increases farmers are resource constrained and unable to afford expensive maize yields, and is economical as it is based on locally avail- chemicals for crop protection. The push–pull technology, a able plants, not expensive external inputs. chemical ecology- based cropping system, is developed for in- . tegrated pest and weed management in cereal–livestock farming Keywords Cereal crops Stemborer pests Parasitic systems. Appropriate plants were selected that naturally emit . striga Semiochemicals Allelopathy signaling chemicals (semiochemicals). Plants highly attractive for stemborer egg laying were selected and employed as trap crops (pull), to draw pests away from the main crop. Plants that Introduction repelled stemborer females were selected as intercrops (push). The stemborers are attracted to the trap plant, and are repelled Food insecurity continues to affect millions of Africa’s poor from the main cereal crop using a repellent intercrop (push). Root and is likely to worsen with climate change and population exudates of leguminous repellent intercrops also effective-ly growth. With per capita food production having declined in control the parasitic striga weed through an allelopathic the past two decades (Muchena et al.
    [Show full text]
  • Influence of D. Dichotomu Hermonthica Inciden D. Dichotomum Planting
    Merit Research Journal of Agricultural Science and Soil Available online http://www.meritresearchjournals.org/asss/index.htm Copyright © 2013 Merit Research Journals Full Length Research Paper Influence of D. dichotomum hermonthica inciden Agricultural Research Corporation, Striga Shambat Research Station, B. O. Box was conducted in pots at Gezira Research Station, Sudan during the 30, Khartoum North, Sudan. seasons dichotomum E-mail: [email protected] growth and yield. prior to sorghum was more effective in suppressing the parasite. Keywords: INTRODUCTION Striga spp. (witchweeds) belongs to the family Orobanchaceae (Matusova et al., 2005). They are an endemic problem in Africa’s cereal and legume crops (Ejeta et al ., 1993). About 40 Striga species are reported worldwide. Most of them are found in Africa (Kroschel, 2001; Kroschel and Müller- Stöver, 2004). Economically important Striga species are reported from more than 50 countries, especially from East and West Af (Aly, 2007). About 21 million ha of the area under cereals in Africa is estimated to be infested by Striga annual grain loss of about 8 million tons (Gressel 2004). At least 11 of these species parasitize crops and pose one of the most severe biological constraints to agriculture in low- input farming systems especially in the African Savanna (Parker and Riches, 1993). S. hermonthica is common throughout northern tropical Africa and extends from Ethiopia and Sudan to West Af rica. It also extends from the western Arabian region southwards into Angola and Namibia (Gethi and Smith, 2004). S. asiatica has a wider distribution and is found throughout semi-arid areas of tropical and subtropical Africa, Asia and Australia (Gethi and 2004).
    [Show full text]
  • New Desmodium Species Improves Livelihoods of Smallholder Farmers in East Africa
    New desmodium species improves livelihoods of smallholder farmers in East Africa A striga-infested stunted sorghum crop, with small panicles (left), and a healthy sorghum with big panicles, intercropped with greenleaf desmodium in western Kenya (right) With funding from the European Commission, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the CGIAR Fund Council (through the IITA-led CRP1.2 Integrated Systems for the Humid Tropics-Humidtropics), icipe and partners identified a more adaptable and resilient desmodium species, Desmodium intortum, commonly known as greenleaf, as a component of the successful push-pull technology for integrated management of the key constraints affecting cereal production in sub-Saharan Africa (cereal stemborer pests, the parasitic striga weeds and poor soil fertility). Through targeted screening and scientific elucidation of the mechanisms involved, icipe and partners discovered that like the widely used silverleaf, Desmodium uncinatum, greenleaf produces volatile organic compounds that repel stemborer moths. Additionally, it produces allelochemicals through the root systems with components some of which induce germination of striga seeds while others inhibit attachment of the germinated striga to the roots of the cereals (suicidal germination) thereby ensuring effective and sustainable control of the noxious weed. In addition to this, greenleaf also fixes nitrogen into the soil while building the soil organic matter content of the soil. With its moisture-conserving abilities, it thus contributes to building soil health and resilience. Additionally, it is a protein-rich fodder plant that allows integration of cereal and livestock production. In 2003, a total of 2075 smallholder farmers planted greenleaf as a component of the ‘push-pull’ technology in western Kenya and parts of Eastern Uganda and reported better establishment of greenleaf, faster growth and thus higher biomass.
    [Show full text]
  • Naturalisedenvweedlist2007 .Pdf
    file: naturalised schedule master list Oct 2007.doc Steve Goosem October2007 Naturalised Plant List - Wet Tropics Bioregion (refer page 13 for records 2002-2007) FAMILY SPECIES COMMON NAME Year LIFE FORM LIFE Pacific ROC WTMA World IWPW Qld first CYCLE Class category category worst Class recorded 100 Malvaceae Abelmoschus manihot aibika 1976 shrub perennial Mimosaceae Acacia concinna soap pod 1972 shrub perennial 1 Mimosaceae Acacia farnesiana cassie flower 1973 tree perennial D M Mimosaceae Acacia nilotica prickly acacia 2000 shrub perennial 3 H 2 Mimosaceae Acaciella angustissima white ball acacia 1996 shrub perennial Mimosaceae Acaciella glauca redwood 1 Euphorbiaceae Acalypha wilkesiana Fijian fire plant 1969 shrub perennial Asteraceae Acanthospermum hispidum starburr 1964 forb annual Polygonaceae Acetosella vulgaris sorrel 1958 forb perennial Fabaceae Aeschynomene americana var. American jointvetch 1983 forb annual americana Fabaceae Aeschynomene indica budda pea 1981 forb annual Fabaceae Aeschynomene micranthos 1992 forb Fabaceae Aeschynomene villosa hairy jointvetch 1934 forb Asteraceae Ageratina riparia mistflower 1996 shrub, forb perennial 4 2 H Asteraceae Ageratina riparia mist flower 1996 forb perennial Asteraceae Ageratum conyzoides bluetop, billygoat weed 1964 forb annual Asteraceae Ageratum houstonianum dark bluetop 1993 forb annual Araceae Aglaonema commutatum Philippine evergreen 2000 forb perennial Apocynaceae Allamanda blanchetii purple allamanda 2000 vine perennial Apocynaceae Allamanda cathartica yellow allamanda 1990
    [Show full text]
  • Habitat Management Strategies for Control of Stemborers and Striga Weed in Cereal-Based Farming Systems
    HABITAT MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES FOR CONTROL OF STEMBORERS AND STRIGA WEED IN CEREAL-BASED FARMING SYSTEMS Background, approach and objectives Maize and sorghum are the principal food and cash crops for millions of the poorest people in the predominantly mixed crop–livestock farming systems of eastern and southern Africa. Stemborers [chilo partellus (Swinhoe) (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) and busseola fusca Fuller (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)] and striga weeds [(Striga hermonthica and Striga asiatica (Scrophulariaceae)] are the two major biotic constraints to increased maize and sorghum production in eastern Africa. At least four species of stemborers infest maize and sorghum crops in the region, causing reported yield losses of 20–40% of the potential output. Stemborers are difficult to control, largely because of the cryptic and nocturnal habits of the adult moths and the protection provided by the stem of the host crop for immature stages. The main method of stemborer control, which is recommended to farmers by the governments’ ministries of agriculture in the region, is the use of chemical pesticides. However, this is uneconomical and impractical for many resource-poor small-scale farmers. Parasitic weeds in the genus Striga threaten the lives of over 100 million people in Africa and infest 40% of arable land in the savanna region, causing an estimated annual loss of $7 to $13 billion. Infestations by Striga spp. have resulted in the abandonment of some arable land by farmers in Africa. The problem is more widespread and serious in areas where both soil fertility and rainfall are low. Unfortunately, subsistence farmers in the region must engage themselves in weeding out striga, which is a time-consuming and labour-intensive activity, mainly delegated to women and children.
    [Show full text]
  • Isolation and Identification of Desmodium Root Exudates From
    Phytochemistry 117 (2015) 380–387 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Phytochemistry journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/phytochem Isolation and identification of Desmodium root exudates from drought tolerant species used as intercrops against Striga hermonthica ⇑ A.M. Hooper a, , J.C. Caulfield a, B. Hao a, J.A. Pickett a, C.A.O. Midega b, Z.R. Khan b a Department of Biological Chemistry and Crop Protection, Rothamsted Research, Harpenden, Hertfordshire AL5 2JQ, UK b International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology, P.O. Box 30772, Nairobi, Kenya article info abstract Article history: Plants from the genus Desmodium, in particular D. uncinatum, are used on sub-Saharan small-holder Received 16 April 2015 farms as intercrops to inhibit parasitism of cereal crops by Striga hermonthica and Striga asiatica via an Received in revised form 16 June 2015 allelopathic mechanism. The search for Desmodium species which are adapted to more arid conditions, Accepted 25 June 2015 and which show resilience to increased drought stress, previously identified D. intortum, D. incanum Available online 8 July 2015 and D. ramosissimum as potential drought tolerant intercrops. Their potential as intercrops was assessed for resource poor areas of rain-fed cereal production where drought conditions can persist through nor- Keywords: mal meteorological activity, or where drought may have increasing impact through climate change. The Desmodium uncinatum chemical composition of the root exudates were characterised and the whole exudate biological activity Desmodium intortum Desmodium incanum was shown to be active in pot experiments for inhibition of Striga parasitism on maize. Furthermore, rain Desmodium ramosissimum fed plot experiments showed the drought tolerant Desmodium intercrops to be effective for Striga inhibi- Striga hermonthica tion.
    [Show full text]
  • Tillage, Desmodium Intortum, Fertilizer Rates for Carbon Stock, Soil Quality and Grain Yield in Northern Guinea Savanna of Nigeria
    American Journal of Climate Change, 2019, 8, 325-341 http://www.scirp.org/journal/ajcc ISSN Online: 2167-9509 ISSN Print: 2167-9495 Tillage, Desmodium intortum, Fertilizer Rates for Carbon Stock, Soil Quality and Grain Yield in Northern Guinea Savanna of Nigeria Odunze Azubuike Chidowe1, Asholo David Blessing1, Ogunwole Joshua Olalekan2, Oyinlola Eunice Yetunde1, Chinke Nkechi Mary1 1Department of Soil Science/Institute for Agricultural Research, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria 2BOWEN University, Iwo, Ado Ekiti State, Nigeria How to cite this paper: Odunze, A.C., Abstract Asholo David, B., Ogunwole, J.O., Oyinlola, E.Y. and Chinke, N.M. (2019) Tillage, Northern Guinea Savanna of Nigeria soils are continuously and intensively Desmodium intortum, Fertilizer Rates for cultivated, resulting in soil quality degradation, carbon stock depletion, acce- Carbon Stock, Soil Quality and Grain Yield lerated soil erosion and soil nutrient depletion. Effects of land use change on in Northern Guinea Savanna of Nigeria. American Journal of Climate Change, 8, soil carbon stocks (SOC) are of concern regarding greenhouse gas emissions 325-341. mitigation and sustainable crop production, because there is a need for food https://doi.org/10.4236/ajcc.2019.82018 sufficiency while conserving the environment. Also, managing soils under intensive use and restoring degraded soils are top priorities for a sustained Received: March 22, 2019 Accepted: June 25, 2019 agronomic production while conserving soil and water resources. Hence, this Published: June 28, 2019 study; “Tillage, Desmodium intortum, fertilizer rates for carbon stock, soil quality and grain yield in Northern Guinea Savanna” is aimed at devising Copyright © 2019 by author(s) and possible mitigating measures for soil quality degradation, carbon stock deple- Scientific Research Publishing Inc.
    [Show full text]