IFDC Report, Volume 19, No. 3
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Date
1994-09
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Abstract
This report presents the ongoing research conducted by IFOC-Africa in the Sahelian zone of West Africa, aimed at investigating the effects of continuous monoculture, crop rotations involving legumes, and different levels of nitrogen fertilizer on yields of cereals and legumes, as well as soil characteristics. Dr Andre Bationo, the principal investigator and Senior Soil Fertility Scientist at the Sahelian Center of the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics leads the research project. The study addresses the pressing issue of soil fertility maintenance and improvement in the West African semiarid tropics due to increasing human population pressure and the reduction of fallow periods. Continuous cultivation has become common, relying heavily on fertilizers to sustain high yields. Long-term fertilizer experiments have shown that fertilizer application effectively increases yields. However, limited access to capital, inefficient distribution systems, poor communication, and socioeconomic factors hinder the widespread use of fertilizers in West Africa.
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Crop rotation, Rice , Nitrogen fertilizers, Soil fertility, Organic carbon