No abstract available

[en] A field trial was conducted to test whether composed manure with tithonia or lantana would improve growth and yield of maize. A field trial consisting of five compost types and inorganic N fertilizer was carried out in a site low N using maize (Zea mays Var. Hybrid 513) as a test crop. The compost and fertilizer were applied at an equivalent rate of 100 kg N ha^-1. Above-ground maize biomass was taken at 2, 6, 10, 14 and 18 weeks after crop emergence, dried and N content determined. Amongst the compost, the highest dry matter accumulation N uptake and grain yield were observed in FYM composted with tithonia at 1:1 ratio. At all stages of crop growth, inorganic fertilizer treatment gave the highest dry matter and N uptake. Based on the growth and N uptake in the fertilizer treatment it was concluded that the N release in all the compost was lower than the crop demand

No abstract available

[en] The highest record yields of the Japonica rice in Binchuan county, Yunnan Province, China were 1.664 to 1.982 t/ha using Yu-Za 29(F1 hybrid variety). The spikelet number per square m was 71,000 to 87,000. The thousand grain weight of brown rice and the percentage of ripened grain were 23.1 to 23.5 8, 76.0 to 76.2%, respectively. Although the average daily incident solar radiation during the rice growing period in Binchuan(19.3 MJ/square m/day)was 20% higher compared to the Japanese mean value, the high yields of Yu-Za 29 were attributed principally to technical effects such as breeding and manuring practices with high pesticide levels. Disese and insect injuries were more frequently observed in the dense planting than in the sparse planting. The high yielding technology in Binchuan should be reexamined with regard to the planting density

[en] Neutron moisture meter (NMM) calibration accuracy and precision must be performed to obtain reliable results. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of applied organic manure on neutron moisture meter calibration curve of sandy soil. The experiment was carried out at the farm of Soils and Water Department, Atomic Energy Authority. Two rates of organic manure were added (48 and 71.5 m³ /ha) including untreated control to surface sand soil at depth 20 cm. Neutron moisture meter calibration curve for 30 and 50 cm depth were done, the results showed that a 30 cm depth the neutron calibration curves for three treatments have approximately the same slope, and there is differences in the intercept which were 1.131, 1.298 and 1.978 for rate 2, rate 1 and the control, respectively. The values of the volumetric soil water content versus count ration presented in Tables (2 and 3) showed that, at the same count ratio, the values of water content decrease with increasing the rate of the organic matter in the case of 30 cm depth. As for 50 cm depth, the values of soil water content were approximately the same at each count.

[en] Keeping in mind the importance that has today the use of national and international biogas plants, which use as raw material animal manure; as well as agricultural and agroindustrial residuals for the energy production and biofertilizers, minimizing the aspects of environmental contamination. This work is presented in three parts, in those which: firstly the technologies and the methods are described to apply the basic and special pre-treatments to the different biomass in order to obtain their maximum potential of methane. A second part where it is approached the particularities to do that. Finally, a third part where their possible use is analyzed in the Cuban case. As a result of the same one, the state of the art is shown in the use of basic and special pre-treatments, with the objective of to potentialize the increase of the methane production in agricultural or animal biomasses. (author)

[en] Declining soil and productivity is a major problem facing smallholder farmers in the central highlands of Kenya.This decline is caused by continuous cultivation of soils without adequate addition of external inputs in form of manure and fertilizers. Use of inorganic fertilisers is low due to high costs that are beyond the reach of majority of smallholder farmers. A multidisciplinary on-farm participatory was therefore initiated in the main maize growing areas of the central highlands of Kenya in 2000 with the main objective of addressing this problem. Results after four cropping seasons indicate that organic residues such as leguminous shrubs (Leucaena trichandra and calliandra calothrysus), herbaceous legumes (Crotalaria ochroleuca and Mucuna pruriens), Tithonia diversifolia, farm yard manure alone or with combination of 30 kg N ha^-1 from inorganic sources can be used effectively to improve maize performance in the region.Over the four seasons under study, these organic residues gave an average mean maize grain yield in the range of 3.4 to 4.0 t ha^-1 which is more than 1.0 t ha^-1 that farmers in the area get from their farms. when the farmers were asked to select technologies that they wanted to test, majority selected tithonia, calliandra, leucaena and farm yard manure. This was attributed to availability of these organic resources at the farm level as tithonia could be cut along the roadsides and more than 80% of the farmers' own livestock. These results through preliminary, indicate that organic resources being tested in this trial are effective in improving maize yields and farmers are willing to try these on their farms

[en] In this work, soil-to-plant transfer factors of radiocaesium are predicted based on soil properties such as pH, organic matter content, exchangeable K⁺ and clay content valid for the tropical environments in Bangladesh, China and Japan, and using a previously published model. Due to insufficient data of soil properties in the selected regions, the average values of pH, organic matter content, exchangeable K⁺ and clay content were taken as the input model parameters within the ranges given for Asia. Nevertheless, a complete set of soil properties of Japanese soils was used to compare the measured and calculated TF values of radiocaesium for radish. The calculated TF values for radiocaesium are comparable with the measured values especially for leafy parts of a plant. However, calculated values for rice, an important crop in Asia are found to overestimate the measured values due to an overestimate of calculated CECs in soils in the selected regions. The empirical parameters used in the model need to be re-evaluated for the specific part of a plant and/or for a variety of different plants. Alternatively, a general conversion factor for each part of a plant and/or for a variety of different plants for a specific region is suggested for tropical environments

[en] The efficiency of biopurification systems to treat pesticide-contaminated water was previously studied in microcosms. To validate the obtained results, macrocosm systems were set-up. Four pesticides (linuron, isoproturon, bentazone, and metalaxyl) were continuously applied to ten different organic substrate mixes. Retention of the pesticides was similar and in some cases slightly lower in the macrocosms compared to the microcosms. Differences in retention between the different mixes were however minimal. Moreover, the classification of the retention strength of the pesticides was identical to that observed in microcosms: linuron > isoproturon > metalaxyl > bentazone. Monod kinetics were used to describe delayed degradation, which occurred for isoproturon, metalaxyl and bentazone. No breakthrough of linuron was observed, thus, this pesticide was appointed as the most retained and/or degraded pesticide, followed by isoproturon, metalaxyl and bentazone. Finally, most of the matrix mixes efficient in degrading or retaining pesticides were mixes containing dried cow manure. - Transport of pesticides in macrocosm containing organic substrates

No abstract available