Boosting Bean and Maize Yields: The Impact of Liming on Acidic Tea Soils | InformativeBD

Elisha NjueMugai, and James Njeru, from the different institute of the Kenya. wrote a Research Article about, Boosting Bean and Maize Yields: The Impact of Liming on Acidic Tea Soils. Entitled, Liming leads to high bean and maize yield on a strongly acid tea soil. This research paper published by the International Journalof Agronomy and Agricultural Research (IJAAR). an open access scholarly research journal on Agronomy. under the affiliation of the International Network For Natural Sciences| INNSpub. an open access multidisciplinary research journal publisher.

Abstract

Acid soils are very common in tea zones. These soils have a pH below 5.0. Below this pH, not only do the soils exhibit toxicity of aluminum and manganese but are deficient of calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and molybdenum, hence becoming chemically infertile. Liming is one cheap way of reclaiming these soils. The staple food crops in these tea soils are maize and beans. However the effect of different liming levels on bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) and maize (Zea maiys, L.) yield on acid tea-growing ando-humic Nitisol had not before been investigated. A study was therefore conducted to determine the crop response to liming and the appropriate liming level for maize and bean crops in a tea zone soils. The experiment was carried out in Embu County, Kavutiri and Kianjokoma areas, Agro-Ecological Zone (AEZ) UM1. A randomized complete block design with four replications of each lime treatment was used at each site. Lime at rates of 0 (L0), 2.4 (L1), 6 (L2), 8 (L3) t/ha was broadcasted on to 4m x 4m plots and mixed into 0-15cm of soil. There was a significant response to liming for both maize and beans. The maximum maize and beans yield was attained at around liming level L2 (pH 5.5). Above this pH, yields started to decline. The study clearly shows the benefits of soil liming on strongly acid tea soils and also the importance of accurate lime applications.

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Introduction

Strongly acid soils are very common in tea zones (Njeru et al., 2012). Soil is termed acidic when its pH goes below 5.5 (Sombroek, et al.,1984) . Below this pH value, the soil not only exhibits toxicity of aluminium (Al) and manganese (Mn) but also is likely to suffer deficiency of calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), phosphorus (P) and molybdenum (Mo), hence becoming infertile chemically (Von Uexküll and Mutert, 1995). Bean yield has been shown to reduce significantly as a result of this infertility (mugai et al., 2008). The application of high-input soil management technologies like expensive mineral fertilizers to increase food crop yields may not be feasible due to the low income levels of the farmers. Therefore the best approach should be a moderate input technology, like soil liming, which does not attempt to eliminate the use of fertilizers but rather complements them and maximizes their efficiency. Appropriate liming of acid soils eliminates Al toxicity, leads to supply of Ca andmg, and mobilises the fixed soil P and Mo (Njeru et al., 2012; Mugai, 2008). This leads to increased yields without even application of expensive mineral fertilizers or with low applications of phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N) (Quaggio et al., 1995). 

On the other hand the effect of different liming levels on bean and maize yield on acid tea growing soil had not been investigated. It was therefore not possible to authoritatively recommend the lime level that could be applied in beans and maize crop in tea zones. The study was therefore conducted to determine the response and the appropriate liming level for maize and bean crops in a strongly acid tea zone soil.

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