Organic resources and earthworms affect phosphorus availability to sorghum after phosphate rock addition in semi-arid West Africa

Ouédraogo, E. and Brussaard, L. and Mando, A. and Stroosnijder, L. (2005) Organic resources and earthworms affect phosphorus availability to sorghum after phosphate rock addition in semi-arid West Africa. Biology and Fertility of Soils , 41 (6). pp. 458-465.

[img] PDF
Restricted to ICRISAT researchers only

Abstract

A field experiment was laid out in Burkina Faso (West Africa) on an Eutric Cambisol to investigate the interaction of organic resource quality and phosphate rock on crop yield and to assess the contribution of earthworms (Millsonia inermis Michaelsen) to P availability after phosphate rock application. Organic resources of different quality were applied at a dose equivalent to 40 kg N ha-1 with or without phosphate rock from Kodjari (Burkina Faso) at a dose equivalent to 25 kg P ha-1, and were compared with control and single phosphate rock treatments in a factorial complete block design with four replicates. Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench) variety SARIASSO 14 was grown. Sheep dung had the highest impact on earthworm casting intensity followed by maize straw. Combining organic resources with phosphate rock reduced earthworm casting activities compared to a single application of organic resources or phosphate rock. Addition of phosphate rock to maize straw reduced P availability in earthworm casts whereas combining sheep dung or compost with phosphate rock increased P availability. The contribution of earthworms to Kodjari phosphate rock solubilization mainly occurred through their casts, as the available P content of casts was 4 times higher than that of the surrounding soil.

Item Type: Article
Author Affiliation: Albert Schweitzer Centre for Ecology, 01 B.P. 3306, Ouagadougou 01, Burkina Faso
Subjects: Plant Protection
Plant Protection > Pests
Soil Science and Microbiology > Soil Sciences
Divisions: Sorghum
Depositing User: Mr B Krishnamurthy
Date Deposited: 02 Dec 2010 21:51
Last Modified: 29 Dec 2010 20:04
Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00374-005-0840-0
URI: http://eprints.icrisat.ac.in/id/eprint/871

Actions (login required)

View Item View Item
EPrints Logo
eprints is powered by EPrints 3 which is developed by the School of Electronics and Computer Science at the University of Southampton. More information and software credits.