Dataset Information

Decomposition characteristics of indigenous organic fertilisers and introduced quick compost and their short-term nitrogen availability in the semi-arid Ethiopian Rift Valley.

ABSTRACT: Case studies on the assessment of local organic fertilisers (OFs) in their quality (decomposition characteristics and nutrient availability for crops) are few in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). This study assessed the quality of local OFs from the Ethiopian Rift Valley. The decomposition characteristics were assessed by acid detergent fibre analysis methods, while the short-term nitrogen availability was assessed by a combination of laboratory incubations and inorganic nitrogen and acid detergent soluble nitrogen determinations. A commercial hand-held reflectometer (RQFlex) was used for determining nitrogen components. The mean acid detergent soluble organic matter contents exceeded 250?mg?g^-1, indicating the OF feedstock contained much of the readily decomposable organic matter. Some of the indigenous compost (kosi) samples showed net nitrogen immobilisation during the initial period of incubation, followed by net nitrogen mineralisation in one month of incubation with 4% of the nitrogen mineralisation rate. Kosi should be applied to a field one month before seeding. Short-term nitrogen availability from kosi was too low to substitute for inorganic fertilisers. The combination of the simple analysis methods shown in this study is a quick, cost-saving, and accurate quality assessment approach for OFs, which can be useful in the field and at experimental stations in SSA.

SUBMITTER: Mukai S

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6831661 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Decomposition characteristics of indigenous organic fertilisers and introduced quick compost and their short-term nitrogen availability in the semi-arid Ethiopian Rift Valley.

Mukai Shiro S Oyanagi Wataru W

Scientific reports 20191105 1

Case studies on the assessment of local organic fertilisers (OFs) in their quality (decomposition characteristics and nutrient availability for crops) are few in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). This study assessed the quality of local OFs from the Ethiopian Rift Valley. The decomposition characteristics were assessed by acid detergent fibre analysis methods, while the short-term nitrogen availability was assessed by a combination of laboratory incubations and inorganic nitrogen and acid detergent solu ...[more]

PMID: 31690795

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Project description:BackgroundKnowledge of the distribution and habitat preference of freshwater snail intermediate hosts can provide information to initiate and set-up effective snail control programmes. However, there is limited research conducted on the factors driving the occurrence and abundance of freshwater snail intermediate hosts in the Ethiopian Rift Valley. Hence, in this study, we investigated how environmental and biotic factors influence the occurrence and abundance of the snail intermediate hosts in Ethiopian Rift Valley region.MethodsData on freshwater snails, physico-chemical water quality parameters, physical characteristics of habitat, predators and competitors, and anthropogenic activity variables were collected from 174 sampling sites during the wet season of 2017 and 2018. Generalized linear models were used to identify the main environmental and biotic factors affecting the occurrence and abundance of the snail species.ResultsIt was found that Bulinus globosus (31.7%) was the most abundant snail species followed by Lymnaea natalensis (21.6%), Lymnaea truncatula (15.1%) and Biomphalaria pfeifferi (14.6%). Generalized linear models indicated that physico-chemical parameters (water temperature, turbidity, chlorophyll-a, dissolved oxygen, chemical oxygen demand, alkalinity, calcium, magnesium, nitrate and ammonia), physical habitat characteristics (water depth, canopy cover, macrophyte cover and substrate type) and biotic factors (abundance of predators and competitors) were found to be the main variables determining the occurrence and abundance of snail species in the Ethiopian Rift Valley region. In terms of anthropogenic activities, human settlement, farming, bathing and swimming, clothes washing, grazing, drainage of land, car washing, boating, fishing and silviculture were also important variables determining the occurrence and abundance of snail species in the region.ConclusionsThe findings reported herein suggest that integrated snail control strategies should be considered to control snails via protection of water bodies from disturbance by anthropogenic activities. In this way, it is possible to reduce the concentration of organic matter and dissolved ions in aquatic ecosystems which are conducive for the presence of snails.

Dataset Information

Decomposition characteristics of indigenous organic fertilisers and introduced quick compost and their short-term nitrogen availability in the semi-arid Ethiopian Rift Valley.

Publications

Decomposition characteristics of indigenous organic fertilisers and introduced quick compost and their short-term nitrogen availability in the semi-arid Ethiopian Rift Valley.

Similar Datasets

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