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Securing Crop Phosphorus Availability in the Humid Tropics: Alternative Sources and Improved Management Options – A Review

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Challenges and Opportunities for Agricultural Intensification of the Humid Highland Systems of Sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract

In many low input agricultural systems of sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), phosphorus (P) is one of the mineral nutrients most limiting for plant production. The most important reasons for this are: (1) the generally low P content of the highly weathered tropical soils, (2) the relative unavailability of inherent soil P for plant uptake, (3) the relative speed at which applied soluble sources, such as inorganic P fertilizers and manure, become fixed or transformed into unavailable forms, and lastly (4) the poor management of on-farm organic resources. Biotechnological methods and cultural practices should be used to facilitate the availability of native and applied P. An extensive review of the literature has revealed that P-solubilizing micro-organisms in soil and P-enhancing plant species are both very effective in the management of scarce phosphorus resources in the soil. The recycling of crop residues, integration of green manures and crop rotations, application of animal manures, domestic and industrial wastes are all important ingredients of the integrated management of P. In sub-Saharan African agriculture, much of the emphasis should be placed on integrated soil fertility management (ISFM), which is a set of practices that necessarily include the use of mineral fertilizer, organic inputs and improved germplasm, combined with the knowledge on how to adapt these practices to local conditions for increased production efficiency. Increased and sustained agricultural production and productivity in SSA must make use of all sustainable means of production, in an integrative manner. In striving to achieve food security, the continent must not be torn between conventional and organic farming practices, but must focus on ISFM approaches which explore synergies that reduce leakages and recover and reuse nutrients, especially P.

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Acknowledgement

The author gratefully acknowledges the financial support from Bioforsk Soil and Environment Division to undertake this review.

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  1. Soil and Environment Division, Norwegian Institute for Agricultural and Environmental Research (Bioforsk), Frederik A Dahls vei 20, N-1432, Aas, Norway

    Alhaji S. Jeng

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  1. IITA-Kenya, Central Africa hub and Natural Resource Management Research, Nairobi, Kenya

    Bernard Vanlauwe

  2. International Institute of Tropical Agriculture-Uganda, Kampala, Uganda

    Piet van Asten

  3. Bioversity International, c/o ILRI, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

    Guy Blomme

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Jeng, A.S. (2014). Securing Crop Phosphorus Availability in the Humid Tropics: Alternative Sources and Improved Management Options – A Review. In: Vanlauwe, B., van Asten, P., Blomme, G. (eds) Challenges and Opportunities for Agricultural Intensification of the Humid Highland Systems of Sub-Saharan Africa. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-07662-1_5

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