Abstract
Phosphorus deficiency is a major constraint to crop production in West Africa. However, the use of P fertilizers is limited by both the unavailability and the high cost of imported commercial fertilizers.
Most of the soils in West Africa, in addition to low phosphorus content, have low buffering capacities as well as a low P retention capacity. The trials, conducted in the humid and sub-humid zones of Togo showed that P fertilizers as well as the local phosphate rock can be used to improve crop production. The results also showed that the Residual Effectiveness Index (REI) of all the P sources remained higher than 60% even after 3 years of cropping. This quantification of the “legendary” high residual effectiveness of P fertilizers in West African soils could lead to the development of fertilizer management systems working in partnership with limited-resource farmers. In spite of the excellent performance of the local phosphate rock, the P source with the highest net gain over the trial period was single superphosphate (SSP). Evaluation of the Relative Agronomic Effectiveness of the P sources using SSP as the standard showed that SSP was by and large the superior P source. A change in paradigm with regards to the role of local phosphate rocks in crop production is needed. The data from these trials definitely suggested that local phosphate rock could be used to improve the P fertility of the soils. Therefore, instead of evaluating the local phosphate rock in terms of its Relative Agronomic Effectiveness (RAE), consideration should be given to examining the use of the rock to recapitalize the soil fertility. Sustainable cropping systems in West Africa depend on the long-term improvement of the capital pool of phosphorus in the soils. It is suggested that West African governments take the lead in the utilization of the abundant phosphate rock deposits in the region as amendments to improve the productivity of the soils on a long-term basis.
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Bationo, A., Pinto-Toyi, A.K., Ayuk, E., Mokwunye, A.U. (2012). Agronomic and Economic Evaluation of Fertilizer Use in West Africa from Long-Term Experiments: Alternative Phosphorus Fertilizer Sources in Different Agro-Ecological Zones of Togo. In: Bationo, A., Waswa, B., Kihara, J., Adolwa, I., Vanlauwe, B., Saidou, K. (eds) Lessons learned from Long-term Soil Fertility Management Experiments in Africa. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-2938-4_9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-2938-4_9
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