Relationships between agronomic practices, soil chemical characteristics and striga reproduction in dryland areas of Tanzania
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Date
2012-10-20
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
David publishing
Abstract
The parasitic weed Striga poses a serious threat to cereal production in sub-Saharan Africa. For many years, technological
packages for the control of this weed were proposed and implemented on farmers’ fields. A survey was carried out in farmers’ fields
in 2010/2011 cropping season in selected dryland areas of Tanzania to: (a) determine the Striga plant counts, number of
capsules/Striga plant and agronomic practices used by farmers to control Striga; and (b) evaluate the relationship between Striga
reproduction, soil chemical characteristics and agronomic practices. Soil samples at 0-20 cm depth were collected from 20 different
farmers’ fields. The soil samples were analyzed for pH, organic carbon, N, P and K. Results showed that there was low adoption of
recommended Striga control methods. Regression analysis of agronomic practices and soil chemical characteristics revealed a
positive improvement of soil N and organic carbon and reduction of soil P and K content as one shifted from sole planting to
intercropping. The results showed that potassium was highly positively related to number of capsules/Striga plant. There was a
reduction in the number of capsules/plant as one moved from sole planting to intercropping. Based on these findings, K in the Striga
infested in soils positively influenced Striga reproduction and seed bank replenishment, hence high soil K levels may lead to high
Striga incidence.
Description
Journal article
Keywords
Parasitic weed, Striga reproduction, dryland, agronomic practices, soil P and K.