Retention of macronutrients in a sandy soil amended with vermiculite under Tanzanian field conditions
| dc.contributor.author | Marwa, E. M.M. | |
| dc.contributor.author | Meharg, A. A. | |
| dc.contributor.author | Rice, C. M. | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2017-12-19T08:45:33Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2017-12-19T08:45:33Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2010 | |
| dc.description.abstract | The study assessed the ability of vermiculite to enhance the retention of extractable nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) in arable Tanzanian soils. Raw and expanded vermiculites pre-heated at 600 oC were mixed with a sandy soil in varying amounts. Inorganic fertilizers N, P and K were added to the soil-vermiculite mixes and buried at 0-15 and 15-30 cm depth in litter bags for three months during the rainy season. After that period, extractable N, P and K retained in the mixes were determined. The result showed that less than 10% of the applied N was retained whereas for K it was 26-48%. Phosphorus was highly retained and in part fertilized from vermiculite over the control. The maximum extractable fertilizer P retained in soil amended with expanded vermiculite was 78%, whereas in soil with raw vermiculite it was 141%, suggesting that vermiculite also retains soil P mineralized over the course of the experiment. More retention of N, P and K occurred at 15-30 cm than at 0-15 cm and increased with the amount of vermiculite mixed with the soil. Thus, use of vermiculite enhances soil productivity by retaining extractable essential macronutrients which could be used for crop production. | en_US |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://www.suaire.sua.ac.tz/handle/123456789/1938 | |
| dc.language.iso | en | en_US |
| dc.publisher | SADC Project | en_US |
| dc.subject | Fertilizer | en_US |
| dc.subject | Nutrients | en_US |
| dc.subject | Retention | en_US |
| dc.subject | Sandy soil | en_US |
| dc.subject | Vermiculite | en_US |
| dc.title | Retention of macronutrients in a sandy soil amended with vermiculite under Tanzanian field conditions | en_US |
| dc.type | Workshop Presentation | en_US |
| dc.url | https://slideblast.com/enhancing-dissemination-of-soil-and-water-research-amazon-s3_5988bfea1723dd9f5290eafb.html | en_US |