[go: up one dir, main page]

IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jagris/v11y2021i10p1002-d655629.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The Potential of Termite Mound Spreading for Soil Fertility Management under Low Input Subsistence Agriculture

Author

Listed:
  • Amsalu Tilahun

    (Department of Natural Resources Management, Jimma University, Jimma P.O. Box 307, Ethiopia)

  • Wim Cornelis

    (Department of Environment, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, 9000 Ghent, Belgium)

  • Steven Sleutel

    (Department of Environment, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, 9000 Ghent, Belgium)

  • Abebe Nigussie

    (Department of Natural Resources Management, Jimma University, Jimma P.O. Box 307, Ethiopia)

  • Bayu Dume

    (Department of Agro-Environmental Chemistry and Plant Nutrition, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food, and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences, Kamycka 129, 16500 Prague, Czech Republic)

  • Eric Van Ranst

    (Department of Geology (WE13), Ghent University, Campus Sterre S8, Krijgslaan 281, 9000 Ghent, Belgium)

Abstract
Termites can play a localized prominent role in soil nutrient availability and cycling because mound materials are often enriched in nutrients relative to surrounding soil. Mound materials may thus prove to be useful amendments, though evidently mound spatial arrangement needs to be considered as well. Furthermore, it is not known if gradients of soil properties exist from termite mound to interspace sites. Studying both aspects would be required to decide whether spreading of mounds or spatially differentiated management of surrounding crop to accommodate soil fertility gradients would be valid nutrient-management strategies. Mound abundance and mass were estimated at 9 and 4 mounds ha −1 , representing 38.9 and 6.3 t ha −1 on Nitisols and Vertisols, respectively. Soil physical and chemical properties were measured on samples collected from internal and external parts of mounds and adjacent soils at 0.5, 1 and 10 m away from mounds. In general, termite mounds were enriched in plant nutrients and SOC on Vertisols but not on Nitisols. Termite mounds constituted only 0.3 to 1.3% of the 0–15 cm SOM stock on a per ha basis but nevertheless the immediate vicinity of termite mounds was a relative fertile hotspot. Hence, under the studied condition, we suggest spatial arrangement of crop around termite mounds according to soil fertility gradient and spatially differentiated nutrient management strategies. Our result suggests recommendation of termite mound spreading for soil nutrient amendment has to consider plant nutrient stock in termite mounds on per ha basis besides their nutrient enrichment. Interesting topics for future investigation would be growth experiment for different crops with mound materials treatment. It would also be interesting to study the effect mound building termite on soil properties under different soil conditions, slope class and land use.

Suggested Citation

  • Amsalu Tilahun & Wim Cornelis & Steven Sleutel & Abebe Nigussie & Bayu Dume & Eric Van Ranst, 2021. "The Potential of Termite Mound Spreading for Soil Fertility Management under Low Input Subsistence Agriculture," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 11(10), pages 1-16, October.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jagris:v:11:y:2021:i:10:p:1002-:d:655629
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/11/10/1002/pdf
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/11/10/1002/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Yanggen, David & Kelly, Valerie A. & Reardon, Thomas & Naseem, Anwar, 1998. "Incentives for Fertilizer Use in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Review of Empirical Evidence on Fertilizer Response and Profitability," Food Security International Development Working Papers 54677, Michigan State University, Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics.
    2. Keijiro Otsuka & Takashi Yamano, 2005. "The Possibility of a Green Revolution in Sub-Saharan Africa: Evidence from Kenya," The Electronic Journal of Agricultural and Development Economics, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, vol. 2(1), pages 7-19.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Sheahan, Megan & Black, Roy & Jayne, T.S., 2013. "Are Kenyan farmers under-utilizing fertilizer? Implications for input intensification strategies and research," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 41(C), pages 39-52.
    2. Sheahan, Megan & Black, Roy & Jayne, Thomas S., 2012. "Are Farmers Under-Utilizing Fertilizer? Evidence from Kenya," 2012 Conference, August 18-24, 2012, Foz do Iguacu, Brazil 126739, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    3. Liverpool-Tasie, Lenis Saweda O. & Jayne, Thomas & Muyanga, Milu & Sanou, Awa, 2017. "Are African Farmers Experiencing Improved Incentives To Use Fertilizer?," Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Food Security Policy Research Papers 270632, Michigan State University, Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics, Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Food Security (FSP).
    4. Paswel P. Marenya & Menale Kassie & Moti Jaleta & Dil Bahadur Rahut & Olaf Erenstein, 2017. "Predicting minimum tillage adoption among smallholder farmers using micro-level and policy variables," Agricultural and Food Economics, Springer;Italian Society of Agricultural Economics (SIDEA), vol. 5(1), pages 1-22, December.
    5. Theriault, Veronique & Smale, Melinda & Haider, Hamza, 2017. "Maize Yield Response to Fertilizer under Differing Agro -Ecological Conditions in Burkina Faso," Food Security International Development Working Papers 263194, Michigan State University, Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics.
    6. Yuan Qi & Xin Chen & Jiaqing Zhang & Yaoyao Li & Daolin Zhu, 2022. "How Do Rising Farmland Costs Affect Fertilizer Use Efficiency? Evidence from Gansu and Jiangsu, China," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(10), pages 1-18, October.
    7. Liverpool-Tasie, Saweda & Olaniyan, Babatunde & Salau, Sheu & Sackey, James, 2010. "A review of fertilizer policy issues in Nigeria:," NSSP working papers 19, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    8. Larson,Donald F. & Muraoka,Rie & Otsuka,Keijiro, 2016. "On the central role of small farms in African rural development strategies," Policy Research Working Paper Series 7710, The World Bank.
    9. Keijiro Otsuka, 2006. "Why Can't We Transform Traditional Agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa?," Review of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 28(3), pages 332-337.
    10. Jia, Xiangping, 2009. "Synergistic Green and White Revolution: Evidence from Kenya and Uganda," 2009 Conference, August 16-22, 2009, Beijing, China 51367, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    11. Schreinemachers, Pepijn & Berger, Thomas & Aune, Jens B., 2007. "Simulating soil fertility and poverty dynamics in Uganda: A bio-economic multi-agent systems approach," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 64(2), pages 387-401, December.
    12. Veronique Theriault & Melinda Smale & Hamza Haider, 2018. "Economic incentives to use fertilizer on maize under differing agro-ecological conditions in Burkina Faso," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 10(5), pages 1263-1277, October.
    13. Johnson, M., 2014. "Exploring strategic priorities for regional agricultural research and development investments in Southern Africa," IWMI Working Papers H046297, International Water Management Institute.
    14. Maredia, Mywish K. & Howard, Julie A. & Boughton, Duncan & Naseem, Anwar & Wanzala, Maria N. & Kajisa, Kei, 1999. "Increasing Seed System Efficiency in Africa: Concepts, Strategies and Issues," Food Security International Development Working Papers 54578, Michigan State University, Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics.
    15. Abdoulaye, Tahirou & Sanders, John H., 2005. "New Technologies, Marketing Strategies And Public Policy For Traditional Food Crops: Millet In Niger," Staff Papers 28670, Purdue University, Department of Agricultural Economics.
    16. Clay, Daniel C. & Kelly, Valerie A. & Mpyisi, Edson & Reardon, Thomas, 2001. "Input Use and Conservation Investments among Farm Households in Rwanda: Patterns and Determinants," Food Security Collaborative Working Papers 57053, Michigan State University, Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics.
    17. Johnson, Michael E. & Benin, Samuel & You, Liangzhi & Diao, Xinshen & Chilonda, Pius & Kennedy, Adam, 2014. "Exploring strategic priorities for regional agricultural research and development investments in southern Africa:," IFPRI discussion papers 1318, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    18. Jayne, T.S. & Mason, Nicole M. & Burke, William J. & Ariga, Joshua, 2016. "Agricultural Input Subsidy Programs in Africa: An Assessment of Recent Evidence," Food Security International Development Working Papers 245892, Michigan State University, Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics.
    19. Nkonya, Ephraim & Place, Frank & Pender, John & Mwanjololo, Majaliwa & Okhimamhe, Appollonia & Kato, Edward & Crespo, Susana & Ndjeunga, Jupiter & Traore, Sibiry, 2011. "Climate risk management through sustainable land management in Sub-Saharan Africa:," IFPRI discussion papers 1126, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    20. Haggblade, Steven & Hazell, Peter B. R. (ed.), 2010. "Successes in African agriculture: Lessons for the future," IFPRI books, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), number 978-0-8018-9503-6.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jagris:v:11:y:2021:i:10:p:1002-:d:655629. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.