eprintid: 9970
rev_number: 14
eprint_status: archive
userid: 1305
dir: disk0/00/00/99/70
datestamp: 2017-04-19 04:50:05
lastmod: 2017-04-19 04:50:05
status_changed: 2017-04-19 04:50:05
type: article
metadata_visibility: show
creators_name: Blessing, O C
creators_name: Ibrahim, A
creators_name: Safo, E Y
creators_name: Yeboah, E
creators_name: Abaidoo, R C
creators_name: Logah, V
creators_name: Monica, U I
icrisatcreators_name: Ibrahim, A
icrisatcreators_name: Logah, V
affiliation: Department of Soil Science, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) (Enugu State)
affiliation: ICRISAT (Niamey)
affiliation: Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (Kumasi)
affiliation: CSIR – Soil Research Institute, Kwadaso (Kumasi)
affiliation: College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (Kumasi)
affiliation: International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (Ibadan)
country: Nigeria
country: Niger
country: Ghana
title: Fertilizer micro-dosing in West African low-input cereals cropping: Benefits, challenges and improvement strategies
ispublished: pub
subjects: S1
subjects: s16
subjects: s2.5
subjects: s28
subjects: s4009
divisions: CRPS1
full_text_status: public
keywords: Fertilizer micro-dosing, smallholder farmer, crop yield, farmer’s income
note: Authors acknowledge the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) for scholarship support to the first and second authors and institutional support to KNUST and CSIR-SRI.
abstract: Soil amendments are often unavailable in adequate quantities for increased crop production in smallholder cereal-based cropping systems in Africa. In order to increase crop yields and encourage farmers to apply inorganic fertilizers, fertilizer micro-dosing technology was developed. Fertilizer micro-dosing or “micro-fertilization” consists of the application of a small quantity of mineral fertilizer together with seeds of the target crop in the planting hole at sowing or 2-4 weeks after sowing. The objective of this paper is to review literature concerning crops responses to fertilizer micro-dosing in West Africa. The review also evaluates the benefits and challenges associated with nutrient management under fertilizer micro-dosing and supportive strategies for further improvement in the efficient use of limited nutrient sources of smallholder farmers were suggested. Recent scientific developments on fertilizer micro-dosing revealed that this technology has given promising results in respect of crop yields improvement, fertilizer use efficiency and economic returns. Other studies have, however, indicated that fertilizer micro-dosing increases the risk of soil nutrient imbalances due to low-input. For this reason, we suggest that fertilizer micro-dosing should be used in concert with organic amendments to optimize productivity of smallholder farmers in West Africa.
date: 2017-04
date_type: published
publication: African Journal of Agricultural Research
volume: 12
number: 14
publisher: Academic Journals
pagerange: 1169-1176
id_number: 10.5897/AJAR2016.11559
refereed: TRUE
issn: 1991-637X
official_url: http://doi.org/10.5897/AJAR2016.11559
related_url_url: https://scholar.google.co.in/scholar?hl=en&q=Fertilizer+micro-dosing+in+West+African+low-input+cereals+cropping%3A+Benefits%2C+challenges+and+improvement+strategies&btnG=
related_url_type: pub
citation:   Blessing, O C and Ibrahim, A and Safo, E Y and Yeboah, E and Abaidoo, R C and Logah, V and Monica, U I  (2017) Fertilizer micro-dosing in West African low-input cereals cropping: Benefits, challenges and improvement strategies.  African Journal of Agricultural Research, 12 (14).  pp. 1169-1176.  ISSN 1991-637X     
document_url: http://oar.icrisat.org/9970/1/Fertilizer%20micro-dosing.pdf