TY - JOUR
T1 - Effects of planting basins and farmyard manure addition on soil carbon and nitrogen pools under on-farm conditions in Makueni county of Kenya
AU - Kichamu-Wachira, Edith
AU - Xu, Zhihong
AU - Reardon-Smith, Kathryn
AU - Winowiecki, Leigh Ann
AU - Ayele, Gebiaw
AU - Biggs, Duan
AU - Magaju, Christine
AU - Taresh, Sabah
AU - Hosseini-Bai, Shahla
AU - Omidvar, Negar
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 The Authors. Soil Use and Management published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of British Society of Soil Science.
PY - 2024/1
Y1 - 2024/1
N2 - Climate change, land degradation and inadequate soil nutrients pose significant threats to food security and agricultural sustainability. This study aims to examine the effects of planting basins with farmyard manure on soil total carbon (C), nitrogen (N), isotopic C (δ13C) and N (δ15N) compositions within smallholder-managed farms in Makueni County, Kenya. The study involved two management practices: planting basins with manure (PM) and conventional farming practices (FP) in 12 experimental sites. Soil samples were taken at three depths (0–10, 10–20 and 20–40 cm), with three replicates for each treatment. Significant interactions were observed between land management practices and sites as well as land management practices and soil depth on soil total C and N. At each of the 12 sites, soil total C was higher under PM (ranging from 0.44% to 1.86%, p <.05) than FP management (ranging from 0.35% to 1.37%), across all soil depths. Soil total N concentrations ranged from 0.027% to 0.100% under FP and (0.060% to 0.190%, p <.05) under PM management. Across soil depths, higher (less negative) soil δ13C values were observed under conventional farmer practice (range − 22.5‰ to −17.1‰) compared with PM management range (−24.3‰ to −18.1‰). Soil δ15N was significantly enriched under PM management (range: 7.4‰ to 12.6‰, p <.05) compared with the conventional farmer practices (range: 6.1‰ to 9.8‰, p <.05). The findings show that planting basins with farmyard manure offers both climate mitigation and adaptation benefits by increasing soil C contents and improving soil fertility. The study provides insights into the real-world implications of these practices, emphasizing the potential of planting basins with manure in enhancing soil quality and climate resilience.
AB - Climate change, land degradation and inadequate soil nutrients pose significant threats to food security and agricultural sustainability. This study aims to examine the effects of planting basins with farmyard manure on soil total carbon (C), nitrogen (N), isotopic C (δ13C) and N (δ15N) compositions within smallholder-managed farms in Makueni County, Kenya. The study involved two management practices: planting basins with manure (PM) and conventional farming practices (FP) in 12 experimental sites. Soil samples were taken at three depths (0–10, 10–20 and 20–40 cm), with three replicates for each treatment. Significant interactions were observed between land management practices and sites as well as land management practices and soil depth on soil total C and N. At each of the 12 sites, soil total C was higher under PM (ranging from 0.44% to 1.86%, p <.05) than FP management (ranging from 0.35% to 1.37%), across all soil depths. Soil total N concentrations ranged from 0.027% to 0.100% under FP and (0.060% to 0.190%, p <.05) under PM management. Across soil depths, higher (less negative) soil δ13C values were observed under conventional farmer practice (range − 22.5‰ to −17.1‰) compared with PM management range (−24.3‰ to −18.1‰). Soil δ15N was significantly enriched under PM management (range: 7.4‰ to 12.6‰, p <.05) compared with the conventional farmer practices (range: 6.1‰ to 9.8‰, p <.05). The findings show that planting basins with farmyard manure offers both climate mitigation and adaptation benefits by increasing soil C contents and improving soil fertility. The study provides insights into the real-world implications of these practices, emphasizing the potential of planting basins with manure in enhancing soil quality and climate resilience.
KW - climate-smart
KW - manure
KW - planting basins
KW - soil carbon
KW - total N
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U2 - 10.1111/sum.13008
DO - 10.1111/sum.13008
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85181233314
SN - 0266-0032
VL - 40
JO - Soil Use and Management
JF - Soil Use and Management
IS - 1
M1 - e13008
ER -