Compost and mineral nitrogen fertilizer - Ivory Coast
- Objective
- The objective was to test agronomic options to maintain soil fertility and crop yields following abandonment of shifting cultivation with slash-and-burn clearing
- Data Access Statement
- Available to any researcher on request
- Data license
- Don't know
- Data policy
- No
- Organizations
- CIRADresearch organisationUniversité Nangui Anbrogouaresearch organisationCNRAresearch organisation
- People
- Dr Rémi CARDINAELprincipal investigatorCIRADUR AIDADr Hervé GUIBERTprincipal investigatorCIRADUR AIDADr Soumaïla T. Kouassi Brédoumyprincipal investigatorUniversité Nangui AnbrogouaCentre de Recherche en EcologieDr Kouadio Emmanuel N’Goranprincipal investigatorCentre National de Recherche Agronomique de Côte d’Ivoire
Site: Compost and mineral nitrogen fertilizer - Ivory Coast
- Type
- research station field
- Location
- GagnoaIvory Coast
- Geographic location
- 6.1333333, -5.93333333333333
- Slope
- 3°
- Visits permitted?
- No
- History
- An old cocoa plantation (Theobroma cacao L.) with Pueraria Javanica as a cover crop between trees that had been invaded by forest regenerating tree species, was cleared in 1969. The maize (Zea mays L.) experiment was established in 1971 succeeding a sown fallow with Stylosanthes and various Poaceae.
- Soil type
- lixisol
- Soil description
- Soils at the research station are defined as Alfisols, suborder Udalfs (USDA Soil Taxonomy) or Lixisols (World Reference Base for Soil Resources). No cemented horizons, ferric or stagnic properties were observed and the soil at the experimental site had good physical and hydrological properties
- Soil properties
Variable Depth Value (range) Units Ref year Estimated? Baseline? clay content 0 – 20 Centimetres 260 gram per kilogram 1971 clay content 20 – 90 Centimetres 460 gram per kilogram 1971 clay content 90 Centimetres 270 gram per kilogram 1971 silt content 0 – 20 Centimetres 80 gram per kilogram 1971 silt content 20 – 90 Centimetres 70 gram per kilogram 1971 silt content 90 Centimetres 80 gram per kilogram 1971 find sand content 0 – 20 Centimetres 300 gram per kilogram 1971 find sand content 20 – 90 Centimetres 200 gram per kilogram 1971 find sand content 90 Centimetres 300 gram per kilogram 1971 course sand content 0 – 20 Centimetres 350 gram per kilogram 1971 course sand content 20 – 90 Centimetres 270 gram per kilogram 1971 course sand content 90 Centimetres 340 gram per kilogram 1971 soil organic carbon 0 – 20 Centimetres 10.8 gram per kilogram 1971 total soil nitrogen 0 – 20 Centimetres 1.07 gram per kilogram 1971 soil pH 0 – 20 Centimetres 5.5 pH water 1971 exchangeable calcium 0 – 20 Centimetres 3.2 cmolc kg−1 1971 exchangeable magnesium 0 – 20 Centimetres 0.53 cmolc kg−1 1971 exchangeable potassium 0 – 20 Centimetres 0.14 cmolc kg−1 1971 exchangeable sodium 0 – 20 Centimetres 0.02 cmolc kg−1 1970 cation exchange capacity 0 – 20 Centimetres 5.8 cmolc kg−1 1971 - Climatic type
- tropical savanna climate
- Climate description
- The region is classified as having a tropical savannah climate (Aw, Köppen classification). The mean annual rainfall is 1400 mm, with a lengthy rainy season from February to November, and a short dry season in December and January. The mean annual temperature is 25.9 ◦C. Two cropping cycles are possible because of the lengthy rainy season.
- Climate properties
Variable Time period Value (range) Units air temperature 25.9 degree Celsius precipitation 1400 millimeter
Design period: (1971—1990)
- Design Type
- Randomized complete block design
- Design description
- The factorial experiment followed a randomized block design comprising eight replicates of 12 treatments. The two studied factors were additions of compost (C0: 0 t ha−1 yr−1; C1: 40 t ha−1 yr−1) and mineral nitrogen (N0: 0 kg N ha−1 yr−1; N1: 40 kg N ha−1 yr−1; N2: 80 kg N ha−1 yr−1; N3: 120 kg N ha−1 yr−1; N4: 160 kg N ha−1 yr−1; and N5: 200 kg N ha−1 yr−1). The size of each replicate plot was 7.2 × 6.0 m (43.20 m2). Each plot was separated from adjacent ones by 2-m wide grass strips. The aboveground biomass (crop residues) was exported from all the 12 treatments and used to make the compost for the six treatments with compost addition.
- Number of plots
- 12
- Number of replicates
- 8
- Number of harvests per year
- 2
- Crops
Crop Years grown maize bare fallow soybeans ground nuts cow peas - Crop Rotations
- Crops 1971 1971—1971
- 1maize
- 2maize
Crops 1972 1972—1972- 1maize
- 2bare fallow
Crops 1973 1973—1973- 1maize
- 2maize
Crops 1974 1974—1974- 1maize
- 2maize
Crops 1975 1975—1975- 1maize
- 2maize
Crops 1976 1976—1976- 1maize
- 2maize
Crops 1977 1977—1977- 1maize
- 2bare fallow
Crops 1978 1978—1978- 1maize
- 2bare fallow
Crops 1979 1979—1979- 1maize
- 2bare fallow
Crops 1980 1980—1980- 1maize
- 2soybeans
Crops 1981 1981—1981- 1maize
- 2soybeans
Crops 1982 1982—1982- 1maize
- 2bare fallow
Crops 1983 1983—1983- 1maize
- 2soybeans
Crops 1984 1984—1984- 1maize
- 2ground nuts
Crops 1985 1985—1985- 1maize
- 2ground nuts
Crops 1986 1986—1986- 1maize
- 2ground nuts
Crops 1987 1987—1987- 1maize
- 2cow peas
Crops 1988 1988—1988- 1maize
- 2cow peas
Crops 1989 1989—1989- 1maize
- 2cow peas
Crops 1990 1990—1990- 1maize
- 2cow peas
- Factors
- Factor name
- Factor levels
- nitrogen fertilizer exposure
nitrogen (0 kgN/ha)
1971—1990Applied to crop: maizeApplication method: fertilizer basal applicationnitrogen (40 kgN/ha)
1971—1990Applied to crop: maizeApplication method: fertilizer basal applicationnitrogen (80 kgN/ha)
1971—1990Applied to crop: maizeApplication method: fertilizer basal applicationnitrogen (120 kgN/ha)
1971—1990Applied to crop: maizeApplication method: fertilizer basal applicationnitrogen (160 kgN/ha)
1971—1990Applied to crop: maizeApplication method: fertilizer basal applicationnitrogen (200 kgN/ha)
1971—1990Applied to crop: maizeApplication method: fertilizer basal application- natural fertilizer exposure Compost additon.
straw compost (0 tonnes dry matter per hectare)
1971—1990Applied to crop: maizeIn 1973, the carbon content of the compost was 293 g kg−1 DMstraw compost (10 tonnes dry matter per hectare)
1971—1990Applied to crop: maizeIn 1973, the carbon content of the compost was 293 g kg−1 DM
- Measurements
Variable Material Units Frequency Scale Comment grain yield trait All crops kg/ha annually soil organic carbon Soil g/kg 1971, 1974, 1975, 1979, 1981, 1993
Related publications
- Sustaining maize yields and soil carbon following land clearing in the forest–savannah transition zone of West Africa: Results from a 20-year experiment https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fcr.2021.108335 [In english]
- Evolution de la fertilité d'un sol ferralitique sous culture continue de maïs en zone forestière tropicale https://agritrop.cirad.fr/399939/ [In french]
- Évolution de la matière organique et de la capacité d’échange cationique des alfisols tropicaux cultivés
- Evolution d'un sol ferralitique de Côte d'Ivoire après la mise en culture. Effet des apports d'engrais azoté et de compost https://agritrop.cirad.fr/398327/ [In french]
- Yield trends, soil nitrogen and organic matter content during 20 years of continuous maize cultivation