Publication Date
1985
Location
Kyoto Japan
Description
The typical soils (Alfisols) of the subhumid zone of Nigeria deteriorate under continuous cropping and grazing. Due to increasing demand for land, soil recovery through natural fallowing is too time consuming. Because other reclamation techniques are expensive forage legumes that rapidly confer most fallow benefits and improve livestock nutrition have an important role in traditional crop-livestock production systems. In its experiments ILCA subhumid zone team used Stylosanthes spp. (stylo) in the following way: - (i) undersown or sown on alternate ridges with sorghum, (ii) sorghum transplanted into it, and (iii) the succeeded by maize after varying years of its growth. Sorghum grain yields with stylo sown under after 3-6 weeks or sown at the same time on alternate ridges with sorghum (2 plants per stand) equalled traditional yields. Maize respones varied with type and age of stylo pasture. Two year old stylo pasture contributed about 100 kg of N/ha the succeeding maize crop, whereby its yield increased by over 1 ton in comparison to previously cropped or fallow land. In the presence of stylo crop stover yields decreased but it raised the DCP per hectare from negative to positive levels. The preliminary economic analysis is encouraging. The fact that there are insufficient purchasable feedstuffs means that growing forage by pastoralists is the only alternative to alleviate livestock nutrition problems. But under the prevailing socio-economic conditions a symbiotic effect of legumes on crop and livestock production may be a key for the development of the zone.
Citation
Mohamed Saleem, M A.; Kaufman, R von; Otsynia, R M.; and Suleiman, H, "Potential Role for Stylo in Traditional Crop and Livestock Production Systems in Nigerian Subhumid Zone" (1985). IGC Proceedings (1985-2023). 13.
(URL: https://uknowledge.uky.edu/igc/1985/ses14/13)
Included in
Agricultural Science Commons, Agronomy and Crop Sciences Commons, Plant Biology Commons, Plant Pathology Commons, Soil Science Commons, Weed Science Commons
Potential Role for Stylo in Traditional Crop and Livestock Production Systems in Nigerian Subhumid Zone
Kyoto Japan
The typical soils (Alfisols) of the subhumid zone of Nigeria deteriorate under continuous cropping and grazing. Due to increasing demand for land, soil recovery through natural fallowing is too time consuming. Because other reclamation techniques are expensive forage legumes that rapidly confer most fallow benefits and improve livestock nutrition have an important role in traditional crop-livestock production systems. In its experiments ILCA subhumid zone team used Stylosanthes spp. (stylo) in the following way: - (i) undersown or sown on alternate ridges with sorghum, (ii) sorghum transplanted into it, and (iii) the succeeded by maize after varying years of its growth. Sorghum grain yields with stylo sown under after 3-6 weeks or sown at the same time on alternate ridges with sorghum (2 plants per stand) equalled traditional yields. Maize respones varied with type and age of stylo pasture. Two year old stylo pasture contributed about 100 kg of N/ha the succeeding maize crop, whereby its yield increased by over 1 ton in comparison to previously cropped or fallow land. In the presence of stylo crop stover yields decreased but it raised the DCP per hectare from negative to positive levels. The preliminary economic analysis is encouraging. The fact that there are insufficient purchasable feedstuffs means that growing forage by pastoralists is the only alternative to alleviate livestock nutrition problems. But under the prevailing socio-economic conditions a symbiotic effect of legumes on crop and livestock production may be a key for the development of the zone.
