Project title: Soil and water management in semi-arid region of eastern Africa
Duration: 2002-2006
Funding: USAID-INTSORMIL
Contact:
Charles Wortmann, Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, UNL, 154 Keim Hall, Lincoln NE 68583-0915, (402) 472-2909 cwortmann2@unl.edu
Martha Mamo, Assistant Professor, 242 Keim Hall,
East Campus, University of Nebraska
Lincoln, NE 68583-0915, Phone: 402- 472 8493,
Fax: 402- 472 7904
Email: mailto:mmamo3@unl.edu,
http://agronomy.unl.edu/fac/mamo.htm
Project
description:
Inadequate nutrient supply and water deficits are the primary production constraints addressed in this water and nutrient management research, as well as study of nutrient dynamics in the soil and in the crop. The specific objectives are :
(1) Conduct nutrient management and water conservation research, such as use of tie-ridging or micro-catchments, in two semi-arid areas in Ethiopia.
(2) Conduct on-farm trials and/or collaborate in on-going station trials to verify N credit to sorghum following soybeans in rotation after soybeans.
(3) Conduct
research on starter fertilizers for no-till sorghum production in Nebraska.
(4) Implement
research to predict P fixation capacity of soils across Nebraska and Ethiopia
and assess effect of tillage systems on organic matter.
(5) Initiate
data compilation to evaluate internal nutrient use efficiencies, and relate
variations in grain yield and seed number to plant N concentration, uptake, and
N harvest index.
Current research in Nebraska includes fine-tuning starter fertilizer use for no-till milo production; verifying nitrogen credit for milo following soybean; and, improving the understanding of soil properties affecting phosphorus availability. In Ethiopia, researchers are working with small-scale farmers to investigate the interaction of fertilizer with water conservation techniques. In Uganda, research will harness cover crop technology with fertilizer management. The work in Africa is in cooperation with other US universities including Purdue and Texas A&M, and the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT).
Key
results: In progress
Publications: None