Crop yield and the fate of nitrogen and phosphorus following application of plant material and feces to soil

Abstract

Organic materials are the most important sources of nutrients for agricultural production in farming systems of semi-arid West Africa. However, reliance on locally available organic nutrient sources for both crop and livestock production is rapidly becoming unsustainable. A series of feeding and agronomic trials have been conducted to address the role of livestock in sustainable nutrient cycling. This paper reports results of a greenhouse study that evaluated the effects of applying crop residue and browse leaves, or feces derived from these feeds, at equal organic-N application rates (150 kg ha