SOIL FERTILITY IMPROVEMENT AND INTEGRATED NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT – A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE Edited by Joann K. Whalen Soil Fertility Improvement and Integrated Nutrient Management – A Global Perspective Edited by Joann K. Whalen Published by InTech Janeza Trdine 9, 51000 Rijeka, Croatia Copyright © 2011 InTech All chapters are Open Access distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license, which allows users to download, copy and build upon published articles even for commercial purposes, as long as the author and publisher are properly credited, which ensures maximum dissemination and a wider impact of our publications. After this work has been published by InTech, authors have the right to republish it, in whole or part, in any publication of which they are the author, and to make other personal use of the work. Any republication, referencing or personal use of the work must explicitly identify the original source. As for readers, this license allows users to download, copy and build upon published chapters even for commercial purposes, as long as the author and publisher are properly credited, which ensures maximum dissemination and a wider impact of our publications. Notice Statements and opinions expressed in the chapters are these of the individual contributors and not necessarily those of the editors or publisher. No responsibility is accepted for the accuracy of information contained in the published chapters. The publisher assumes no responsibility for any damage or injury to persons or property arising out of the use of any materials, instructions, methods or ideas contained in the book. Publishing Process Manager Alida Lesnjakovic Technical Editor Teodora Smiljanic Cover Designer InTech Design Team First published January, 2012 Printed in Croatia A free online edition of this book is available at www.intechopen.com Additional hard copies can be obtained from orders@intechweb.org Soil Fertility Improvement and Integrated Nutrient Management – A Global Perspective, Edited by Joann K. Whalen p. cm. ISBN 978-953-307-945-5 free online editions of InTech Books and Journals can be found at www.intechopen.com Contents Preface IX Part 1 Soil Mapping and Soil Fertility Testing 1 Chapter 1 Natural Forests of Oak in NW Spain: Soil Fertility and Main Edaphic Properties 3 I.J. Díaz-Maroto, P. Vila-Lameiro, O. Vizoso-Arribe, E. Alañón and M.C. Díaz-Maroto Chapter 2 Soil Phosphorus Tests and Transformation Analysis to Quantify Plant Availability: A Review 19 M. Zheng and T.Q. Zhang Chapter 3 Soil Fertility of Tropical Intensively Managed Forage System for Grazing Cattle in Brazil 37 Alberto C. de Campos Bernardi, Patrícia P. A. Oliveira and Odo Primavesi Chapter 4 Impact of an Introduced Forage Legume and Grazing on Soil Fertility in Native Pastures of the Humid Tropics of Mexico 57 Braulio Valles-de la Mora, Epigmenio Castillo-Gallegos, Jesús Jarillo-Rodríguez and Eliazar Ocaña-Zavaleta Chapter 5 Effects on Soil Fertility and Microbial Populations of Broadcast-Transplanting Rice Seedlings in High Standing-Stubble Under No-Tillage in Paddy Fields 81 Ren Wan-Jun, Huang Yun and Yang Wen-Yu Part 2 Organic and Inorganic Amendments for Soil Fertility Improvement 95 Chapter 6 Liquid Cattle Manure Application to Soil and Its Effect on Crop Growth, Yield, Composition, and on Soil Properties 97 Theodora Matsi VI Contents Chapter 7 Indigenous Fertilizing Materials to Enhance Soil Productivity in Ghana 119 Roland Nuhu Issaka, Moro Mohammed Buri, Satoshi Tobita, Satoshi Nakamura and Eric Owusu-Adjei Chapter 8 The Potential of Organic and Inorganic Nutrient Sources in Sub-Saharan African Crop Farming Systems 135 Felix K. Ngetich, Chris A. Shisanya, Jayne Mugwe, Monicah Mucheru-Muna and Daniel Mugendi Part 3 Integrated Nutrient Management: Case Studies from Central Europe, South America and Africa 157 Chapter 9 Constraints and Solutions to Maintain Soil Productivity: A Case Study from Central Europe 159 Witold Grzebisz and Jean Diatta Chapter 10 Mineral and Organic Fertilization to Improve Soil Fertility and Increasebiomass Production and N Utilization by Cereals 183 Tamas Kismanyoky and Zoltan Toth Chapter 11 Nutrient Management in Silvopastoral Systems for Economically and Environmentally Sustainable Cattle Production: A Case Study from Colombia 201 Liliana Mahecha and Joaquin Angulo Chapter 12 Sustainable Management of Frutis Orchards Using Organic Matter and Cover Crops: A Case Study from Brazil 217 Sarita Leonel, Erval Rafael Damatto Junior, Dayana Portes Ramos Bueno and Carlos Renato Alves Ragoso Chapter 13 Integrated Soil Fertility Management in Bean-Based Cropping Systems of Eastern, Central and Southern Africa 239 Lubanga Lunze, Mathew M. Abang, Robin Buruchara, Michael A. Ugen, Nsharwasi Léon Nabahungu, Gideon O. Rachier, Mulangwa Ngongo and Idupulapati Rao Chapter 14 Promoting Sustainable Crop-Livestock Integration Through Farmer’s Participation and Integrated Soil Fertility Management in the Sahel of West Africa 273 Bidjokazo Fofana, Zacharie Zida and Guillaume Ezui Chapter 15 Simple and Blended Organic Fertilizers Improve Fertility of Degraded Nursery Soils for Production of Kolanut (Cola acuminate) Seedlings in Nigeria 293 Emmanuel Ibukunoluwa Moyin-Jesu Preface Soil fertility describes soil nutrient status and the factors controlling the supply of nutrients to plants. Continued efforts to improve soil fertility are required to support the world's growing demand for food, fiber, and renewable fuels. Important ecological services provided by soils, such as biodiversity, buffering capacity, and nutrient recycling benefit from the amendments applied to sustain soil fertility. Those amendments need to be applied in a manner that is both economical and practical for the producer to achieve agronomic objectives that are environmentally sound. Integrated nutrient management is a goal for researchers, agronomists, and extension agents around the world. This is because nutrient management relies on developing plans for judicious use of inorganic and organic fertilizers, often applied together due to their synergistic and positive impacts on plant nutrition and soil food-web organisms. Soil Fertility Improvement and Integrated Nutrient Management: a Global Perspective presents 15 invited chapters written by leading soil fertility experts from more than 20 countries. The book is organized around three themes. The first theme is Soil Mapping and Soil Fertility Testing, describing spatial heterogeneity in soil nutrients within natural and managed ecosystems, as well as up-to-date soil testing methods and information on how soil fertility indicators respond to agricultural practices. The second theme, Organic and Inorganic Amendments for Soil Fertility Improvement, describes fertilizing materials that provide important amounts of essential nutrients for plants. While the focus is on supplying adequate nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium due to the well-documented and relatively high requirements of these nutrients for most crops, attention to other necessary macro- and micro-nutrients has not been neglected. Techniques for fertilizer application to enhance nutrient use efficiency, opportunities for using locally available fertilizer sources and economic considerations are outlined. Finally, the third theme, Integrated Nutrient Management Planning: Case Studies From Central Europe, South America, and Africa, highlights the principles of integrated nutrient management. Additionally, it gives case studies explaining how this approach has been implemented successfully across large geographic regions, and at local scales, to improve the productivity of staple crops and forages. X Preface The message emerging from these themes is clear – soil fertility experts from around the world have done the research, refined the analytical tools, and developed the know-how to increase food, fiber, and renewable fuel production. Authors provide numerous practical examples and local success stories that support their diverse approaches to soil fertility improvement. I hope the experiences they share in this book will inspire and motivate those currently working in the field, as well as the next generation of soil fertility specialists. Dr. Joann K. Whalen Department of Natural Resource Sciences Macdonald Campus, McGill University, Quebec Canada . Sarita Leonel, Erval Rafael Damatto Junior, Dayana Portes Ramos Bueno and Carlos Renato Alves Ragoso Chapter 13 Integrated Soil Fertility Management in Bean-Based Cropping Systems of Eastern,. Vizoso-Arribe, E. Alañón and M.C. Díaz-Maroto Chapter 2 Soil Phosphorus Tests and Transformation Analysis to Quantify Plant Availability: A Review 19 M. Zheng and T.Q. Zhang Chapter 3 Soil Fertility. SOIL FERTILITY IMPROVEMENT AND INTEGRATED NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT – A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE Edited by Joann K. Whalen Soil Fertility Improvement and Integrated Nutrient Management