Combined Mineral and Organic Fertilizer Application Enhances Soil Organic Carbon and Maize Yield in Semi-Arid Kenya: A DNDC Model-Based Prediction
The application of mineral fertilizers can effectively enhance crop yields. However, this potential benefit may be diminished if the use of mineral fertilizers leads to a substantial decline in soil organic carbon (SOC) and an increase in soil greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This study aimed to dete...
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2025-01-01
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| author | Stephen Okoth Aluoch Md Raseduzzaman Xiaoxin Li Zhuoting Li Fiston Bizimana Zheng Yawen Peter Semba Mosongo David M. Mburu Geofrey Waweru Wenxu Dong Chunsheng Hu |
| author_facet | Stephen Okoth Aluoch Md Raseduzzaman Xiaoxin Li Zhuoting Li Fiston Bizimana Zheng Yawen Peter Semba Mosongo David M. Mburu Geofrey Waweru Wenxu Dong Chunsheng Hu |
| author_sort | Stephen Okoth Aluoch |
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| description | The application of mineral fertilizers can effectively enhance crop yields. However, this potential benefit may be diminished if the use of mineral fertilizers leads to a substantial decline in soil organic carbon (SOC) and an increase in soil greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This study aimed to determine the optimal fertilizer combinations and rates for improving SOC and maize yield while reducing GHG emissions in the semi-arid uplands of Kenya. Data were collected from five different fertilizer treatments (N50, N100, N150, N100+manure, and N100+straw) compared to a control (N0) in a long-term experimental field, which was used to run and validate the DNDC model before using it for long-term predictions. The results showed that the combination of mineral fertilizer and straw resulted in the highest SOC balance, followed by that of fertilizer and manure. All fertilized treatments had higher maize grain yields compared to low-fertilizer treatment (N50) and control (N0). Daily CO<sub>2</sub> fluxes were highest in the treatment combining mineral fertilizer and manure, whereas there were no significant differences in N<sub>2</sub>O fluxes among the three tested treatments. The findings of this study indicate that the judicious application of mineral fertilizer, animal manure, and straw has great potential in enhancing SOC and maize yields while reducing GHG emissions, thereby providing practical farming management strategies in semi-arid Kenya. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-aa5112c620f84634840bf3c6ece2c3cf |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2073-4395 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Agronomy |
| spelling | doaj-art-aa5112c620f84634840bf3c6ece2c3cf2025-08-20T02:44:36ZengMDPI AGAgronomy2073-43952025-01-0115234610.3390/agronomy15020346Combined Mineral and Organic Fertilizer Application Enhances Soil Organic Carbon and Maize Yield in Semi-Arid Kenya: A DNDC Model-Based PredictionStephen Okoth Aluoch0Md Raseduzzaman1Xiaoxin Li2Zhuoting Li3Fiston Bizimana4Zheng Yawen5Peter Semba Mosongo6David M. Mburu7Geofrey Waweru8Wenxu Dong9Chunsheng Hu10Hebei Key Laboratory of Soil Ecology, Center for Agricultural Resources Research, Institute of Genetic and Developmental Biology, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, 286 Huaizhong Road, Shijiazhuang 050021, ChinaHebei Key Laboratory of Soil Ecology, Center for Agricultural Resources Research, Institute of Genetic and Developmental Biology, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, 286 Huaizhong Road, Shijiazhuang 050021, ChinaHebei Key Laboratory of Soil Ecology, Center for Agricultural Resources Research, Institute of Genetic and Developmental Biology, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, 286 Huaizhong Road, Shijiazhuang 050021, ChinaKey Laboratory of Environment Change and Resources Use in Beibu Gulf, Ministry of Education, Nanning Normal University, 175 East Mingxiu Road, Nanning 530001, ChinaHebei Key Laboratory of Soil Ecology, Center for Agricultural Resources Research, Institute of Genetic and Developmental Biology, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, 286 Huaizhong Road, Shijiazhuang 050021, ChinaHebei Key Laboratory of Soil Ecology, Center for Agricultural Resources Research, Institute of Genetic and Developmental Biology, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, 286 Huaizhong Road, Shijiazhuang 050021, ChinaHebei Key Laboratory of Soil Ecology, Center for Agricultural Resources Research, Institute of Genetic and Developmental Biology, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, 286 Huaizhong Road, Shijiazhuang 050021, ChinaJomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Nairobi 62000-00100, KenyaJomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Nairobi 62000-00100, KenyaHebei Key Laboratory of Soil Ecology, Center for Agricultural Resources Research, Institute of Genetic and Developmental Biology, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, 286 Huaizhong Road, Shijiazhuang 050021, ChinaHebei Key Laboratory of Soil Ecology, Center for Agricultural Resources Research, Institute of Genetic and Developmental Biology, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, 286 Huaizhong Road, Shijiazhuang 050021, ChinaThe application of mineral fertilizers can effectively enhance crop yields. However, this potential benefit may be diminished if the use of mineral fertilizers leads to a substantial decline in soil organic carbon (SOC) and an increase in soil greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This study aimed to determine the optimal fertilizer combinations and rates for improving SOC and maize yield while reducing GHG emissions in the semi-arid uplands of Kenya. Data were collected from five different fertilizer treatments (N50, N100, N150, N100+manure, and N100+straw) compared to a control (N0) in a long-term experimental field, which was used to run and validate the DNDC model before using it for long-term predictions. The results showed that the combination of mineral fertilizer and straw resulted in the highest SOC balance, followed by that of fertilizer and manure. All fertilized treatments had higher maize grain yields compared to low-fertilizer treatment (N50) and control (N0). Daily CO<sub>2</sub> fluxes were highest in the treatment combining mineral fertilizer and manure, whereas there were no significant differences in N<sub>2</sub>O fluxes among the three tested treatments. The findings of this study indicate that the judicious application of mineral fertilizer, animal manure, and straw has great potential in enhancing SOC and maize yields while reducing GHG emissions, thereby providing practical farming management strategies in semi-arid Kenya.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/15/2/346long-term predictionorganic carbon sequestrationorganic amendmentscenario analysesoptimal practices |
| spellingShingle | Stephen Okoth Aluoch Md Raseduzzaman Xiaoxin Li Zhuoting Li Fiston Bizimana Zheng Yawen Peter Semba Mosongo David M. Mburu Geofrey Waweru Wenxu Dong Chunsheng Hu Combined Mineral and Organic Fertilizer Application Enhances Soil Organic Carbon and Maize Yield in Semi-Arid Kenya: A DNDC Model-Based Prediction Agronomy long-term prediction organic carbon sequestration organic amendment scenario analyses optimal practices |
| title | Combined Mineral and Organic Fertilizer Application Enhances Soil Organic Carbon and Maize Yield in Semi-Arid Kenya: A DNDC Model-Based Prediction |
| title_full | Combined Mineral and Organic Fertilizer Application Enhances Soil Organic Carbon and Maize Yield in Semi-Arid Kenya: A DNDC Model-Based Prediction |
| title_fullStr | Combined Mineral and Organic Fertilizer Application Enhances Soil Organic Carbon and Maize Yield in Semi-Arid Kenya: A DNDC Model-Based Prediction |
| title_full_unstemmed | Combined Mineral and Organic Fertilizer Application Enhances Soil Organic Carbon and Maize Yield in Semi-Arid Kenya: A DNDC Model-Based Prediction |
| title_short | Combined Mineral and Organic Fertilizer Application Enhances Soil Organic Carbon and Maize Yield in Semi-Arid Kenya: A DNDC Model-Based Prediction |
| title_sort | combined mineral and organic fertilizer application enhances soil organic carbon and maize yield in semi arid kenya a dndc model based prediction |
| topic | long-term prediction organic carbon sequestration organic amendment scenario analyses optimal practices |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/15/2/346 |
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