Fertiliser in small doses
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CTA. 2005. Fertiliser in small doses. Spore 119. CTA, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
Permanent link to this item: http://hdl.handle.net/10568/48026
Internet URL: http://spore.cta.int/images/stories/pdf/old/spore119.pdf
Using fertiliser in countries of the South is often fraught with problems. The high cost of these industrial products is often crippling for farmers, who are reluctant to make such an investment, given the uncertain climate...
Using fertiliser in countries of the South is often fraught with problems. The high cost of these industrial products is often crippling for farmers, who are reluctant to make such an investment, given the uncertain climate. To overcome these obstacles, experiments have been made using small doses (known as micro-doses) of fertiliser, and placing them directly into the soil at the time of sowing. An FAO fertiliser project showed an increase in yields of both millet and sorghum from using this technique. For example, the application of 20 kg/ha of Di-ammonium phosphate 18-46-0 (DAP) into the hole, together with the seed, produces an increase in yield of around 70%. A secondary advantage of this method is the small amount of fertiliser used overall, with the obvious benefits to the environment. The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) in Niger, together with local partner organisations involved in agricultural research such as the Institut de l environnement et recherches agricoles (INERA) in Burkina Faso, the Institut d économie rurale au Mali (IER) in Mali and the Institut national de recherche agronomique du Niger (INRAN) in Niger have also carried out promising trials using sorghum and millet, which resulted in higher yields for both crops. In Niger, farmers are now being trained in this technique and field schools are being established.