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Soil fertility in wetland versus reclaimed land using plant
parameters in relation to nitrogen content: The case of Yala
Swamp, Western Kenya
Kelebogile B. Mfundisi
Harry Oppenheimer Okavango Research Centre. University of
Botswana, Private Bag 285 Maun, Botswana.
E-mail:kmfundisi@daadalumni.de/kmfundisi@orc.ub.bw. Tel:
267 686 1833.
Accepted
2 July, 2008. |
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A bioassay
experiment was carried out to assess soil fertility of
wetland and adjacent reclaimed wetland (agricultural-land)
areas in comparison to their nitrogen contents. Though
wetland soils had more total N than agricultural-land soils,
the greenhouse findings suggest that organic matter in
wetlands does not mineralize as readily as in soils drained
for longer periods. Also, when total N increased, the roots
to shoots (R:S) ratio decreased thus favoring shoot growth,
but less so in wetland soil (r = -0.1) than in agricultural
soil (r = -0.2). In fact, the C/N ratios indicated that
poor nutrient quality in wetland soils as compared to
agricultural-land soils. Wetland soils had more acidic pH
values which impeded the growing of the maize and shifted
the partitioning towards the roots.
Key
words:
R:S ratio, total N, total biomass, maize, C/N ratio. |
