Putting nitrogen fixation to work for smallholder farmers in Africa Progress Report of N2Africa Activities Implemented by four Centers of EIAR ILRI-N2Africa

Putting nitrogen fixation to work for smallholder farmers in Africa

Progress Report of N2Africa Activities Implemented by four Centers of EIAR

ILRI-N2Africa Annual Planning & Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Validation Workshop

21-23 January 2015ILRI Campus, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Amare Fufa and EIAR Team

Ethiopian Institutes of Agricultural Research

(Melkassa, Pawe, Debrezeit, Jimma)


Introduction

N2Africa’s main priority intervention area is Rhizobium inoculant

as Integrated Soil Fertility Management (ISFM) to maximize the

productivity of legume crops

N2 Africa activities implemented at four centers of EIAR (MAR,

JARC, PARC and DARC)

This year project activities were based up on the previous bridging

trials lessons and experiences

This year activities were well established at most trial sites

Data collection, analysis, interpretation is completed except Chick

pea in which harvesting is under way


Activities implemented

N2Africa experiments in 2014 cropping season:-

1. Diagnosis experiment activity

2. Demonstration activity

3. Adaptation activity

4. Researcher-managed agronomy activityThree crops (Common bean, Soybean and chick pea)

were tested for their response to inoculant and phosphorus


The response of grain yield, Biomass and Number of Nodules to

inoculation at Shala

The analysis of variance for grain yield showed significant

response to rhizobium/inoculant and phosphorus

The highest grain yield was obtained when both the

rhizobium/inoculant and phosphorus were applied (2538.1kg/ha)

followed by the application of phosphorus

Result Achieved from Diagnosis trial


Treatments

Grain yield

(Kg/ha) Biomass (Kg/ha)

Nodule (No/Plant

)

Active Nodule (No/plant)

Inactive Nodule (No/plant)

+P+I 2538.1a 3634.4a 108.81a 15.22a 4.78b

+P-I 1861.9b 3303.8a 101.9a 12.08b 7.92a

-P+I 1026.3c 2169.4b 79.08b 10.18b 9.66a

-P-I 978.1c 2105.6b 63.85c 11.04b 9.12a

Mean 1601.12 2803 88.41 12.13 7.82CV 26.08 38.5 29.24 30.89 17.42

Table1. Effects of Phosphorus and rhizobium on common bean yield and yield components

There was no significant response observed between –P+I and –P-I Indicated that further investigation about P rate should be required

With regards to biomass also the application of P is important+P+I produced higher active nodules than other treatments


0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

1600

1800

2000Mean Soybean Grain Yield Kg /ha

ControlfertilizerInoculemBoth

Response of soybean to rhizobia inoculation in Jimma Zone


Grain yield of common bean from diagnostic trial at Pawe

0 300 600 900 1200 1500 1800 2100 2400 2700 30000

400

800

1200

1600

2000

2400

2800

3200

Control

Linear (Control)

I

I+P

P

Grain yield of the Control Treatment

Com

mon

bea

n G

rain

yie

ld (

kg/h

a)

I>C= 31.25%P>C= 81.25%I+P>C= 43.75%


Grain yield of soybean bean from diagnostic trial at Pawe

0 300 600 900 1200 1500 18000

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

1600

1800

2000

Control

Linear (Control)

I

I+P

P

Grain yield of control treatment

Soy

bea

n G

rain

yie

ld (

kg/

ha)

I>C= 75%P>C= 75%I+P>C= 66.67%


+P+I

+P-I-P-I

-P+I

Field Performance at Jimma


-P-I

+P+I

+P-I

-P+I

Field performance at Shala


Shala

+P+I

-P-I

+P-I

-P+I


Shala

+P+I


Shala

-P-I


Result Achieved from Demonstration Activities


Performance of Demonstration Activities at Shala

+P+I -P-I 0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

3500

4000

4500

5000 Grain Yield Sole cropping Intercropping Biomass Sole cropping Intercropping


0

2000

4000

6000

8000

10000Grain Yield Biomass


100 200 300 400 500 6000.00

100.00

200.00

300.00

400.00

500.00

600.00

700.00

800.00

900.00

control

Linear (con-trol)

with_inputs

Grain yield of control treatment

Soy

bea

n g

rain

yie

ld (

kg/

ha) I+P>C=

100%

Pawe Soybean


0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400 450 5000.00

100.00

200.00

300.00

400.00

500.00

600.00

control

Linear (con-trol)

with_inputs

Grain yield of the contol treatment

Com

mon

bea

n G

rain

yie

ld (

kg/

ha)

I+P>C= 76.92%

Pawe Common bean


Field performance at Shala

-P-I

+P+I


Progress on Chickpea Trials

All the activities were established well

Data collection was made using:

Straight forward using hard copies (manually), and

Digital data collection methods (using tablets and SMS using cell

phones as pilot case study )

Five DAs and a research assistance received Google Nexus tablets,

which has all the necessary data collection sheets as deemed by

N2Africa project

Short Messaging service (SMS) Using farmers personal cell-phone


Progress on Chickpea Trials

Currently chickpea was harvested from most

experimental sites except Akako village which is

relatively highland area

Data for harvested crop is not yet compiled it is on the

process (threshing, cleaning and weighing)

All the socio-economic data was collected and being

analyzed


Progress on Adaptation Trials

This activity implemented at all locations as preplanned

Informal feedback of the farmers were good

Further assessment on the feedback from adaptation trials

will be done at near future—waiting for financial support

from N2 Africa-ILRI


Progress on Adaptation Trials

-P-I

+P+I


Field performance on Adaptation Trials

-P-I

+P+I


Progress on Researcher managed agronomic Activities

One activity at two Location (Melkassa and Pawe) was

established

Data was collected as per planned

Like yield and yield parameters

Agronomic data

Soil data analysis-under way in laboratory

Permanent plot was established



Continuous Maize

Continuous Common bean

Maize-Common bean Rotation




Agricultural experts and DAs from N2Africa villages and research staff obtained 5 days intensive training on both theoretical and practical training on how to operating the digital tablets for data collection

o Each android tablet was installed with Open Data Kit (ODK) version 7

Hands-on on digital tableted

Achievements on other evaluation and promotional Activities (DARC)


o 50 farmers trained how to send information using SMS with cell-phone

oThe templates for sms use were prepared both in Amharic and Oromifa languages.

oMore than 85 % of these

farmers were responded to the special stenciled questionnaires,

Currently 3 way data base deposit is available (N2Africa /WUR/ DZARC)

SMS with cell-phone

Achievements on other evaluation and promotional Activities (DARC)


Achievements on other evaluation and promotional Activities (Jimma)


Achievements on other evaluation and promotional Activities (Melkassa)










Achievements on other evaluation and promotional Activities (Pawe)


Challenges

Severe infestation of bean stem maggot and weed

Erratic rainfall/Drought problem at trial establishment

Budget scarcity

Vehicle


Flooding of experimental plots Weed and pests


Challenges

-P+I

+P+I

-P-I

+P-I

Field damaged due to severe infestation of Bean stem maggot


Way forward to 2015

P rates determination

Pest/weed Management

Assessment on perception of N2 Africa technologies

Need to establish an economic and impact assessment work

on the adaptation trial and later on market links

Wide adaptation of N2 Africa technologies

Establishing of Strong Partnership among different

stakeholders


THANKS FOR YOUR ATTENTION

Documents

Putting nitrogen fixation to work for smallholder farmers in Africa Progress Report of N2Africa Activities Implemented by four Centers of EIAR ILRI-N2Africa