Maize fertilizer experiments in Western Tanzania

Abstract

Results of 132 maize fertilizer experiments (NP and NPK) carried out over 3 years in Western Tanzania have been grouped to give sixteen ‘response areas’. Responses to N and P were very large in the south-western half of the research zone, where rainfall is fairly well distributed. On granitic soils around Lake Victoria, responses were mainly to N alone. In the drier areas, notably Shinyanga district, responses to both N and P were on average very small. No significant positive responses to K were found, except for one trial in Karagwe district.It was found that all observed responses to N and P could be accounted for in terms of a generalized two-factor Mitscherlich-Baule yield equation, with constant curvature terms, cn and cv.Using this equation it is possible to define ‘maximum economic requirements’ of the nutrients N and P for various maize and fertilizer prices and potential yields. The difference between this maximum requirement and the amounts of these nutrients supplied by the soil (given by the Mitscherlich-Baule parameters bn and bp',)represents the optimum rate of fertilizer application, where profit per acre is at a maximum.Empirical equations are presented for estimating b from soil analysis results for areas not adequately covered by these experiments, but such estimates may not always be accurate.