Observed effects of the animal manure application practices on the chemical parameters and status of Lixisols in the south soudanian zone (Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso)

Urban Farm DB summary

A study evaluating the effect of pig and cattle manure application on soil chemical parameters of Lixisols in the Bobo-Dioulasso area of Burkina Faso, framed around the potential for organic waste fertilizers in urban and peri-urban agriculture to maintain soil fertility and support food security. Eight farms using animal waste and some non-cultivated plots were identified in 2012, and soil samples were taken for chemical analysis. Pig manure use lowered soil pH (H2O) by 0.46 units at 0-10 cm depth and 0.51 units at 10-20 cm, while increasing organic carbon and nitrogen content and easily absorbed phosphorus at both depths. Cattle manure use raised total potassium to 1,210 ppm at 0-10 cm and 1,351 ppm at 10-20 cm, and cation exchange capacity (CEC) to 7.18 meq/100g, about three times that of unmanured plots. The study concludes animal manure could be an alternative to costly chemical fertilizers.