{"type": "FeatureCollection", "features": [{"id": "10.1016/j.fcr.2014.08.004", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-09-20T16:15:32Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2014-09-16", "title": "Benefits Of Legume\u2013Maize Rotations: Assessing The Impact Of Diversity On The Productivity Of Smallholders In Western Kenya", "description": "Abstract   Agricultural intensification of farming systems in sub-Saharan Africa is a prerequisite to alleviate rural poverty and improve livelihoods. Legumes have shown great potential to enhance system productivity. On-farm experiments were conducted in different agro-ecological zones (AEZ) in Western Kenya to assess the agronomic and economic benefits of promising legumes. In each zone, trials were established in fields of high, medium and low fertility to assess the effect of soil fertility heterogeneity on legume productivity and subsequent maize yield. Common bean, soybean, groundnut, lima bean, lablab, velvet bean, crotalaria, and jackbean were grown in the short rains season, followed by maize in the long rains season. Alongside, continuous maize treatments fertilised at different rates were established. AEZs and soil fertility gradients within these zones greatly affected crop productivity, returns to land and labour of rotations, as well as the relative performance of rotations. Poorer soil fertility and AEZs with lower rainfall gave smaller legume and maize yields and consequently, smaller returns to land and labour. The cultivation of legumes increased maize yields in the subsequent long rains season compared with continuous maize receiving fertiliser at a similar rate, while the increase of maize after green manure legumes was stronger than that after grain legumes. Maize yield responded strongly to increasing amounts of N applied as legume residues with diminishing returns to legume-N application rates above 100\u00a0kg\u00a0N\u00a0ha\u22121. In the low potential zones, factors other than improved N availability likely also stimulated maize yield. Rotations with grain legumes generally provided better returns than those with green manures. Intercropping bean with maize in the long rains season provided an additional bean yield that did not come at the expense of maize yield and improved returns to land and labour, but more so in the high potential zones. The results demonstrate the strong impact of biophysical diversity on the productivity of the legumes and suggest the need for careful targeting of legume technologies to the different biophysical conditions.", "keywords": ["2. Zero hunger", "semiarid kenya", "soil fertility", "legumes", "sustainable intensification", "cattle manure", "1. No poverty", "04 agricultural and veterinary sciences", "15. Life on land", "maize", "exploring diversity", "nitrogen", "economic analysis", "soybean glycine-max", "soil fertility management", "biophysics", "on-farm productivity", "0401 agriculture", " forestry", " and fisheries", "farming systems", "crop-livestock systems", "degraded soils"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fcr.2014.08.004"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Field%20Crops%20Research", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1016/j.fcr.2014.08.004", "name": "item", "description": "10.1016/j.fcr.2014.08.004", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1016/j.fcr.2014.08.004"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2014-11-01T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1111/j.1475-2743.2009.00244.x", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-09-20T16:17:42Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2009-09-29", "title": "Effect Of Selected Organic Materials And Inorganic Fertilizer On The Soil Fertility Of A Humic Nitisol In The Central Highlands Of Kenya", "description": "Abstract<p>The effect on soil fertility of applying particular organic resources to a humic Nitisol in the central highlands of Kenya was studied. The organic resources (Calliandra calothyrsus,Leucaena trichandra,Tithonia diversifolia,Mucuna pruriens,Crotalaria ochroleucaand cattle manure) were either applied solely or along with inorganic fertilizer in a cropping trial using maize as the experimental crop. After 4\uffe2\uff80\uff83years of continuous cultivation and manuring, soil fertility effects varied among treatments. Cattle manure proved to be the most effective and improved soil fertility by increasing pH, cations (Ca, K and Mg), and C.Calliandra, Leucaena, Tithoniaand herbaceous legumes generally reduced soil pH, C and N but increased Ca, K and Mg. Cattle manure is therefore an important resource for maintaining soil organic matter (SOM) in the area and in other similar areas with arable\uffe2\uff80\uff90livestock systems. Reduction of soil C and N by the high quality organic materials suggests that their role in maintaining SOM in the long\uffe2\uff80\uff90term is limited in this area. A sound nutrient management system should strive to make a balance between maximizing crop production and sustaining soil quality.</p>", "keywords": ["2. Zero hunger", "Calliandra calothyrsus", "Leucaena trichandra", "Herbaceous legumes", "cattle manure", "Tithonia diversifolia", "0401 agriculture", " forestry", " and fisheries", "04 agricultural and veterinary sciences", "15. Life on land", "630", "6. Clean water"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1475-2743.2009.00244.x"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Soil%20Use%20and%20Management", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1111/j.1475-2743.2009.00244.x", "name": "item", "description": "10.1111/j.1475-2743.2009.00244.x", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1111/j.1475-2743.2009.00244.x"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2009-11-19T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.2134/jeq2003.5990", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-09-20T16:18:32Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2012-08-02", "description": "ABSTRACT<p>Maize (Zea mays L.) production in the smallholder farming areas of Zimbabwe is based on both organic and mineral nutrient sources. A study was conducted to determine the effect of composted cattle manure, mineral N fertilizer, and their combinations on NO3 concentrations in leachate leaving the root zone and to establish N fertilization rates that minimize leaching. Maize was grown for three seasons (1996\uffe2\uff80\uff931997, 1997\uffe2\uff80\uff931998, and 1998\uffe2\uff80\uff931999) in field lysimeters repacked with a coarse\uffe2\uff80\uff90grained sandy soil (Typic Kandiustalf). Leachate volumes ranged from 480 to 509 mm yr\uffe2\uff88\uff921 (1395 mm rainfall) in 1996\uffe2\uff80\uff931997, 296 to 335 mm yr\uffe2\uff88\uff921 (840 mm rainfall) in 1997\uffe2\uff80\uff931998, and 606 to 635 mm yr\uffe2\uff88\uff921 (1387 mm rainfall) in 1998\uffe2\uff80\uff931999. Mineral N fertilizer, especially the high rate (120 kg N ha\uffe2\uff88\uff921), and manure plus mineral N fertilizer combinations resulted in high NO3 leachate concentrations (up to 34 mg N L\uffe2\uff88\uff921) and NO3 losses (up to 56 kg N ha\uffe2\uff88\uff921 yr\uffe2\uff88\uff921) in 1996\uffe2\uff80\uff931997, which represent both environmental and economic concerns. Although the leaching losses were relatively small in the other seasons, they are still of great significance in African smallholder farming where fertilizer is unaffordable for most farmers. Nitrate leaching from sole manure treatments was relatively low (average of less than 20 kg N ha\uffe2\uff88\uff921 yr\uffe2\uff88\uff921), whereas the crop uptake efficiency of mineral N fertilizer was enhanced by up to 26% when manure and mineral N fertilizer were applied in combination. The low manure (12.5 Mg ha\uffe2\uff88\uff921) plus 60 kg N ha\uffe2\uff88\uff921 fertilizer treatment was best in terms of maintaining dry matter yield and minimizing N leaching losses.</p>", "keywords": ["2. Zero hunger", "Tropical Climate", "Nitrates", "Rain", "rainfall", "cattle manure", "04 agricultural and veterinary sciences", "15. Life on land", "Silicon Dioxide", "Plant Roots", "losses", "6. Clean water", "Manure", "corn", "nitrogen-fertilizer", "Soil Pollutants", "0401 agriculture", " forestry", " and fisheries", "Water Pollutants", "lysimeters", "Fertilizers", "zimbabwe", "time", "Environmental Monitoring"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.2134/jeq2003.5990"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Journal%20of%20Environmental%20Quality", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.2134/jeq2003.5990", "name": "item", "description": "10.2134/jeq2003.5990", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.2134/jeq2003.5990"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2003-01-01T00:00:00Z"}}], "links": [{"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "This document as GeoJSON", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items?keywords=cattle+manure&f=json", "hreflang": "en-US"}, {"rel": "alternate", "type": "text/html", "title": "This document as HTML", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items?keywords=cattle+manure&f=html", "hreflang": "en-US"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection URL", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main", "hreflang": "en-US"}, {"type": "application/geo+json", "rel": "first", "title": "items (first)", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items?keywords=cattle+manure&", "hreflang": "en-US"}, {"rel": "last", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "items (last)", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items?keywords=cattle+manure&offset=3", "hreflang": "en-US"}], "numberMatched": 3, "numberReturned": 3, "distributedFeatures": [], "timeStamp": "2026-09-21T02:01:29.771410Z"}