Browsing Articles: Department of Water and Agricultural Resources Management by Issue Date
Now showing items 1-20 of 199
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Decomposition of Cassia siamea loppings in semiarid Machakos, Kenya
(1994)The rate of decomposition of Cassia siamea Lam. prunings in an alley cropping system was investigated using litter bags in the semiarid area of the Machakos District, Kenya, during the short rains of 1988 and the long rains ... -
Predicting decomposition patterns of tree biomass in tropical highland microregions of Kenya
(Kluwer Academic Publishers, 1997)Decomposition- and nitrogen-release patterns of biomass from three agroforestry multipurpose trees (Calliandra calothyrsus, Cordia africana and Grevillea robusta) were investigated in four contrasting environments ... -
Effect of incorporating Cassia siamea prunings on maize yield in an alley cropping trial in semiarid Kenya
(1997)The influence of soil-incorporated Cassia siamea prunings on nutrient status of maize leaves, grain and yield was studied in an alley cropping experiment in semiarid Machakos, Kenya, during the 1988 long and short rainy ... -
Evaluation of Leucaena leucocephala as a source of N for maize
(1997-01)Prunings of leucaena [Leucaena leucocephala (Lam.) De Wit] have long been regarded as a useful alternative to N fertilizer, but N use efficiency by crops is often low. The potential exists to synchronise nutrient ... -
Alley cropping of maize with calliandra and leucaena in the subhumid highlands of Kenya Part 2. Biomass decomposition, N mineralization, and N uptake by maize
(Kluwer Academic Publishers, 1999-06)A major challenge in developing agroforestry approaches that utilize tree-leaf biomass for provision of N to crops is to ensure synchrony between the N released from decomposing prunings and N demand by crops. A study was ... -
Nitrogen recovery by alley-cropped maize and trees from 15N-labeled tree biomass in the subhumid highlands of Kenya
(Springer-Verlag, 2000-05)The effectiveness of tree-leaf biomass as a source of N to crops in agroforestry systems depends on the rate at which crops can obtain N from the biomass. A study was conducted to determine the fate of 15N labeled, ... -
Soil fertility under Calliandra calothyrsus hedgerows and other land-use treatments following forest clearance in Jamaica
(Kluwer Academic Publishers, 2003-02)An experiment in the Blue Mountains of Jamaica investigated the consequences of three land-use treatments applied following forest clearance on soil fertility and resulting crop growth over a five year period. The treatments ... -
Physical changes during coffee roasting in Rotary Conduction‐Type Heating Units
(Blackwell Publishing Ltd, 2003-08-23)Coffee beans were roasted in a rotary conduction-type-heating unit under constant heating surface or product temperatures ranging from 200 to 240C or 170 to 210C, respectively. the roasting duration was varied from 0 to ... -
Nitrogen fertilizer equivalencies of organics of differing quality and optimum combination with inorganic nitrogen source in Central Kenya
(Kluwer Academic Publishers, 2004)Decline in crop yields is a major problem facing smallholder farmers in Kenya and the entire Sub-Saharan region. This is attributed mainly to the mining of major nutrients due to continuous cropping without addition of ... -
Soil fertility status, management and research in East Africa
(2004)This study reviews and synthesizes the soil fertility status, management among smallholder farmers and research in the three countries of east Africa, namely Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. We observe that many studies note ... -
Coffee Drying in a Rotary Conduction-Type Heating Unit
(Blackwell Publishing Ltd, 2004-06-01)Parchment coffee (Arabica) was dried from an initial moisture content of about 90% to 10% dry basis (db) in a recirculating rotary conduction type heating unit at controlled plenum temperatures of 100, 120 and 140C or ... -
Agroforestry in the drylands of eastern Africa: a call to action
(World Agroforestry Centre, 2005)Drylands in eastern Africa typically suffer from unsustainable land uses that have evolved in the recent past. This paper reports on how agroforestry practices can contribute to sustainable land use in drylands drawing ... -
Metal Status of Nairobi Riverwaters and Their Bioaccumulation in Labeo Cylindricus
(2005-03-03)This study focused on the analysis of metals in water and fish from Nairobi River. Water from Kikuyu, Kawangware, Chiromo, Eastleigh, Njiru and Fourteen Falls along the Nairobi River was analyzed for the presence of metals. ... -
The drying kinetics of kale (Brassica oleracea) in a convective hot air dryer
(Elsevier, 2005-12-31)The effect of air temperature and sample thickness on the drying kinetics of kale was investigated using a convective air dryer at a fixed airflow rate of 1 m/s and drying air temperatures of 30, 40, 50 and 60 °C. The ... -
Available technologies to replenish soil fertility in East Africa
(Springer, 2006)Low inherent soil fertility in the highly weathered and leached soils largely accounts for low and unsustained crop yields in most African countries. But in particular, the major nutrients, nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P), ... -
Performance of a solar dryer with limited sun tracking capability
(Elsevier, 2006-05-31)A small solar dryer with limited sun tracking capabilities was designed and tested. The dryer had a mild steel absorber plate and a polyvinyl chloride (pvc) transparent cover and could be adjusted to track the sun in ... -
Effect of moisture content on the physical properties of three varieties of sorghum seeds
(Elsevier, 2006-08-31)Three sorghum varieties (Kari-mtama, Serena and Seredo) were obtained from the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute and reconditioned to moisture contents ranging from 13.64% to 21.95% db. The reconditioned grain kernels ... -
Effect of plant biomass, manure and inorganic fertilizer on maize yield in the central Highlands of Kenya
(2007)Soil fertility degradation remains the major biophysical cause of declining per capita crop production on smallholder farms in sub-Saharan Africa. Appropriate soil fertility regimes, are therefore, critical for improved ... -
Production Functions and Their Use in Predicting Chickpea Biomass Yields When Grown under Varying Tillage and Sowing Dates in Naivasha, Kenya
(Scientific Research Publishing Co., 2007)The use of production functions as tools for analyzing agronomic relationships and crop growth is gaining importance the world over. Their predictive value in crop adaptation trials for specific agro-ecological sites ... -
A study of yield characteristics during mechanical oil extraction of preheated and ground soybeans
(2007)Abstract: Soybeans were extracted for oil by compressing a ground sample at various operating pressures, pressing durations and product bulk temperatures. The oil yield from the various operations was measured and expressed ...
