Cereal Nitrogen Use Efficiency in Sub Saharan Africa

Autor: Birehane Desta, Tia J. Nobles, Silvano L. Abreu, Roji Manandhar, Chelsea D. Farris, William R. Raun, Travis O. Conley, Samar S. Shawaqfeh, Lokuralalage, Lakmini, Daniel E. Edmonds, Elliott W. Rounds, Michael C. Daft, Nehaben K. Patel, Brandon B. England, Donna Ria J. Caasi, Adelheid West, Brennan H. Sanders
Rok vydání: 2009
Předmět:
Zdroj: Journal of Plant Nutrition. 32:2107-2122
ISSN: 1532-4087
0190-4167
DOI: 10.1080/01904160903308184
Popis: Cereal production in Sub Saharan Africa (SSA) is inadequate for supporting population nutritional demands. Nutrient mining of nitrogen (N) has taken place in all areas where cereals are produced in SSA. This review reports on the nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) of Sub Saharan Africa cereal grain production. For SSA, NUE's exceed 100%. In light of the low N application rates, high NUE's speak to a much bigger and potentially damaging situation for cereal production in SSA. Limited supplies of N, the continual rise in prices and elevated economic risk of N fertilization, combined with existing low yield levels of cereal production reiterates the importance of NUE in SSA and the importance of aiding this region in overcoming its dysfunctional agriculture production systems. High NUE's for SSA are a direct result of applying so little fertilizer N, at the ultimate expense of mining an already depleted soil resource.
Databáze: OpenAIRE