Importance of various organic materials in lowland rice production systems in the forest zone of Ghana

摘要

Low inherent soil fertility has been identified as a major cause for low rice yield in Ghana (Buri et ah, 2009; Issaka et al., 1997). The problem is compounded by the fact that farmers are not able to control water and purchase sufficient mineral fertilizer owing to the high cost. Therefore, farmers mostly rely on natural soil fertility, which is not only low, but also declining, resulting in poor rice yields. Large amounts of organic materials that can be used either solely or in combination with mineral fertilizers in rice production are plentiful in the forest zone of Ghana (Issaka et al., 2011). These materials have shown to be effective in increasing rice yield, especially when combined with mineral fertilizer. Improving soil fertility necessitates that such cheaper alternative organic materials are identified. In this study, both on-station and on-farm investigations were conducted using such organic materials, and some of the results are presented herein.