Management practices for improving sustainable crop production in tropical acid soils, results of coordinated research project organized ...(FAO.IAEA)

The greatest potential for expanding agricultural land in most developing countries lies on the savannahs dominated by tropical acid and infertile soils. This publication contains the studies conducted in a Coordinated Research Project (CRP) involving 10 Member States to develop integrated crop, soil, water and nutrient management practices to increase and sustain agricultural productivity of these soils in Africa and Latin America. The work covered a range of representative environments and cropping systems, such as maize–soybean in Brazil and Benin, maize/sorghum–common bean in Mexico and Cuba, sorghum–cowpea/groundnut in Burkina Faso, maize–trees in Nigeria. Results showed how appropriate crop, soil, water and nutrient management improved soil fertility status, promoted better soil and water conservation and thereby increased crop productivity under local farming conditions. This publication highlights sound strategies and approaches, including the application of nuclear and related techniques needed to foster sustainable agricultural intensification in tropical regions while paving the way to the implementation of new CRPs.