Crop Nutrition

2022 African Plant Nutrition Research Fund Selections Finalized

06 December 2022, Africa: The African Plant Nutrition Research Fund has recently finalized the research program selections for its call for proposals initiated in 2022. Each recipient has been granted up to US$20,000 per year for a period of up two years targeted to relevant plant nutrition research work performed in Africa for the benefit of Africans.

The aim of the African Plant Nutrition Research Fund is to enable scaling of improved nutrient and soil fertility management by synergistically extending research conducted in strategic priority areas of the African Plant Nutrition Institute (APNI). The fund is supported through APNI’s partnership with the Mohammad VI Polytechnic University (UM6P).

“We extend our congratulations and look forward to collaborating with this latest cohort of APNRF recipients chosen through this highly competitive, pan-African invitation,” said Dr. Shamie Zingore, Director of Research & Development for APNI.

A summary of the Principal Investigators and their projects is provided below.

Dr. Sibaway Mwango, National Coordinator Agricultural Natural Resources Management, TARI Mlingano, Tanga, Tanzania

Project: Guiding soil organic carbon sequestration potential under selected crop production systems in Tanzania

Organic carbon improves soil fertility, soil structure, soil moisture retention, soil pH, reduces soil acidity and soil health in general. Healthy soils are fundamental for sustainable and improved crop production and livelihood of farming communities. This project will study the contribution of various crop production systems to sequestered soil organic carbon for appropriate land resources management and minimized emission of greenhouse gases.

Dr. Nyambilila Amuri, Soil Scientist and Senior Lecturer, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro, Tanzania

Project: Fighting hidden hunger through micronutrient fertilization in maize and rice in Tanzania

Previous research exposed the potential of supplementation of zinc and iron in increasing rice yields and quality. This project seeks to streamline micronutrient fertilization to guide micronutrient fertilizer formulations, increase agricultural productivity, and alleviate hidden hunger in line with APNRF theme of enhancing soil health for improved livelihoods.

Dr. Mouna Mechr, Chief Engineer, National Institute of Field Crops (INGC), Bousalem, Tunisia

Project: In-season nitrogen management for wheat in Tunisia using proximal and remote sensing

The project’s goal is to develop satellite image-based models for nitrogen (N) uptake in wheat in Tunisia, which shall be used as the basis for a decision support system for optimizing N recommendations to wheat farmers. This development will be possible through upscaling of calibration models acquired from data collected by proximal sensing of field trial plots, and plots in wheat fields. The project will encompass both relatively low-cost proximal sensing as well as satellite remote sensing, and development of a workflow of model transfer from field measurements to satellite data. It is envisioned that the working model will be useful also for future projects and other crops.

Also Read: Promoting Agricultural Transition in Asian Mega-Deltas

(For Latest Agriculture News & Updates, follow Krishak Jagat on Google News)