Announcement Of The Recipients Of The 2024 African Phosphorus Fellowship Award
06 December 2024, Morocco: The African Plant Nutrition Institute (APNI) has announced the finalists of its African Phosphorus Fellowship Award.
This scholarship is supported through APNI’s continued and valued partnership with Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P) and OCP Group (OCP S.A.). This initiative strives to encourage scientific programs relevant to understanding and improving phosphorus (P) management in agro-ecosystems. In 2024, five researchers had successful proposals and will each receive awards of $5,000 (U.S. Dollars). This year’s recipients include:
Dr. Chukwuebuka Azuka, Senior Lecturer, Department of Soil Science, University of Nigeria
Project: Effect of integrated lime, organic manure and phosphorus fertilizer application on phosphorus availability of degraded Ultisols in Nsukka, southeastern Nigeria
There is an urgent need to devise strategies for the effective management of soil phosphorus to ensure its availability for crop uptake. Several strategies of soil phosphorus management such as utilization of insoluble phosphorus sources, mobilization of phosphorus through earthworms, integrated nutrient management, application of lime, and proper application time of phosphorus in acid soil have been utilized in solving phosphorus fixation problems of acidic soils.
Dr. Azuka plans to investigate how the integration of lime with organic manure and inorganic phosphorus fertilizer will help to improve phosphorus availability in strongly acidic and highly weathered ultisols in Nsukka, Southeastern Nigeria. The study location will be the Department of Soil Science Teaching and Research Farm, University of Nigeria, Nsukka. He will employ both greenhouse and field studies.
Dr. Kobusinge Aloys Nyabwisho, Senior Research Officer, Tanzania Agricultural Research Institute (TARI)
Project Title: Optimizing phosphorus application strategies for rice production in Tanzania: Evaluating the efficiency of different P sources, rates, and timings
Rice is a crucial food and economic crop in Tanzania and tropical Africa, but its production is hampered by poor soil fertility and frequent droughts. Phosphorus is essential for rice growth, influencing energy transfer, photosynthesis, and nutrient transport. However, P availability in tropical soils is limited due to soil pH, mineral interactions, and low organic matter content. Traditional fertilization practices further exacerbate these limitations, leading to inefficient P use and reduced crop yields.
Dr. Nyabwisho’s study addresses the challenges of phosphorus management in Tanzanian rice farming by investigating the growth dynamics of rice under different phosphorus sources, application rates, and timings. The research will focus on diammonium phosphate (DAP), Minjingu Mazao phosphate and Minjingu rock phosphate with treatments involving varying P application rates and timings (basal and split applications). Her study aims to identify the optimal P application strategy that aligns with rice growth stages to maximize nutrient uptake and yield. By synchronizing nutrient application with crop needs, the research seeks to enhance P use efficiency, improve soil health, and minimize environmental losses. Conducted at the Dakawa Irrigation Scheme, the study will utilize pre-experiment soil tests to establish baseline fertility status and enable precise fertilizer planning. The outcomes are expected to provide evidence-based recommendations for farmers, enhancing agricultural productivity and environmental sustainability.
Dr. Coffi Leonce Geoffroy Sossa, Research Assist and Lecturer, National Institute of Water, University of Abomey Calavi, Benin
Project Title: Water regimes and P-fertilizer levels on phosphorus dynamic, Carbon balance and global warming potential of rice production under Zero tillage in Benin, West Africa
Climate change is a crucial environmental issue that significantly affects rice productivity. Rice paddy fields are one of the greatest anthropogenic sources of GHG emissions. To identify the best combination of water management and P fertilizer amount that improves phosphorus use efficiency and grain yield while keeping GHG emission low in rice production in Benin, Dr. Sossa’s field experiment will be established at Koussin Lele to: (1) Evaluate the phosphorus dynamic and the phosphorus use efficiency; (2) assess the different GHG emissions from rice cultivation; and (3) assess the net ecosystem carbon balance and the global warming potential from rice cultivation as affected by water regimes and P-fertilizer levels under zero tillage. The experiment design will be split-plot with three replications a factorial combination of three levels of water management and four levels of P-fertilizer. The water management technologies will include continuous flooding (CF) and two alternate wetting and drying (AWD) methods (AWD15 and AWD25) of irrigation. P-fertilizer levels will be 0, 40, 80, and 100 kg P/ha. The determination of the carbon balance will be calculated as the difference between carbon inputs and carbon outputs to estimate the rate of carbon accumulation (or loss) from each treatment. At the end of the experiment, a sustainable strategy to accelerate the implementation of climate-smart based on water-P management for sustainable irrigated rice in smallholder farmers will be established.
Mr. Nasirudeen Sulemana, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana
Project: Carbon and phosphorus fractions in cocoa monoculture and agroforestry systems in the semi-monoculture and agroforestry systems in the semi-deciduous and moist evergreen agro-ecological zones of Ghana
Mr Sulemana’s overall objective is to ascertain the influence of cocoa monoculture and agroforestry cropping systems on carbon sequestration and P fractions and the role of organic amendments on dynamics of carbon and P fractions in the semi-deciduous and moist evergreen zones of the Western North Region of Ghana. His study’s working objectives are to: 1. systematically catalogue the P and C pool monitoring approach and develop adapted measurement protocol for permanent soil carbon pools; 2. determine if any, the variations in C and P fractions of soils grown under cocoa monoculture and agroforestry cocoa systems within and between the semi-deciduous and moist evergreen agro-ecological zones; 3. understand the patterns and drivers of P availability in cocoa soils within and between the tested systems and agro-ecological zones; and 4. determine the impacts of organ-mineral fertilizers and biochar-compost amendments on P fractions and stable soil carbon pool under the tested systems and the agroecological conditions.
Dr. Driss Touhami, Assistant Professor, Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P), Benguerir, Morocco
Project: From Soil to Sustainability: Investigating phosphorus dynamics under different tillage systems in Morocco
Phosphorus (P) accumulates in different forms in soils with distinct availability for plant uptake. This availability is influenced by management practices, soil properties and environmental factors, among others. This research aims to evaluate how tillage and soil types affect soil P fractions and the processes related to P cycling under different long-term experiments in Morocco. A better understanding of soil P availability and dynamics, especially under the diverse pedo-climatic conditions of Morocco is essential for developing strategies to improve soil fertility, sustain agricultural productivity, and enhance carbon sequestration. Arid and semi-arid regions are marked by low soil organic matter, low moisture, and high temperatures, which adversely affect water holding capacity, nutrient cycling, and plant growth. These conditions are anticipated to influence phosphatase enzyme activity, microbial biomass turnover, and microbial diversity, consequently impacting soil P fractions and availability.
Dr Touhami’s research seeks to elucidate the role and contribution of organic P fractions and microbial biomass and activity to soil P fertility under conservation agriculture in arid and semi-arid environments. Such knowledge is vital to ensuring the efficient use of finite phosphate reserves and optimizing plant P nutrition. Additionally, this study aims to assess seasonal variations in soil microbial biomass and phosphatase enzymes under conservation agriculture, which are pertinent to P cycling, particularly in the context of global climate change.
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