Author(s)

Freddie Kabango^1*, Byalebeka John¹, Semalulu Onesimus², Andrew W. Lenssen³, Mwanjalolo Jackson Gilbert Majaliwa⁴, Kyebogola Stewart⁵

¹Faculty of Agriculture, Uganda Martyrs University, Nkozi, Uganda.
²National Agricultural Research Laboratories, Kawanda, Uganda.
³Department of Agronomy, Iowa State University, Ames, USA.
⁴Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM), Makerere University, Wandegeya, Uganda.
⁵Department of Production, Jinja, Uganda.

Ferralsols form a dominant type of soil on which most crops are grown in the Lake Victoria agro-ecological zone. Soil acidity has been recognized among the most important agricultural problems in such soils, which adversely affect crop production and productivity. A study was conducted with the objective of determining the effect of applying low rates of lime and chicken manure on selected soil chemical properties. Using a Split Plot Factorial Randomized Complete Block Design, agricultural lime (0.0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5 & 2.0 t·ha^-1) as the main plot and chicken manure (0.0, 1.0, 2.0 & 3.0 t·ha^-1) as sub-plot were applied, replicated three times. The test crop was common bean var. NABE 15. The experiment was conducted for three rainy seasons, two seasons on-station and one season on-farm on Ferralsol soil in the Lake Victoria crescent of central Uganda. The results showed that applying low rates of lime with chicken manure significantly (p < 0.05) increased pH, CEC, P, N, K, BS and Mn changes at Mukono but not Masaka. A strong positive significant (r² = 0.987) relationship with pH change was obtained when 0.5 t·ha^-1 lime was applied with the four chicken manure rates in Mukono. From the study, we recommend the application of small quantities of lime at 1.0 t·ha^-1 with either 2.0 or 3.0 t·ha^-1 chicken manure.

Agricultural Lime, Chicken Manure, Soil Acidity, Tropical Soils

Kabango, F. , John, B. , Onesimus, S. , Lenssen, A. , Majaliwa, M. and Stewart, K. (2022) Effect of Applying Low Rates of Agricultural Lime and Chicken Manure on Selected Soil Properties on Ferralsols of Lake Victoria Agro-Ecological Zone, Uganda. Journal of Agricultural Chemistry and Environment, 11, 240-257. doi: 10.4236/jacen.2022.114017.