Soil suitability assessment for sustainable intensification of maize production in the humid Savannah of Ghana

In sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), food security is a significant challenge due to unreliable rainfall and depleting soil fertility. Most of the soil resource in the sub-region which constitutes majority of the fields of smallholder farmers is degraded. Hence, there is a need to identify suitable soils for sustainable intensification. The objectives of this study were to: (i) evaluate the suitability and fertility constraints of soils and (ii) discuss the influence of soil properties on maize production in the Nkoranza (north and south) district. A total of sixty (60) soil samples were sampled from smallholder farms under careful consideration of topography and the spatial pattern of land use systems. The evaluation of soil suitability was carried out using climate (temperature and rainfall) and physico-chemical characteristics of soils for maize (Zea mays) production. The results indicated that soil texture varied from sandy loam to sandy clay loam. Soil organic carbon concentration (SOC) ranged between 0.55 and 2.02%. Total nitrogen (TN) and SOC were low in all soil types except in the Bediesi series (Haplic Luvisol). Base cations (Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+, and K+) were low and varied between soil types. Although climatic factors and physical properties were highly suitable (S1), more than half of the pedons were moderately suitable (S2). The soils functioned at a moderate capacity for maize production. The major limitations identified were sub-optimal and related to soil fertility (CEC). Pearson correlation revealed a relationship between parametric actual index (PAI) and parametric potential index (PPI; r = 0.940, p < 0.003) and between soil resilience index (SRI; r = 0.768, p < 0.037) and the relationship between these variables is a perfect correlation. Soil management is required to increase maize yield in the study area. Soil erosion prevention measures such as cover crops, mulching, organic manure (poultry), and mineral fertilizer application are recommended to improve soil fertility in the Nkoranza (north and south) district. This study can inform policies and interventions geared toward sustainable agricultural intensification. Land and soil are heterogeneous and any decision on intensification in this study accounted for the prevailing local conditions of the study area. Therefore, indexing soil suitability using climate (rainfall and temperature), physical land characteristics (topography, drainage) and chemical properties (pH, SOM, SOC, TN, Av. P, Av. K, etc.) of soil resources for sustainable intensification of maize is proposed for smallholder farming communities of Nkoranza (north and south) districts in the Forest-Savannah Transition Zone of Ghana

Interview with Kofi Awoonor

The University of Texas, Austin, 31 January 1978. Interview conducted, transcribed and edited by Ian H. Munro, Department of English, William Jewell College, Liberty, Missouri, and Wayne Kamin, Department of English, The University of Texas at Austin. In a speech a decade ago in Stockholm, Wole Soyinka argued that the African writer had failed to respond to the \u27political moment\u27 of his society, because he has been \u27without vision\u27. Do you feel that this situation, if Soyinka \u27s assessment was correct, has changed over the past decade

Kofi Awoonor in conversation with Hein Willemse

Kofi Awoonor in conversation with Hein Willemse [English] [First paragraph] Kofi Awoonor was born on 13 March 1935 in the rural town of Wheta, Ghana. He completed degrees at the Universities of Ghana and London and gained his Ph.D in Comparative Literature from the State University of New York at Stony Brook in 1972. Prior to furthering his studies in England he worked as a research fellow as the University of Ghana's Institute of African Studies, and later became the managing director of the Ghana Film Corporation. After the completion of his studies he became chairperson of the Comparative Literature Programme at Stony Brook. He also taught at the University of Texas at Austin, and returned to Ghana in 1975 to teach at the University of Cape Coast, Ghana's third university. Shortly after his return, he was imprisoned by the Acheampong military regime and released in 1976. From the early 1980s to the early 90s, he held a number of ambassadorial postings in Latin America and the United Nations. As Artist-in-Residence he is still attached to the English Department, University of Ghana. Tydskrif vir letterkunde Vol. 41(2) 2004: 186-19

Human-induced land use changes and phosphorus limitation affect soil microbial biomass and ecosystem stoichiometry

Soil and microbial biomass carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) play an important role in soil nutrient dynamics in biogeochemical cycles of terrestrial ecosystems. However, increased human activities as a result of agricultural intensification on soil nutrients and microbial C:N:P stoichiometry are poorly understood in this fragile forest-savanna transition agroecosystem. This study aimed to (i) assess soil and microbial C, N, and P stoichiometry in different land use systems, and (ii) examine the effect of soil and microbial C, N, and P stoichiometry on soils susceptible to human-induced land use changes. A total of 82 composite soil samples at a depth of 0–20 cm were sampled from forest, savanna, grassland, fallow and cropland for laboratory analysis. The results revealed that the concentrations of C, N, and P were low in Fallow and Cropland compared to other land use systems. Analysis of variance in microbial C, N, and P stoichiometric ratios revealed a significant decreasing tendency compared to soil C:N, C:P and N:P ratios with no statistical significance (p < 0.05). The C:P and N:P ratios were low compared to the C:N ratio in land uses. A significant positive correlation was observed between MBC and MBN (0.95; p < 0.01), and with C and N (0.69; p < 0.01). There were significant interactive effects of land use on soil and microbial variables. The estimated microbial C:N:P stoichiometric ratios (21:2:1) were well constrained in the study area. The transition from Forest to Cropland resulted in 64%, 52%, and 71% reduction in C, N, and P, respectively. This implies that phosphorus is the main factor limiting productivity. The low availability of phosphorus in these tropical soils may have resulted in low C:P and N:P ratios. Therefore, we conclude that our results highlight the importance of phosphorus limitation on ratios of microbial C:P and N:P in landuse systems. Nutrient inputs such as fertilizers, manure and crop residues should be applied to croplands to improve soil and microbial C, N and P levels. Further, effects of land use on soil nutrient status and stoichiometry at 1-meter depth will be considered in our future work

Survival following an impalement injury through the perineum in association with high voltage electrical burns: A case report

We reported a case of a 30-year-old man who reportedly sustained electrical burns and fell from a high voltage electric pole about 50 meter high onto a metal that caused impalement injury. In addition, he sustained full-thickness burns of the right upper limb (7%), the right hemithorax, the perineum (sparing the penis), the anterior abdominal wall and the lateral aspect of both thighs. There was 43% burned surface area in total. Radiographic examination revealed a slender curved object extending from his perineum into the pelvis. The management of this case was a challenging one which was described in this article