Mucuna pruriens differentially affect maize yields in three soils of Kakamega District

Maize production in smallholder farming systems in Kenya is largely limited by low soil fertility. As mineral fertilizer is expensive, green manuring using leguminous cover crops could be an alternative strategy for farmers to enhance farm productivity. However, due to variability in soil type, the effects of green manure are likely to differ with farms. This study was conducted in three contrasting soils in Kakamega District, Kenya, to evaluate Mucuna pruriens on (i) biomass and nitrogen fixation (15N natural abundance) and (ii) the effects on maize yields over two cropping seasons. Mucuna at 6 weeks accumulated 1-1.3 Mg ha-1 of dry matter and 33-56 kg ha-1 nitrogen of which approximately 70% was nitrogen derived from the atmosphere (Ndfa). Maize yield increased by 0.5-2 Mg ha-1, 0.7-2 Mg ha-1 and 1.5-4 Mg ha-1 with Mucuna, farmyard manure and mineral fertilizer use, respectively, and the response was stronger in Nitisol than in Acrisol or Ferralsol. We concluded that green manuring using Mucuna seem promising in enhancing soil fertility and maize yields in Kakamega, provided soil conditions and rainfall are suitable.Keywords: Acrisol, Ferralsol, green manure, Nitisol, nitrogen fixatio

Addressing constraints in promoting wild edible plants’ utilization in household nutrition: case of the Congo Basin forest area

It is worth raising the question, why are wild edible plants (WEPs) which are rich in diverse nutrients and widely abundant underutilized despite the increasing rate of undernourishment in poor regions? One reason is that their culinary uses are not quantified and standardized in nutrition surveys, and therefore, they are not properly included in household diet intensification and diversification across regions and cultures. Active steps are needed to bridge this gap. This paper outlines the constraints to including WEPs in nutritional surveys as the lack of standard ways of food identification of diverse WEPs, lack of specific food categorization and therefore difficult dissemination across regions and cultures. As a way forward, a functional categorization of 11 subgroups for WEPs is introduced and discussed. In labeling these sub-food groups, the paper advocates that more WEPs food items and culinary uses should be enlisted during household nutrition surveys. Food researchers could then capitalize these enlisted species and disseminate them to promote diverse food use of WEPs in other regions where they exist but are not utilized as food