ISHS Acta Horticulturae 29: Symposium on Nutrition and Fertilization of Vegetables
THE USE OF FERTILIZERS ON VEGETABLES IN GHANA |
| Author: | S. Sinnandurai |
| Abstract:
Organic matter in the form of farm yard manure or compost is the most popular form of plant food used for vegetables in Ghana. Fertilizers are gradually becoming popular with some of the educated farmers and the most common ones available in the market are mixtures like 15–15–15 and 10–10–10, sold at a subsidised rate by the Ministry of Agriculture. Commercial companies sell these fertilizers at twice the subsidised price. Research on the use of fertilizers in the important vegetable crops (tomato and shallot) have shown that straight fertilizers mixed at required rates gave better results than the mixtures. Mixtures reduced the yields at high rates of fertilization (600 lb/ acre),especially when the potassium level was high. Fertilizers applied as a split dose, first at two weeks after transplanting and the second about three weeks after the application of the first dose, gave better results than fertilizers applied at the time of planting. Liquid fertilizers gave significantly higher yields when combined with fertilizer mixtures than when sprayed alone. Plots infested with nametodes gave higher yields with liquid fertilizer mixtures or straight fertilizers. | |
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