Abstract Availability of organic amendment for improving crop yields under rehabilitated degraded soils is a challenge in the Sahelian regions. There is, therefore, a need to develop an innovative manure management strategy for optimizing the use of available manure to increase crop yields in these regions. A 2-year field and litterbag experiments were conducted to determine the optimal manure application option for enhancing millet yield and resources use efficiency under rehabilitated degraded soil in Niger. Two rates of cattle manure (200 g and 300 g per zai hole), and three modes of manure application (i) all before planting (M1), (ii) half before planting and half at planting (M2) and (iii) half at planting and half 15 days after planting (M3) were used. The highest manure mass loss (83%) occurred under M1 application mode followed by manure applied under M2. At the tillering stage, the quantity of N and K released from decomposing manure were markedly higher than nutrients absorbed by millet indicating a poor nutrient synchrony due to a rapid release of nutrient at the early stage of millet development. At the maturity stage, N, P and K absorbed by millet markedly exceeded nutrients released from manure irrespective of manure application period. Application of manure under M2 increased average millet grain yield by 50% and 14% compared to manure application under M1 and M3 modes, respectively. Increase in grain yield in response to manure application modes and rates was accompanied by significant increases in nutrient and rainwater use efficiencies in both years. These results indicate that split application of manure (half before planting and half at planting) enhances nutrient and rainwater utilization efficiencies for increased yields under rehabilitated degraded soil in the Sahel.

中文翻译：

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优化粪便管理，以提高萨赫勒地区恢复的泥土下的小米产量和资源利用效率

摘要 在恢复退化的土壤下，使用有机改良剂来提高作物产量是萨赫勒地区的一个挑战。因此，需要制定创新的粪便管理策略，以优化可用粪便的使用，以提高这些地区的作物产量。进行了为期 2 年的田间和垃圾袋试验，以确定在尼日尔恢复退化土壤下提高小米产量和资源利用效率的最佳肥料施用方案。两种牛粪用量（200克和300克每窝），三种粪肥施用方式（i）均在种植前（M1），（ii）种植前一半和种植时一半（M2）和（iii）一半在种植时和种植后半 15 天 (M3) 使用。最大的粪便质量损失 (83%) 发生在 M1 施用模式下，其次是在 M2 下施用的粪便。在分蘖阶段，腐烂粪便释放的N和K量显着高于小米吸收的养分，表明由于小米发育早期养分快速释放，养分同步性较差。在成熟阶段，无论施肥时间长短，小米吸收的N、P、K均显着超过粪肥释放的养分。与在 M1 和 M3 模式下施肥相比，M2 下施肥分别提高了平均小米籽粒产量 50% 和 14%。随着肥料施用模式和施用率的提高，谷物产量的增加伴随着这两年养分和雨水利用效率的显着提高。