Current Conditions and Constraints in Management of Organic Manure in Mid-hills of Eastern Nepal

• MASKEY SARVESH

  Graduate School of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture

• MIHARA MACHITO

  Faculty of Regional Environment Science, Tokyo University of Agriculture

Abstract

Soil fertility in mid-hills of Nepal has been largely maintained with application of locally made organic manure namely farmyard manure. It is often believed that organic manures in mid-hills of Nepal are of inferior quality, lacking in essential nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus and micronutrients due to inadequacy of technical knowledge and management strategies. So, this study focuses on knowing the present conditions and constraints in productions, application of organic fertilizers for agricultural sustainability in mid-hills of Nepal. This study was conducted on the basis of questionnaire survey, interviews, group discussions and field visits in 13 Village Development Community (VDC) of Dhankuta District. Manure samples were tested for their maturity, nutrient content and pathogenicity. The results showed that all the famers in the study area used organic fertilizer in their farm; most of them also used chemical fertilizers, but use of potassium fertilizer was less. Loss of nutrients and heat through runoff or leaching was a major problem as most of the farmers used heap method for composting in open, with improper methods used. Use of starter during composting was negligible. The amounts of organic manure produced increased with the number of livestock owned by the farmer. In general, frequency of application of organic manure corresponded to number of crops cultivated in the year irrespective to maturity of manure. Self-heating test and C/N ratio of manure samples showed that farmers used immature manure resulting in lower mineral content and presence of pathogenic bacteria.

Journal

• International Journal of Environmental and Rural Development

  International Journal of Environmental and Rural Development 10 (1), 68-75, 2019

  Institute of Environmental Rehabilitation and Conservation, Research Center

Keywords

• organic manure
• conditions and constraints
• maturity
• stability
• nutrient contents

Details

• CRID: 1390287297547740800
• NII Article ID: 130007991658
• DOI: 10.32115/ijerd.10.1_68
• ISSN: 24333700
• ISSN: 2185159X
• Text Lang: en
• Data Source:
  • JaLC
  • CiNii Articles
• Abstract License Flag: Disallowed