The Effects of Integrated Soil Fertility Management Practices in Enhancing Sorghum Yields

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Mututa, Gathungu Geofrey Kingori, Mugwe Jayne This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-4635073/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Sorghum stands as a fundamental food and cash crop in Tharaka-Nithi, yet its production remains suboptimal due to soil fertility limitations. Globally, sorghum yields hover around 2.5 t/ha, indicating an untapped potential given its maximum yield potential of 5 t/ha. Kenya has witnessed a decline in sorghum yields from 0.95 t/ha to 0.78 t/ha, primarily attributed to inadequate soil fertility management and agronomic practices. Most soil management interventions have traditionally focused on singular practices, leaving gaps in understanding the efficacy of integrated approaches. This study sought to evaluate the impact of integrated soil fertility management practices on sorghum and green gram yield in Tharaka-Nithi County. The study was conducted in Nairobi Ndogo and Kairini Farm, the study employed a 3 x 5 factorial experiment in a Randomized Complete Block Design, different fertilizer types and cropping systems. Results, analyzed using Statistical Analysis Software version 9.4, demonstrated significant (p < 0.05) effects of integrated soil fertility management on sorghum yield. Stover yields ranged from 1.93 t/ha to 0.28 t/ha and 7.18 t/ha to 1.35 t/ha at Nairobi Ndogo and Kairini farm, respectively, with the MBILI intercropping technique and NPK fertilizer yielding highest stover. Similarly, grain yields varied from 0.68 t/ha to 0.08 t/ha and 4.01 t/ha to 0.25 t/ha at Nairobi Ndogo and Kairini farm, respectively, with conventional intercropping and NPK plus Zinc fertilizer emerging as optimal treatments. In green gram yields, monocrop green gram and NPK fertilizer demonstrating superior performance. The analysis of treatment effect showed that the means for green gram stover yield ranged from 0.47 t/ha to 0.07 t/ha and 6.70 t/ha to 1.62 t/ha for Nairobi Ndogo and Kairini farm, respectively. The treatment with monocrop green gram, NPK fertilizer had the highest stover yield at both sites. The means for green gram grain yield ranged from 0.22 t/ha to 0.07 t/ha and 1.07 t/ha to 0.11 t/ha for Nairobi Ndogo and Kairini farm, respectively. Overall, the study underscores the potential of integrated soil fertility management in enhancing sorghum and green gram production, ensuring food security, and improving soil health in Tharaka-Nithi County. The findings advocate for the adoption of conventional intercropping systems supplemented with appropriate fertilization strategies to optimize crop productivity and soil fertility management in similar agro-ecological contexts. Sorghum Integrated soil fertility management practices Cropping systems Fertilizers Zinc Green gram 1. Introduction In the agricultural landscape of Sub-Saharan Africa, sorghum ( Sorghum bicolor L. ) stands as the continent's fifth most produced grain, with Africa contributing significantly to global sorghum acreage. Specifically, Kenya emerges as a key player in sorghum cultivation, albeit facing challenges in attaining optimal yields. The average yield of sorghum in Kenya has witnessed a decline, indicative of underlying issues such as suboptimal agronomic practices and inadequate soil fertility management (Vanlauwe et al., 2023 ). This decline, from an estimated average yield of 0.95 tons/ha to 0.78 tons/ha, underscores the pressing need for interventions to bolster sorghum production (USDA, 2022). Moreover, the prevailing soil fertility constraints exacerbate this challenge, with most empirical studies focusing on singular soil management practices, leaving knowledge gaps in the implementation of comprehensive soil management techniques (Ekyaligonza et al., 2024 ). The utilization of green gram ( Vigna radiata L. ), a popular food and cash crop in Kenya, particularly in the semi-arid regions, further underscores the intricate relationship between crop diversification and soil fertility. Green gram, intercropped with sorghum in regions like Tharaka-Nithi County, not only contributes to soil nitrogen fixation but also aids in maintaining soil fertility through organic matter incorporation (Onyango et al., 2023 ). Despite the significance of Integrated Soil Fertility Management (ISFM) technologies in addressing soil nutrient deficiencies, their adoption remains limited, especially in dry regions like Kenya (Kiprotich et al., 2024 ). The dearth of comprehensive studies elucidating the uptake and efficacy of ISFM technologies in such environments underscores the existing knowledge gap (Kiprotich et al., 2023 ). Given the multifactorial nature of nutrient uptake in plants, it is imperative to consider various factors such as fertilizer type, soil characteristics, and cropping systems to enhance nutrient efficiency (Khagul, 2023 ). In semi-arid regions, where sorghum cultivation predominates, low nitrogen levels and inadequate soil moisture pose significant challenges to yield optimization. Additionally, the limited application of fertilizers further hampers crop productivity in rainfed settings. Addressing these challenges necessitates the adoption of crop management strategies that optimize soil nutrients and moderate nutrient inputs, thereby enhancing soil fertility, water use efficiency, and overall crop productivity (Kumar et al., 2023 ). Mapping soil nutrient deficiencies is essential because it makes it possible to determine the kinds and concentrations of fertilizer required for a given area and type of crop (Gomes et al., 2023 ). In order to maximize crop productivity while minimizing the negative effects of excessive fertilizer use, soil fertility mapping is therefore an essential part of the effective and sustainable application of fertilizer (Khalifa et al. , 2023). Multi-nutrient fertilizer blends have been mooted as a key innovation for closing yield gaps and boosting food and nutrition security (Adolwa et al., 2023 ). Despite having higher reliability and a higher yield, with the advent of precision agriculture and the short growing season, one of the most important tools for recommending nutrient levels for crops and improving nutrient usage efficiency and yield is applying fertilizer based on soil testing (Santhi et al., 2023 ). Agronomic techniques include, but are not limited to, tillage, plant density, and sowing date, proven to have a significant impact on sorghum yield, demonstrating that the implementation of optimal agronomic techniques is a necessary component of any program designed to increase crop productivity and foster climate resilience (Naoura et al., 2023 ). Despite the pivotal role of sorghum as a staple food and cash crop, farmers continue to grapple with low yields and reduced production. The persistent decline in sorghum yields in Kenya, coupled with the prevailing knowledge gaps in comprehensive soil management practices, underscores the need for robust research initiatives. Notably, the limited understanding of the role of essential micronutrients such as zinc in sorghum and green gram yields further accentuates the research gap. The interaction between NPK plus Zinc fertilizer and different cropping systems remains largely unexplored, necessitating in-depth investigations to elucidate their potential synergies (Mwaura et al., 2021 ). Given the critical role of soil fertility in crop productivity, addressing soil nutrient deficiencies and optimizing nutrient management practices is paramount. Soil fertility management is continuously modified and adapted as conditions change in time (Somali, 2024 ). The utilization of ISFM techniques holds promise in enhancing soil fertility, increasing water use efficiency, and ultimately improving crop yields. However, the effectiveness of these techniques, particularly in dry regions like Tharaka-Nithi County, warrants further investigation. By elucidating the interactions between NPK plus Zinc fertilizer and different cropping systems, this study aims to fill existing knowledge gaps and provide valuable insights for sustainable agriculture practices. 2. Materials and Methods 2.1. Study Area Two sites were used for the study's execution. One site was situated at Nairobi Ndogo and the other site was at Kairini Farm in Chuka/Igambang'ombe of Tharaka-Nithi County. Nairobi Ndogo lies within a latitude of 0°20'41.00" S and a longitude of 37°49'01.00" E. The region is situated at an elevation of 1500 meters above sea level on the eastern slopes of Mount Kenya. It experiences bio-modally distributed annual rainfall of 1200–1400 mm and mean temperatures of 20°C on average (Ndung’u et al., 2023 ). Short rains are experienced in October through December and longer rains in March through June (Rugendo et al., 2023 ). Soils are humic Nitisols. The second site was situated at Kairini Farm in Chuka/Igambang'ombe. With a height of 1399 meters above sea level, the average yearly temperature varies between 20.97 to 27.25 degrees Celsius. The region experiences bimodal annual rainfall of 1200 to 1400 mm, separating into two separate seasons: October to December for short rainfall and March to June for long rains. It lies within a latitude of 0°35'23.00" S and a longitude of 37°13'39.00" E. In this area, humic Nitisols are the predominant soil type, which have moderate to high intrinsic fertility and are deep and well-weathered (Jaetzold et al., 2006 ). The region engages in mixed farming, growing a variety of food crops, including green grams, cowpeas, sorghum, and maize. 2.2 Experimental Design The study used a 3 × 5 factorial experiments laid out in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) and replicated three times. The two factors were fertilizer (NPK, Zinc, mavuno, cattle manure, and control) and cropping systems (conventional intercropping, MBILI intercropping technique and monocrop cropping system). This led to a total of fifteen treatments for this study (Table 1 ). The treatments were randomly applied to the experimental units. Each experimental plot measured 6 m by 4.5 m and a spacing of 0.75 cm by 0.5 cm giving 26,667 plants per hectare for monocrop sorghum, spacing of 0.45 cm by 0.15 cm giving 14,814 plants per hectare for monocrop green gram. The field experiment was conducted during two cropping seasons: the Nairobi Ndogo farm experienced long rains in 2021 (March to August) while the Kairini farm experienced short rains in 2022 (October to March). 2.3 Preparation of Land, Crop Establishment and Management The land was prepared by clearing using a panga and ploughed using a fork jembe, followed by soil sampling and laboratory analysis. In Managing Beneficial Interactions in Legume Intercrop system, two rows of green grams and two rows of sorghum were planted alternately; that is, two adjacent sorghum lines were spaced 50 cm apart, and two rows of green grams were spaced 33 cm apart between each pair of sorghum rows. Each experimental plot measured 6 m by 4.5 m and a spacing of 0.50 m by 0.33 m giving 60,606 sorghum plants per hectare and a spacing of 0.33 cm by 0.33 cm giving 91,827 green gram plants per hectare. The conventional intercropping system, the green grams and sorghum sown at the same 37.5-cm intra-row spacing. Spacing of 0.375 cm by 0.375 cm giving a uniform number of 71,111 sorghum plants per hectare and 71,111 green gram plants per hectare. In all crop arrangements, each hill is sown with two green gram seeds at a depth of 5 cm. Each hill was sown with five sorghum seeds, which were then thinned to two. Table 1 Treatment combinations and coding of the study site Treatment combinations and coding Application NPK + Mono S 50 Kg/ha NPK NPK + Zn + Mono S 50 Kg/ha NPK + 10 Kg/ha ZnSO₄ CM + Mono S 90 Kg/ha cattle manure Mavuno + Mono S 50 Kg/ha mavuno fertilizer NPK + CM + Mono S 50 Kg/ha NPK + 90 Kg/ha cattle manure Control + Mono S No inputs NPK + Zn + MBILI S + G 50 Kg/ha NPK + 10 Kg/ha ZnSO₄ NPK + MBILI S + G 50 Kg/ha NPK Control + MBILI S + G No inputs NPK + Zn + Conv S + G 50 Kg/ha NPK + 10 Kg/ha ZnSO₄ NPK + Conv S + G 50 Kg/ha NPK Control + Conv S + G No inputs NPK + Mono G 50 Kg/ha NPK NPK + Zn + Mono G 50 Kg/ha NPK + 10 Kg/ha ZnSO₄ Control + Mono G No inputs Key: NPK = Nitrogen Phosphorus Potassium fertilizer; Zn = Zinc; S = Sorghum; G = Green grams; Conv = Conventional intercropping; MBILI = Managing Beneficial Interaction in Legume Intercrops; CM = Cattle Manure; Mono = Monocrop; Control = without fertilizer Planting was done on the onset of rain. Certified seeds of sorghum and green grams, fertilizers were sourced from the Agro-dealers in Chuka town. After that, hand weeding was done to prevent interfering with pod formation, pegging, and flowering. Chemical treatments and physical control, such as scarecrows, were used to manage pests and diseases. To guarantee that every experimental plot is subjected to the same conditions, all of these management techniques were applied consistently throughout every experimental plot. The cattle manure was analyzed for its nutrient composition at the beginning of each planting trial. The cattle manure sampling was done as in Wortmann et al. (2017) which involve taking a sample of cattle manure from the cattle shed, mixing it, and then drawing a sample for laboratory examination at National Agricultural Research Laboratory (NARL), Nairobi. Sole NPK fertilizer (23:23:0) supplemented with 10 Kg/ha MOP 60% K 2 O. Zinc Sulphate incorporated in the various experimental units as inorganic fertilizers. Mavuno fertilizer, which contains calcium, magnesium, sulfur, zinc, copper, manganese, boron, and molybdenum in addition to NPK (10:26:10) was incorporated as inorganic fertilizer. Cattle manure sourced from the local farmers was applied as organic fertilizer. Hand weeding was used to maintain the plots free of weeds. In order to reduce likely sources of variance, pests and illnesses were uniformly controlled using advised pesticides. 2.4 Data Collection Data was collected to determine the Effect of Integrated Soil Fertility Management Practices on Yield and Yield Components of Sorghum. Data collection for yield characteristics involved harvesting sorghum grain and stover at maturity from all experimental plots. Twenty heads or panicles from the inner middle rows of each plot were harvested, and the grains were threshed and weighed to determine grain yield per hectare. Stovers were collected by cutting them off above the ground surface, weighed, and translated into tons per hectare. This approach allowed for the assessment of yield components such as grain yield, panicle count, and stover yield. Similar to sorghum, data collection for green grams involved harvesting pods at physiological maturity from all experimental plots. Pods were threshed to obtain grains, which were weighed to determine grain yield per hectare. Stovers were also collected and weighed to assess stover yield. This approach allowed for the evaluation of yield components such as stand count, grain yield, and stover yield for green grams. 2.5 Data Analysis Data was analyzed using Statistical Analysis Software (SAS) version 9.4 (SAS Institute, 2012 ). Data on sorghum yield and green gram yield were analyzed using the analysis of variance method (ANOVA). At a 5% probability level, significant means were separated using the Least Significance Difference (LSD). The statistical model used in this study is: Y ijk = µ + F i + C j + (FC) ij + R k + e ijk where Y ijk is the response, µ is the population mean, F i is the effect due to the treatment (Fertilizer), C j is the effect due to the treatment (Cropping System), (FC) ij is the effect due to the interaction between the fertilizer and the cropping system, R k is the effect due to the replicates, e ijk is the error effect. 3. Results and Discussion 3.1 Soil and Manure Analysis The soil analysis conducted at the National Agricultural Research Laboratories (NARL) in Nairobi revealed a pH of 6.00 for the Nairobi Ndogo site and 8.00 for Kairini farm. The total nitrogen content was 0.11% at Nairobi Ndogo and 0.07% at Kairini farm. Organic carbon content was 1.10% at Nairobi Ndogo and 1.00% at Kairini farm. Available phosphorus levels were 25.00 ppm for Nairobi Ndogo and 11.00 ppm for Kairini farm. Total zinc content was 1.00 ppm at both sites (Table 2 ). The soil at Nairobi Ndogo was slightly acidic, whereas at Kairini farm, it was medium alkaline before planting. Both sites had low levels of total soil nitrogen, available phosphorus, and zinc. Table 2 Results of soil analysis from the two experimental sites before planting Site Properties Value Class Nairobi Ndogo Soil pH 6 slight acid Total Nitrogen (%) 0.11 low Total Org. Carbon (%) 1.10 low Phosphorus (ppm) 25 medium Potassium (meq%) 1.00 adequate Zinc (ppm) 1 low Kairini Farm Soil pH 8 medium alkaline Total Nitrogen (%) 0.07 low Total Org. Carbon (%) 1 low Phosphorus (ppm) 11.0 low Potassium (meq%) 1 adequate Zinc (ppm) 1 low Total nitrogen analysis measures the amount of nitrogen present in both organic and inorganic forms, but it does not directly indicate the nitrogen available to plants. Typically, soil contains about 0.10 to 0.15 percent nitrogen, but only 1 to 4 percent of this total nitrogen becomes available to plants during a growing season, as it transforms from organic to inorganic form through microbial action. Soil phosphorus concentrations can range from low to high: below 20 ppm is considered low, 20 to 40 ppm is medium, 40 to 100 ppm is high, and above 100 ppm is excessive. Similarly, soil potassium concentrations also range from low to high: below 0.4 meq% is low, 0.4 to 0.6 meq% is medium, 0.6 to 2.0 meq% is high, and above 2.0 meq% is excessive. For most crops, a soil zinc test concentration over 1.5 ppm, measured using the DTPA extraction method, is considered adequate (Lindsay et al. , 1978). During the trials, the average nutritional composition of cattle manure was utilized. Analyses of the cattle manure showed that the total nitrogen and zinc content were adequate, while phosphorus and potassium levels were rated low (Table 3 ). Table 3 Results for the cattle manure analysis Properties Value Class Nitrogen (%) 1 adequate Phosphorus (%) 0 low Potassium (%) 0 low Calcium (%) 0 low Zinc (mg/kg) 21 adequate 3.2 The Effect of Integrated Soil Fertility Management Practices on Yield and Yield Components of Sorghum and Green grams A test model adequacy on sorghum yield and yield components revealed that the fitted model was adequate (p < 0.05) in explaining the effect of treatments on stover yield, number of panicles, and grain yield for the two sites. The study showed significant site effect (p < 0.05) and interaction between the site and the treatments (p < 0.05) on stover yield, number of panicles, and grain yield. The analysis of variance for the effect of each factor and their combined effect showed that the factors and treatments had significant effects (p < 0.05) on these yield components (Table 4 ). The effect of fertilizer application showed stover yield ranging from 0.75 t/ha to 0.03 t/ha at Nairobi Ndogo and 5.42 t/ha to 1.43 t/ha at Kairini farm. Plots with NPK plus zinc fertilizer had the highest stover yield at both sites. The number of panicles ranged from 195.33 to 83.11 at Nairobi Ndogo and 273.44 to 257.33 at Kairini farm, with the highest numbers in plots with mavuno fertilizer and NPK plus zinc fertilizer, respectively. Grain yield ranged from 0.38 t/ha to 0.08 t/ha at Nairobi Ndogo and 2.91 t/ha to 0.56 t/ha at Kairini farm, with the highest yields in plots with NPK plus zinc fertilizer and NPK fertilizer, respectively. The effect of cropping system showed stover yield ranging from 1.06 t/ha to 0.06 t/ha at Nairobi Ndogo and 5.92 t/ha to 2.18 t/ha at Kairini farm, with MBILI intercropping technique yielding the highest at both sites. The number of panicles ranged from 143.18 to 82.67 at Nairobi Ndogo and 257.12 to 252.78 at Kairini farm. Grain yield ranged from 0.31 t/ha to 0.16 t/ha at Nairobi Ndogo and 63 t/ha to 2.31 t/ha at Kairini farm, with conventional intercropping technique yielding the highest at both sites. A further adequacy test on sorghum yield and components confirmed the model's appropriateness (p < 0.05). Significant site effect (p < 0.05) and interaction between site and treatments (p < 0.05) were noted (Table 5 ). Factors and treatments significantly affected stover yield, number of panicles, and grain yield. The treatment effects showed mean stover yields from 1.93 t/ha to 0.28 t/ha at Nairobi Ndogo and 7.18 t/ha to 1.35 t/ha at Kairini farm, with MBILI intercropping technique and NPK fertilizer yielding the highest. Table 4 Means for effect of types of fertilizer application and cropping systems on sorghum stover yield, number of panicles and grain yield at two sites Factor Stover yield Number of panicles Grain yield Nairobi Ndogo NPK + Zn 0.75 a* 186.56 b 0.38 a Mavuno 0.50 b 195.33 a 0.19 b NPK + CM 1.15 c 140.67 c 0.13 d CM 0.28 e 137.33 d 0.08 f NPK 1.04 d 83.11 e 0.17 c Control 0.03 f 84.00 e 0.11 e LSD 0.51 1.26 0.05 Mono S 0.60 c 143.18 a 0.16 c Conv S + G 0.74 b 142.50 a 0.31 a MBILI S + G 1.06 a 82.67 b 0.19 b LSD 0.32 0.80 0.03 Kairini farm NPK + Zn 5.42 b 273.44 a 2.43 b NPK + CM 2.60 c 257.67 c 1.23 c NPK 5.63 a 265.67 b 2.91 a Mavuno 2.58 d 254.67 c 0.82 d CM 2.20 e 257.33 c 0.76 e Control 1.43 f 225.44 d 0.56 f LSD 0.51 4.40 0.57 MBILI S + G 5.92 a 252.78 b 2.31 b Mono S 2.18 c 254.40 ab 0.95 c Conv S + G 5.07 b 257.12 a 2.63 a LSD 0.30 2.79 0.34 *Means followed by same letter along the column for each treatment are not significantly different from each other at 5% probability level. Where: NPK = Nitrogen Phosphorus Potassium fertilizer; Zn = Zinc; S = Sorghum; G = Green grams; Conv = Conventional intercropping; MBILI = Managing Beneficial Interaction in Legume Intercrops; CM = Cattle Manure; Mono = Monocrop; Control = without fertilizer; LSD = Least Significant Different; CV = Coefficient of variation; R 2 = R-Squared The number of panicles ranged from 240.67 to 54.00 at Nairobi Ndogo and 290.75 to 193.67 at Kairini farm, highest in monocrop sorghum with NPK plus zinc fertilizer at Nairobi Ndogo and conventional intercropping with NPK plus zinc fertilizer at Kairini. Grain yield ranged from 0.68 t/ha to 0.08 t/ha at Nairobi Ndogo and 4.01 t/ha to 0.25 t/ha at Kairini farm, highest in conventional intercropping with NPK plus zinc fertilizer at Nairobi Ndogo and conventional intercropping with NPK fertilizer at Kairini. The study findings indicated that integrated soil fertility management significantly affects stover yield, number of panicles, and grain yield at both sites. The observed differences between the sites could be attributed to variations in rainfall during the planting seasons with Nairobi Ndogo experiencing long rains and Kairini short rains. A test of model adequacy for green gram yields indicated that the fitted model was adequate (p < 0.05) in explaining the effect of treatments on stand count, grain yield, and stover yield at both study sites. Table 5 Means for effect of treatments on sorghum stover yield, number of panicles, grain yield at Nairobi Ndogo and Kairini sites Treatment Stover yield Number of panicles Grain yield Nairobi Ndogo NPK + Zn + Mono S 0.63 d* 240.67 a 0.25 b NPK + Conv S + G 0.71 cd 198.75 b 0.18 c NPK + Zn + Conv S + G 0.92 c 183.00 c 0.68 a Mavuno + Mono S 0.50 b 195.33 b 0.19 c NPK + Zn + Mbili S + G 0.71 cd 136.00 e 0.22 b NPK + Mbili S + G 1.93 a 58.00 i 0.13 d NPK + CM + Mono S 1.15 b 140.67 d 0.13 de Control + Mono S 0.57 de 95.33 g 0.09 e CM + Mono S 0.28 d 137.33 e 0.08 f NPK + Mono S 0.48 f 89.50 h 0.19 e Control + Mbili S + G 0.53 de 54.00 j 0.22 b Control + Conv S + G 0.61 d 102.67 e 0.08 f LSD 0.63 1.55 0.06 CV 10.42 4.09 4.09 R 2 0.97 1.00 1.00 Kairini Farm NPK + Zn + Conv S + G 6.95 b 290.75 a 3.62 b NPK + Conv S + G 6.36 d 276.67 ab 4.01 a NPK + Zn + MBILI S + G 6.82 c 276.67 b 0.92 c NPK + MBILI S + G 7.18 a 262.33 cd 3.01 c NPK + CM + Mono S 2.60 g 257.67 cde 1.23 d Mavuno + Mono S 2.58 g 254.67 e 0.82 e NPK + Zn + Mono S 2.46 d 277.00 b 0.68 g Control + Mono S 1.35 i 263.33 c 0.80 ef CM + Mono S 2.35 f 257.33 ab 0.75 f NPK + Mono S 3.35 f 220.50 f 1.42 c Control + MBILI S + G 3.76 e 219.33 g 0.62 h Control + Conv S + G 1.91 h 193.67 h 0.25 i LSD 0.76 5.44 0.62 CV 2.70 1.24 5.37 R 2 1.00 0.99 1.00 *Means followed by same letter along the column for each treatment are not significantly different from each other at 5% probability level. Where: NPK = Nitrogen Phosphorus Potassium fertilizer; Zn = Zinc; S = Sorghum; G = Green grams; Conv = Conventional intercropping; MBILI = Managing Beneficial Interaction in Legume Intercrops; CM = Cattle Manure; Mono = Monocrop; Control = without fertilizer; LSD = Least Significant Different; CV = Coefficient of variation; R 2 = R-Squared Significant site’s effects (p < 0.05) and interactions between site and treatments (p < 0.05) were observed for stand count, grain yield, and stover yield (Table 6 ). Analyzing the effect of fertilizer application, stand count ranged from 388.00 to 239.78 at Nairobi Ndogo and 388.44 to 283.89 at Kairini farm. Plots treated with NPK fertilizer had the highest stand count at Nairobi Ndogo, while those with NPK plus Zinc fertilizer had the highest count at Kairini farm. Table 6 Means for effect of types of fertilizer application and cropping systems on green gram stand count, grain yield, stover yield at Nairobi Ndogo and Kairini Sites Factor Stand Count Grain yield Stover yield Nairobi Ndogo NPK + Zn 239.78 c* 0.13 b 0.32 a NPK 388.00 a 0.16 a 0.28 b Control 357.56 b 0.13 b 0.22 c LSD 3.07 0.02 0.02 Mono G 457.67 a 0.16 b 0.35 a Conv S + G 262.44 b 0.17 a 0.25 b MBILI S + G 265.22 b 0.09 c 0.21 c LSD 3.07 0.02 0.02 Kairini farm NPK + Zn 388.44 a 0.36 c 2.26 c NPK 281.00 b 0.47 a 3.01 a Control 283.89 c 0.52 b 2.72 b LSD 4.08 0.10 0.92 MBILI S + G 222.11 c 0.24 c 1.61 c Mono G 474.00 a 0.79 a 4.25 a Conv S + G 257.22 b 0.32 b 2.14 b LSD 4.08 0.10 0.92 *Means followed by same letter along the column for each treatment are not significantly different from each other at 5% probability level. Where: NPK = Nitrogen Phosphorus Potassium fertilizer; Zn = Zinc; S = Sorghum; G = Green grams; Conv = Conventional intercropping; MBILI = Managing Beneficial Interaction in Legume Intercrops; CM = Cattle Manure; Mono = Monocrop; Control = without fertilizer; LSD = Least Significant Different; CV = Coefficient of variation; R 2 = R-Squared Grain yield ranged from 0.16 t/ha to 0.13 t/ha at Nairobi Ndogo and 0.47 t/ha to 0.36 t/ha at Kairini farm. The highest grain yield was obtained with NPK plus Zinc fertilizer at Nairobi Ndogo and with NPK fertilizer at Kairini farm. Stover yield varied from 0.32 t/ha to 0.22 t/ha at Nairobi Ndogo and 3.01 t/ha to 2.26 t/ha at Kairini farm. Plots treated with NPK plus Zinc fertilizer had the highest stover yield at Nairobi Ndogo, while those treated with NPK fertilizer had the highest yield at Kairini farm. Examining the effect of cropping systems, stand count ranged from 457.67 to 262.44 at Nairobi Ndogo and 474.00 to 222.11 at Kairini farm. Monocrop green gram plots had the highest stand count at both sites. Grain yield ranged from 0.17 t/ha to 0.09 t/ha at Nairobi Ndogo and 0.79 t/ha to 0.24 t/ha at Kairini farm. Conventional intercropping system yielded the highest grain yield at Nairobi Ndogo, while monocrop green gram had the highest yield at Kairini farm. Stover yield ranged from 0.35 t/ha to 0.21 t/ha at Nairobi Ndogo and 4.25 t/ha to 1.61 t/ha at Kairini farm. Monocrop green gram plots had the highest stover yield at Nairobi Ndogo, while MBILI intercropping system had the highest yield at Kairini farm. Further assessment of model adequacy for green gram yields confirmed the suitability of the fitted model (p < 0.05) to explain the impact of treatments on stand count, grain yield, and stover yield across both study sites (Table 7 ). Significant sites effects (p < 0.05) and interactions between site and treatments (p < 0.05) were observed for stand count, grain yield, and stover yield. Analyzing treatment effects, the mean stand count ranged from 582.67 to 16.00 at Nairobi Ndogo and 522.33 to 154.67 at Kairini farm. Monocrop green gram treated with NPK fertilizer exhibited the highest stand count at Nairobi Ndogo, while those treated with NPK plus Zinc fertilizer showed the highest count at Kairini farm. Grain yield varied from 0.22 t/ha to 0.07 t/ha at Nairobi Ndogo and 1.07 t/ha to 0.11 t/ha at Kairini farm. Conventional intercropping with NPK fertilizer resulted in the highest grain yield at Nairobi Ndogo, while monocrop green gram with NPK fertilizer had the highest yield at Kairini farm. Stover yield mean ranged from 0.47 t/ha to 0.07 t/ha at Nairobi Ndogo and 6.70 t/ha to 1.62 t/ha at Kairini farm. Monocrop green gram treated with NPK fertilizer exhibited the highest stover yield at both sites. Table 7 Means for effect of treatments on green gram stand count, grain yield, stover yield at Nairobi Ndogo and Kairini sites Treatment Stand Count Grain yield Stover yield Nairobi Ndogo NPK + Mono G 582.67 a* 0.09 f 0.47 a NPK + Zn + Mono G 300.33 d 0.09 f 0.38 b NPK + Zn + Conv S + G 214.67 g 0.21 a 0.33 c NPK + Zn + Mbili S + G 204.33 h 0.10 e 0.23 f NPK + Mbili S + G 209.33 h 0.11 d 0.07 i NPK + Conv S + G 280.67 f 0.22 a 0.31 d Control + Mono G 490.00 b 0.15 c 0.21 g Control + Mbili S + G 382.00 c 0.16 b 0.32 e Control + Conv S + G 292.00 e 0.07 g 0.13 h LSD 5.32 0.04 0.04 CV 3.87 3.87 1.94 R 2 0.99 0.99 1.00 Kairini Farm NPK + Mono G 469.33 b 1.07 a 6.70 a NPK + Zn + Mono G 522.33 a 0.56 c 2.28 d NPK + Zn + Conv S + G 174.67 g 0.28 f 2.67 c NPK + Zn + Mbili S + G 154.67 h 0.25 g 1.84 f NPK + Mbili S + G 190.33 f 0.11 i 0.72 h NPK + Conv S + G 183.33 f 0.23 h 1.62 g Control + Mono G 430.33 c 0.74 b 3.77 b Control + Mbili S + G 321.33 e 0.35 e 2.29 d Control + Conv S + G 413.67 d 0.45 d 2.12 e LSD 7.07 0.04 0.04 CV 1.28 3.87 1.94 R 2 1.00 0.99 1.00 *Means followed by same letter along the column for each treatment are not significantly different from each other at 5% probability level. Where: NPK = Nitrogen Phosphorus Potassium fertilizer; Zn = Zinc; S = Sorghum; G = Green grams; Conv = Conventional intercropping; MBILI = Managing Beneficial Interaction in Legume Intercrops; CM = Cattle Manure; Mono = Monocrop; Control = without fertilizer; LSD = Least Significant Different; CV = Coefficient of variation; R 2 = R-Squared The comparison between the long rainy season in Nairobi Ndogo site and the short rainy season at Kairini farm revealed significant differences in the number of panicles and grain and stover yields, with the latter exhibiting higher yields. This corroborates findings by Kebenei (2021), which emphasized the greater sorghum yields during short rainy seasons. The agricultural activities in Eastern Kenya heavily rely on the predictability and consistency of the short rain seasons from October to December. The observed variability in production and yield components in response to fertilizer treatments underscores the complex interplay between fertilizers, cropping systems, and meteorological conditions. Notably, the absence of fertilizer resulted in the lowest sorghum grain production due to inadequate soil nutrient supply (Kamdi et al., 2023 ). Good dry matter accumulation in a plant's early growth phases may be caused by the activation of numerous physiological processes, such as stomatal regulation, chlorophyll production, enzyme activation, and biochemical activities due to the availability of sufficient quantities of trace elements (Cakmak, 2008 ). Thus, adopting a field-based approach to fertilizer prescriptions through soil testing is imperative for optimizing crop productivity, especially considering the influence of variations in rainy seasons (Desta et al., 2022 ). The study focuses on field-based fertilizer recommendations for sorghum production in Eastern Kenya, emphasizing the importance of soil testing and field-based approaches for optimizing crop productivity. The findings support our argument regarding the necessity of assessing overall soil fertility and adopting tailored fertilizer prescriptions for sorghum cultivation. The field study in Kenya investigates the impact of fertilization practices on sorghum grain yield, which is in line with this discussion on the variability in production and yield components in response to fertilizer treatments. The study underscores the importance of adopting field-based fertilizer recommendations for optimizing sorghum productivity. Farmers in rural communities often face resource constraints and cannot afford sufficient mineral fertilizers, necessitating the use of manure as an amendment. The application of manure enhances soil physicochemical properties and nutrient availability, which are crucial for plant growth and yield improvement. However, as observed in this study, cattle manure commonly used by smallholder farmers is rich in plant residues and require decomposers to use a lot of mineral nitrogen as sources of energy for decomposition hence nitrogen becomes unavailable to plants (Kugedera et al. , 2024). The significant yield improvements observed with the application of NPK plus Zinc fertilizer and NPK fertilizer supplemented with MOP 60% K2O highlight the importance of potassium (K) in plant growth and development. Potassium plays a crucial role in osmoregulation, stomatal movement, protein synthesis, and photosynthesis. The application of NPK supplemented with MOP 60% K2O resulted in notable increases in sorghum grain and stover yield, emphasizing the significance of potassium in enhancing plant development. Furthermore, nitrogen and phosphorus fertilization has been shown to substantially boost productivity in African sorghum-cropping systems (Tonitto and Ricker-Gilbert, 2016 ). phosphorus helps the root system grow, which increases yield by enabling more balanced uptake of nutrients and water (Kamara et al., 2011 ). The use of NPK plus Zinc fertilizer and NPK fertilizer supplemented with potassium resulted in significant yield improvements compared to conventional fertilizers. Patel et al. ( 2023 ) reported similar findings, showing that potassium supplementation enhances sorghum yield, which supports our recommendation regarding potassium fertilization. The significant effect on NPK fertilizer supplemented with MOP 60% K 2 O, and NPK plus Zinc fertilizer on stand count, grain yield and stover yield contributed to an increase in the amount of zinc that plants absorb from the soil. Singh et al. ( 2021 ) highlighted the importance of zinc fertilization in zinc-deficient soils, corroborating our discussion on the positive impact of zinc application on sorghum production. Integrating these studies strengthens the evidence supporting the effectiveness of nutrient management strategies in sorghum production. Zinc fertilization is essential in zinc-deficient soils, such as those observed at the Nairobi Ndogo site and Kairini farm, as it promotes root growth, pod development, and seed production, consequently enhancing overall yield (Neha and Dawson, 2023 ). The positive impact of zinc on seedling growth and dry biomass further underscores its importance in boosting plant productivity (Raza et al., 2022 ). Applying 8 kg of Zn ha − 1 significantly increased the number of seeds, seed production, seed yield per hectare, and seed quality (Gashash et al., 2022 ). Zinc is crucial for plant metabolism because it affects the activities of carbonic anhydrase and hydrogenase, stabilizes ribosomal sections, and produces cytochrome. It is also required for the regulation and maintenance of gene expression that plants need to tolerate environmental stresses (Alloway, 2009 ). Grain production, pods per plant, and green gram dry matter were all greatly enhanced by soil zinc (Muindi et al., 2020 ). Zinc treatment was found to be more effective in promoting grain production, nodulation rate, biomass accumulation, and crop growth in zinc-deficient soils. The application of soil zinc resulted in significant improvements in the height, leaf count, dry matter, pod count per plant, and grain output of green grams (Muindi et al., 2020 ). Applying zinc improves the plant's ability to absorb nutrients and water, enhancing plant development and yield. Proper zinc application also enhances the process of flowering and fruiting. The MBILI intercropping technique demonstrated a canopy-like formation, increasing competition for nutrients and resulting in higher stover yields at both sites. This finding aligns with previous studies indicating that intercropping can significantly increase crop yield and biomass dry matter, especially under optimal nitrogen fertilization (Temeche et al., 2022 ). Overall, the utilization of integrated soil fertility management practices, including appropriate fertilizer applications and intercropping techniques, emerges as a promising approach to enhance sorghum and green gram production in Tharaka-Nithi County. Compared to the intercropping system, the monocrop green gram in this study significantly affected the stand count at both sites. The availability of growth resources and variations in part densities are responsible for variations in the yield on the corresponding green grams. Comparing green gram monocrop to conventional intercropping, the latter produced a lower grain yield. Grain yield, stover yield, and green gram stand count were all highly impacted by row arrangement. When compared to both solitary crop options, the net benefit from intercrop combinations was noticeably larger. Intercropping is far more advantageous than cultivating the components independently, despite being labor-intensive and expensive. Green gram yield under a single stand at the Kairini site was noticeably higher. The intercropping row ratio that produced the highest grain production was 2:1 for sorghum and green gram, followed by 2:1 and 3:1 for other intercropping row ratios. Intercropping systems, particularly sorghum-green gram intercropping, efficiently utilize available nitrogen in the soil through legume fixation, thereby enhancing nitrogen uptake in cereals and improving overall crop output (Sousa et al. , 2022; Xiang et al., 2018 ). The underlying mechanism of intercropping systems facilitates nutrient exchange and root interactions, contributing to enhanced nutrient acquisition and overyielding (Wang et al., 2015 ). Because green gram matures exceptionally early, it might not compete with sorghum for resources for a considerable amount of time. Intercropping is beneficial, complementary, and/or compatible with the use of resources. Examples of necessary resources include light, water, and soil nutrients (Temeche et al., 2022 ). Due to its rapid growth, green gram can utilize resources before the slower-growing sorghum can, saving resources from being wasted. When sorghum reaches a point of maturity, green gram's resource requirement starts to decrease, making the two crops more compatible in terms of resource utilization. Furthermore, because green gram fixes nitrogen on its own, it does not require nitrogen fertilizer; as a result, the cropping system is compatible with sorghum, which requires nitrogen fertilizer. Conclusion and Recommendations The study revealed that integrated soil fertility management significantly impacted stover yield, number of panicles, and grain yield. The application of NPK plus Zinc fertilizer and NPK fertilizer supplemented with MOP 60% K2O resulted in a substantial yield increase compared to the control (zero fertilizer). The effects of monocrop sorghum, conventional intercropping, and the MBILI intercropping technique were assessed at both sites. For sorghum, treatments involving conventional intercropping and NPK plus Zinc fertilizer had the highest grain yield at Nairobi Ndogo, while the combination of conventional intercropping and NPK fertilizer supplemented with MOP 60% K2O produced the highest grain yield at Kairini farm. The variation in fertilizer performance was influenced by differing soil fertility statuses and planting seasons at both sites. When comparing the effects of NPK plus cattle manure, Mavuno fertilizer, and cattle manure alone on monocrop sorghum yield, the application of NPK plus cattle manure significantly increased yields compared to Mavuno fertilizer and cattle manure applied individually. The MBILI intercropping technique with NPK fertilizer yielded the highest sorghum stover at both sites. Furthermore, the application of NPK plus Zinc fertilizer and NPK fertilizer supplemented with MOP 60% K2O produced a notable increase in production compared to the control. Conversely, the application of NPK plus cattle manure, Mavuno fertilizer, and sole cattle manure in monocrop sorghum resulted in lower yields. Conventional intercropping achieved the highest sorghum grain yield at both sites, while the MBILI intercropping technique recorded the highest stover yield. Monocrop sorghum had a minimal significant effect on sorghum grain and stover yield. The analysis of variance indicated that the factors and treatments significantly affected the stand count, grain yield, and stover yield of green gram. NPK supplemented with MOP 60% K2O and NPK plus Zinc significantly impacted stand count, grain yield, and stover yield compared to the zero-fertilizer treatment. The highest grain yield was observed in treatments with conventional intercropping and NPK plus Zinc fertilizer at Nairobi Ndogo, while conventional intercropping with NPK fertilizer achieved the highest grain yield at Kairini farm. The highest stover yield was recorded with the MBILI intercropping technique and NPK fertilizer at both sites. Intercropped green gram enhanced soil fertility through nitrogen fixation, benefiting sorghum production. Monocrop green gram with NPK fertilizer produced the highest stover yield and the highest grain yield. Based on the findings of this study, it is recommended that farmers in Tharaka-Nithi County adopt specific integrated soil fertility management practices to enhance the yields of sorghum and green gram. For optimal production using a conventional intercropping system, applying NPK plus Zinc fertilizer at 50 Kg/ha NPK and 10 Kg/ha ZnSO₄, or NPK fertilizer supplemented with 10 Kg/ha MOP 60% K2O, is advised to improve soil fertility and crop yields. In a monocrop system for green grams, using NPK fertilizer at 50 Kg/ha is recommended. Regular soil testing is essential to tailor fertilizer applications to specific field conditions and integrating organic inputs like cattle manure with inorganic fertilizers can further boost soil fertility and crop yields. Declarations Conflicts of interest/Competing interests The authors declare no conflicts of interest. Funding This work is supported by National Research Fund through Kenyatta University’s Balanced Nutrition for Management of Soil Acidity and Nutrients Deficiency for Sustained Agricultural Productivity research project. Author Contribution MMK wrote the main manuscript text. MMK, GGK, and MJ reviewed the manuscript Acknowledgement Special thanks to National Research Fund for funding this research. Data Availability The output of data analysis in form of tables is provided within the manuscript. However, raw data collected from the field and the outputs of statistical analysis like ANOVAs can be provided on request by the corresponding author KMM and GGK. References Adolwa, I. S., Mutegi, J., Muthamia, J., Gitonga, A., Njoroge, S., Kiwia, A., ... & Nchanji, E. B. (2023). Enhancing sustainable agri-food systems using multi-nutrient fertilizers in Kenyan smallholder farming systems. Heliyon , 9 (4). Alloway, B. J. (2009). Soil factors associated with zinc deficiency in crops and humans. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-4635073","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":330571928,"identity":"ca41c403-d009-4f07-9ade-c86a0b7b927b","order_by":0,"name":"Millicent Kawira. Mututa","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAABA0lEQVRIiWNgGAWjYDACZubGAwkgBg8Qgxj8IE5CAT4tjA1gLTwwLZINIIYBPmuAWhhgWkDAAMzFo0W3HajlQY1Nnj3P4WcSD/fYRRufX5344YEBgzy/2AGsWswOgxx2LK2Yh7fNTCLhWXLuthtvN0sAHWY4c3YCbi2JDYcTe/gZzG4kHGAGajm7AaQlweA2Xi3/gVrYvwG11OdunnF28w8itBxI7OHtAdlyOHcDf+82wrYkHEtO7DlzpvxHwoHjuTNu8G6zSDCQwO2X84cPPvxRY5fY3pO+2fDHgerc/v6zm2/+qLCR55fGrgULkACrlCBWOQjwHyBF9SgYBaNgFIwAAAAcJWyfT+18lQAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==","orcid":"","institution":"Chuka University","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Millicent","middleName":"Kawira.","lastName":"Mututa","suffix":""},{"id":330571929,"identity":"1b36c887-6a5b-4eae-8ae6-5ef9e56335a7","order_by":1,"name":"Gathungu Geofrey Kingori","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Chuka University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Gathungu","middleName":"Geofrey","lastName":"Kingori","suffix":""},{"id":330571930,"identity":"54486e57-d4c8-42e0-95b7-7748ab93735e","order_by":2,"name":"Mugwe Jayne","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Kenyatta University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Mugwe","middleName":"","lastName":"Jayne","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2024-06-25 09:03:53","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-4635073/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-4635073/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":90976213,"identity":"b6bdb3b9-b43d-495b-8583-fe9223290a7e","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-09-10 08:38:51","extension":"pdf","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":1164445,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4635073/v1/8459f766-2df9-4a01-beb8-10b69993b34b.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"\u003cp\u003eThe Effects of Integrated Soil Fertility Management Practices in Enhancing Sorghum Yields\u003c/p\u003e","fulltext":[{"header":"1. Introduction","content":"\u003cp\u003eIn the agricultural landscape of Sub-Saharan Africa, sorghum (\u003cem\u003eSorghum bicolor L.\u003c/em\u003e) stands as the continent's fifth most produced grain, with Africa contributing significantly to global sorghum acreage. Specifically, Kenya emerges as a key player in sorghum cultivation, albeit facing challenges in attaining optimal yields. The average yield of sorghum in Kenya has witnessed a decline, indicative of underlying issues such as suboptimal agronomic practices and inadequate soil fertility management (Vanlauwe et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR36\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e). This decline, from an estimated average yield of 0.95 tons/ha to 0.78 tons/ha, underscores the pressing need for interventions to bolster sorghum production (USDA, 2022). Moreover, the prevailing soil fertility constraints exacerbate this challenge, with most empirical studies focusing on singular soil management practices, leaving knowledge gaps in the implementation of comprehensive soil management techniques (Ekyaligonza et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR5\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2024\u003c/span\u003e). The utilization of green gram (\u003cem\u003eVigna radiata L.\u003c/em\u003e), a popular food and cash crop in Kenya, particularly in the semi-arid regions, further underscores the intricate relationship between crop diversification and soil fertility. Green gram, intercropped with sorghum in regions like Tharaka-Nithi County, not only contributes to soil nitrogen fixation but also aids in maintaining soil fertility through organic matter incorporation (Onyango et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR24\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e). Despite the significance of Integrated Soil Fertility Management (ISFM) technologies in addressing soil nutrient deficiencies, their adoption remains limited, especially in dry regions like Kenya (Kiprotich et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR15\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2024\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe dearth of comprehensive studies elucidating the uptake and efficacy of ISFM technologies in such environments underscores the existing knowledge gap (Kiprotich et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR14\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e). Given the multifactorial nature of nutrient uptake in plants, it is imperative to consider various factors such as fertilizer type, soil characteristics, and cropping systems to enhance nutrient efficiency (Khagul, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR12\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e). In semi-arid regions, where sorghum cultivation predominates, low nitrogen levels and inadequate soil moisture pose significant challenges to yield optimization. Additionally, the limited application of fertilizers further hampers crop productivity in rainfed settings. Addressing these challenges necessitates the adoption of crop management strategies that optimize soil nutrients and moderate nutrient inputs, thereby enhancing soil fertility, water use efficiency, and overall crop productivity (Kumar et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR17\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eMapping soil nutrient deficiencies is essential because it makes it possible to determine the kinds and concentrations of fertilizer required for a given area and type of crop (Gomes et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR7\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e). In order to maximize crop productivity while minimizing the negative effects of excessive fertilizer use, soil fertility mapping is therefore an essential part of the effective and sustainable application of fertilizer (Khalifa \u003cem\u003eet al.\u003c/em\u003e, 2023). Multi-nutrient fertilizer blends have been mooted as a key innovation for closing yield gaps and boosting food and nutrition security (Adolwa et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR1\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e). Despite having higher reliability and a higher yield, with the advent of precision agriculture and the short growing season, one of the most important tools for recommending nutrient levels for crops and improving nutrient usage efficiency and yield is applying fertilizer based on soil testing (Santhi et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR28\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e). Agronomic techniques include, but are not limited to, tillage, plant density, and sowing date, proven to have a significant impact on sorghum yield, demonstrating that the implementation of optimal agronomic techniques is a necessary component of any program designed to increase crop productivity and foster climate resilience (Naoura et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR21\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eDespite the pivotal role of sorghum as a staple food and cash crop, farmers continue to grapple with low yields and reduced production. The persistent decline in sorghum yields in Kenya, coupled with the prevailing knowledge gaps in comprehensive soil management practices, underscores the need for robust research initiatives. Notably, the limited understanding of the role of essential micronutrients such as zinc in sorghum and green gram yields further accentuates the research gap. The interaction between NPK plus Zinc fertilizer and different cropping systems remains largely unexplored, necessitating in-depth investigations to elucidate their potential synergies (Mwaura et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR20\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eGiven the critical role of soil fertility in crop productivity, addressing soil nutrient deficiencies and optimizing nutrient management practices is paramount. Soil fertility management is continuously modified and adapted as conditions change in time (Somali, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR31\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2024\u003c/span\u003e). The utilization of ISFM techniques holds promise in enhancing soil fertility, increasing water use efficiency, and ultimately improving crop yields. However, the effectiveness of these techniques, particularly in dry regions like Tharaka-Nithi County, warrants further investigation. By elucidating the interactions between NPK plus Zinc fertilizer and different cropping systems, this study aims to fill existing knowledge gaps and provide valuable insights for sustainable agriculture practices.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"2. Materials and Methods","content":"\u003cdiv id=\"Sec3\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e2.1. Study Area\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eTwo sites were used for the study's execution. One site was situated at Nairobi Ndogo and the other site was at Kairini Farm in Chuka/Igambang'ombe of Tharaka-Nithi County. Nairobi Ndogo lies within a latitude of 0\u0026deg;20'41.00\" S and a longitude of 37\u0026deg;49'01.00\" E. The region is situated at an elevation of 1500 meters above sea level on the eastern slopes of Mount Kenya. It experiences bio-modally distributed annual rainfall of 1200\u0026ndash;1400 mm and mean temperatures of 20\u0026deg;C on average (Ndung\u0026rsquo;u et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR22\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e). Short rains are experienced in October through December and longer rains in March through June (Rugendo et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR27\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e). Soils are humic Nitisols. The second site was situated at Kairini Farm in Chuka/Igambang'ombe. With a height of 1399 meters above sea level, the average yearly temperature varies between 20.97 to 27.25 degrees Celsius. The region experiences bimodal annual rainfall of 1200 to 1400 mm, separating into two separate seasons: October to December for short rainfall and March to June for long rains. It lies within a latitude of 0\u0026deg;35'23.00\" S and a longitude of 37\u0026deg;13'39.00\" E. In this area, humic Nitisols are the predominant soil type, which have moderate to high intrinsic fertility and are deep and well-weathered (Jaetzold et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR8\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2006\u003c/span\u003e). The region engages in mixed farming, growing a variety of food crops, including green grams, cowpeas, sorghum, and maize.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec4\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e2.2 Experimental Design\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe study used a 3 \u0026times; 5 factorial experiments laid out in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) and replicated three times. The two factors were fertilizer (NPK, Zinc, mavuno, cattle manure, and control) and cropping systems (conventional intercropping, MBILI intercropping technique and monocrop cropping system). This led to a total of fifteen treatments for this study (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e). The treatments were randomly applied to the experimental units. Each experimental plot measured 6 m by 4.5 m and a spacing of 0.75 cm by 0.5 cm giving 26,667 plants per hectare for monocrop sorghum, spacing of 0.45 cm by 0.15 cm giving 14,814 plants per hectare for monocrop green gram. The field experiment was conducted during two cropping seasons: the Nairobi Ndogo farm experienced long rains in 2021 (March to August) while the Kairini farm experienced short rains in 2022 (October to March).\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec5\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e2.3 Preparation of Land, Crop Establishment and Management\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe land was prepared by clearing using a panga and ploughed using a fork jembe, followed by soil sampling and laboratory analysis. In Managing Beneficial Interactions in Legume Intercrop system, two rows of green grams and two rows of sorghum were planted alternately; that is, two adjacent sorghum lines were spaced 50 cm apart, and two rows of green grams were spaced 33 cm apart between each pair of sorghum rows. Each experimental plot measured 6 m by 4.5 m and a spacing of 0.50 m by 0.33 m giving 60,606 sorghum plants per hectare and a spacing of 0.33 cm by 0.33 cm giving 91,827 green gram plants per hectare. The conventional intercropping system, the green grams and sorghum sown at the same 37.5-cm intra-row spacing. Spacing of 0.375 cm by 0.375 cm giving a uniform number of 71,111 sorghum plants per hectare and 71,111 green gram plants per hectare. In all crop arrangements, each hill is sown with two green gram seeds at a depth of 5 cm. Each hill was sown with five sorghum seeds, which were then thinned to two.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ctable id=\"Tab1\" border=\"1\" style=\"margin-right: calc(0%); width: 100%;\"\u003e\n \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 1\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eTreatment combinations and coding of the study site\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/caption\u003e\n \u003ccolgroup cols=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/colgroup\u003e\n \u003cthead\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003cth align=\"left\" style=\"width: 46.6251%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eTreatment combinations and coding\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/th\u003e\n \u003cth align=\"left\" style=\"width: 47.6022%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eApplication\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/th\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/thead\u003e\n \u003ctbody\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" style=\"width: 46.6251%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNPK\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;Mono S\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" style=\"width: 47.6022%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e50 Kg/ha NPK\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" style=\"width: 46.6251%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNPK\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;Zn\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;Mono S\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" style=\"width: 47.6022%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e50 Kg/ha NPK\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;10 Kg/ha ZnSO₄\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" style=\"width: 46.6251%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eCM\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;Mono S\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" style=\"width: 47.6022%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e90 Kg/ha cattle manure\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" style=\"width: 46.6251%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eMavuno\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;Mono S\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" style=\"width: 47.6022%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e50 Kg/ha mavuno fertilizer\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" style=\"width: 46.6251%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNPK\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;CM\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;Mono S\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" style=\"width: 47.6022%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e50 Kg/ha NPK\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;90 Kg/ha cattle manure\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" style=\"width: 46.6251%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eControl\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;Mono S\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" style=\"width: 47.6022%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNo inputs\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" style=\"width: 46.6251%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNPK\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;Zn\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;MBILI S\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;G\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" style=\"width: 47.6022%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e50 Kg/ha NPK\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;10 Kg/ha ZnSO₄\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" style=\"width: 46.6251%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNPK\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;MBILI S\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;G\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" style=\"width: 47.6022%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e50 Kg/ha NPK\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" style=\"width: 46.6251%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eControl\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;MBILI S\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;G\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" style=\"width: 47.6022%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNo inputs\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" style=\"width: 46.6251%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNPK\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;Zn\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;Conv S\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;G\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" style=\"width: 47.6022%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e50 Kg/ha NPK\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;10 Kg/ha ZnSO₄\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" style=\"width: 46.6251%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNPK\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;Conv S\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;G\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" style=\"width: 47.6022%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e50 Kg/ha NPK\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" style=\"width: 46.6251%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eControl\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;Conv S\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;G\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" style=\"width: 47.6022%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNo inputs\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" style=\"width: 46.6251%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNPK\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;Mono G\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" style=\"width: 47.6022%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e50 Kg/ha NPK\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" style=\"width: 46.6251%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNPK\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;Zn\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;Mono G\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" style=\"width: 47.6022%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e50 Kg/ha NPK\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;10 Kg/ha ZnSO₄\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" style=\"width: 46.6251%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eControl\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;Mono G\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" style=\"width: 47.6022%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNo inputs\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/tbody\u003e\n \u003ctfoot\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" style=\"width: 96.1816%;\"\u003eKey: NPK\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;Nitrogen Phosphorus Potassium fertilizer; Zn\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;Zinc; S\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;Sorghum; G\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;Green grams; Conv\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;Conventional intercropping; MBILI\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;Managing Beneficial Interaction in Legume Intercrops; CM\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;Cattle Manure; Mono\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;Monocrop; Control\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;without fertilizer\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/tfoot\u003e\n \u003c/table\u003e\u003cp\u003ePlanting was done on the onset of rain. Certified seeds of sorghum and green grams, fertilizers were sourced from the Agro-dealers in Chuka town. After that, hand weeding was done to prevent interfering with pod formation, pegging, and flowering. Chemical treatments and physical control, such as scarecrows, were used to manage pests and diseases. To guarantee that every experimental plot is subjected to the same conditions, all of these management techniques were applied consistently throughout every experimental plot. The cattle manure was analyzed for its nutrient composition at the beginning of each planting trial. The cattle manure sampling was done as in Wortmann \u003cem\u003eet al.\u003c/em\u003e(2017) which involve taking a sample of cattle manure from the cattle shed, mixing it, and then drawing a sample for laboratory examination at National Agricultural Research Laboratory (NARL), Nairobi. Sole NPK fertilizer (23:23:0) supplemented with 10 Kg/ha MOP 60% K\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003eO. Zinc Sulphate incorporated in the various experimental units as inorganic fertilizers. Mavuno fertilizer, which contains calcium, magnesium, sulfur, zinc, copper, manganese, boron, and molybdenum in addition to NPK (10:26:10) was incorporated as inorganic fertilizer. Cattle manure sourced from the local farmers was applied as organic fertilizer. Hand weeding was used to maintain the plots free of weeds. In order to reduce likely sources of variance, pests and illnesses were uniformly controlled using advised pesticides.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec6\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e2.4 Data Collection\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eData was collected to determine the Effect of Integrated Soil Fertility Management Practices on Yield and Yield Components of Sorghum. Data collection for yield characteristics involved harvesting sorghum grain and stover at maturity from all experimental plots. Twenty heads or panicles from the inner middle rows of each plot were harvested, and the grains were threshed and weighed to determine grain yield per hectare. Stovers were collected by cutting them off above the ground surface, weighed, and translated into tons per hectare. This approach allowed for the assessment of yield components such as grain yield, panicle count, and stover yield.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eSimilar to sorghum, data collection for green grams involved harvesting pods at physiological maturity from all experimental plots. Pods were threshed to obtain grains, which were weighed to determine grain yield per hectare. Stovers were also collected and weighed to assess stover yield. This approach allowed for the evaluation of yield components such as stand count, grain yield, and stover yield for green grams.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec7\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e2.5 Data Analysis\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eData was analyzed using Statistical Analysis Software (SAS) version 9.4 (SAS Institute, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR29\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2012\u003c/span\u003e). Data on sorghum yield and green gram yield were analyzed using the analysis of variance method (ANOVA). At a 5% probability level, significant means were separated using the Least Significance Difference (LSD). The statistical model used in this study is:\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eY\u003csub\u003eijk\u003c/sub\u003e\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;\u0026micro;\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;F\u003csub\u003ei\u003c/sub\u003e + C\u003csub\u003ej\u003c/sub\u003e + (FC)\u003csub\u003eij\u003c/sub\u003e + R\u003csub\u003ek\u003c/sub\u003e + e\u003csub\u003eijk\u003c/sub\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003ewhere Y\u003csub\u003eijk\u003c/sub\u003e is the response, \u0026micro; is the population mean, F\u003csub\u003ei\u003c/sub\u003e is the effect due to the treatment (Fertilizer), C\u003csub\u003ej\u003c/sub\u003e is the effect due to the treatment (Cropping System), (FC)\u003csub\u003eij\u003c/sub\u003e is the effect due to the interaction between the fertilizer and the cropping system, R\u003csub\u003ek\u003c/sub\u003e is the effect due to the replicates, e\u003csub\u003eijk\u003c/sub\u003e is the error effect.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"3. Results and Discussion","content":"\u003cdiv id=\"Sec9\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e3.1 Soil and Manure Analysis\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe soil analysis conducted at the National Agricultural Research Laboratories (NARL) in Nairobi revealed a pH of 6.00 for the Nairobi Ndogo site and 8.00 for Kairini farm. The total nitrogen content was 0.11% at Nairobi Ndogo and 0.07% at Kairini farm. Organic carbon content was 1.10% at Nairobi Ndogo and 1.00% at Kairini farm. Available phosphorus levels were 25.00 ppm for Nairobi Ndogo and 11.00 ppm for Kairini farm. Total zinc content was 1.00 ppm at both sites (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e). The soil at Nairobi Ndogo was slightly acidic, whereas at Kairini farm, it was medium alkaline before planting. Both sites had low levels of total soil nitrogen, available phosphorus, and zinc.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab2\" border=\"1\"\u003e\u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 2\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eResults of soil analysis from the two experimental sites before planting\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e\u003ccolgroup cols=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/colgroup\u003e\u003cthead\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSite\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eProperties\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eValue\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eClass\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/thead\u003e\u003ctbody\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"5\" rowspan=\"6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNairobi Ndogo\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSoil pH\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eslight acid\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTotal Nitrogen (%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.11\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003elow\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTotal Org. Carbon (%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.10\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003elow\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePhosphorus (ppm)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e25\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003emedium\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePotassium (meq%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.00\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eadequate\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eZinc (ppm)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003elow\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"5\" rowspan=\"6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eKairini Farm\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSoil pH\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003emedium\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003ealkaline\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTotal Nitrogen (%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.07\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003elow\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTotal Org. Carbon (%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003elow\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePhosphorus (ppm)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e11.0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003elow\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePotassium (meq%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eadequate\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eZinc (ppm)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003elow\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/tbody\u003e\u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eTotal nitrogen analysis measures the amount of nitrogen present in both organic and inorganic forms, but it does not directly indicate the nitrogen available to plants. Typically, soil contains about 0.10 to 0.15 percent nitrogen, but only 1 to 4 percent of this total nitrogen becomes available to plants during a growing season, as it transforms from organic to inorganic form through microbial action. Soil phosphorus concentrations can range from low to high: below 20 ppm is considered low, 20 to 40 ppm is medium, 40 to 100 ppm is high, and above 100 ppm is excessive. Similarly, soil potassium concentrations also range from low to high: below 0.4 meq% is low, 0.4 to 0.6 meq% is medium, 0.6 to 2.0 meq% is high, and above 2.0 meq% is excessive. For most crops, a soil zinc test concentration over 1.5 ppm, measured using the DTPA extraction method, is considered adequate (Lindsay \u003cem\u003eet al.\u003c/em\u003e, 1978). During the trials, the average nutritional composition of cattle manure was utilized. Analyses of the cattle manure showed that the total nitrogen and zinc content were adequate, while phosphorus and potassium levels were rated low (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab3\" border=\"1\"\u003e\u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 3\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eResults for the cattle manure analysis\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e\u003ccolgroup cols=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/colgroup\u003e\u003cthead\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eProperties\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eValue\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eClass\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/thead\u003e\u003ctbody\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNitrogen (%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eadequate\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePhosphorus (%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003elow\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePotassium (%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003elow\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCalcium (%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003elow\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eZinc (mg/kg)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e21\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eadequate\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/tbody\u003e\u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cb\u003e3.2 The Effect of Integrated Soil Fertility Management Practices on Yield and Yield Components of Sorghum and Green grams\u003c/b\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eA test model adequacy on sorghum yield and yield components revealed that the fitted model was adequate (p \u0026lt; 0.05) in explaining the effect of treatments on stover yield, number of panicles, and grain yield for the two sites. The study showed significant site effect (p \u0026lt; 0.05) and interaction between the site and the treatments (p \u0026lt; 0.05) on stover yield, number of panicles, and grain yield. The analysis of variance for the effect of each factor and their combined effect showed that the factors and treatments had significant effects (p \u0026lt; 0.05) on these yield components (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab4\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe effect of fertilizer application showed stover yield ranging from 0.75 t/ha to 0.03 t/ha at Nairobi Ndogo and 5.42 t/ha to 1.43 t/ha at Kairini farm. Plots with NPK plus zinc fertilizer had the highest stover yield at both sites. The number of panicles ranged from 195.33 to 83.11 at Nairobi Ndogo and 273.44 to 257.33 at Kairini farm, with the highest numbers in plots with mavuno fertilizer and NPK plus zinc fertilizer, respectively. Grain yield ranged from 0.38 t/ha to 0.08 t/ha at Nairobi Ndogo and 2.91 t/ha to 0.56 t/ha at Kairini farm, with the highest yields in plots with NPK plus zinc fertilizer and NPK fertilizer, respectively. The effect of cropping system showed stover yield ranging from 1.06 t/ha to 0.06 t/ha at Nairobi Ndogo and 5.92 t/ha to 2.18 t/ha at Kairini farm, with MBILI intercropping technique yielding the highest at both sites. The number of panicles ranged from 143.18 to 82.67 at Nairobi Ndogo and 257.12 to 252.78 at Kairini farm. Grain yield ranged from 0.31 t/ha to 0.16 t/ha at Nairobi Ndogo and 63 t/ha to 2.31 t/ha at Kairini farm, with conventional intercropping technique yielding the highest at both sites.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eA further adequacy test on sorghum yield and components confirmed the model's appropriateness (p \u0026lt; 0.05). Significant site effect (p \u0026lt; 0.05) and interaction between site and treatments (p \u0026lt; 0.05) were noted (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab5\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e). Factors and treatments significantly affected stover yield, number of panicles, and grain yield. The treatment effects showed mean stover yields from 1.93 t/ha to 0.28 t/ha at Nairobi Ndogo and 7.18 t/ha to 1.35 t/ha at Kairini farm, with MBILI intercropping technique and NPK fertilizer yielding the highest.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab4\" border=\"1\"\u003e\u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 4\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMeans for effect of types of fertilizer application and cropping systems on sorghum stover yield, number of panicles and grain yield at two sites\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e\u003ccolgroup cols=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/colgroup\u003e\u003cthead\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFactor\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eStover yield\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNumber of panicles\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGrain yield\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/thead\u003e\u003ctbody\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNairobi Ndogo\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNPK + Zn\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.75\u003csup\u003ea*\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e186.56\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.38\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMavuno\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.50\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e195.33\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.19\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNPK + CM\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.15\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e140.67\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.13\u003csup\u003ed\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCM\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.28\u003csup\u003ee\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e137.33\u003csup\u003ed\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.08\u003csup\u003ef\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNPK\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.04\u003csup\u003ed\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e83.11\u003csup\u003ee\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.17\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eControl\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.03\u003csup\u003ef\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e84.00\u003csup\u003ee\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.11\u003csup\u003ee\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLSD\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.51\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.26\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.05\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMono S\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.60\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e143.18\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.16\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eConv S + G\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.74\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e142.50\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.31\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMBILI S + G\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.06\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e82.67\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.19\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLSD\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.32\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.80\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.03\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eKairini farm\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNPK + Zn\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5.42\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e273.44\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.43\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNPK + CM\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.60\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e257.67\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.23\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNPK\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5.63\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e265.67\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.91\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMavuno\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.58\u003csup\u003ed\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e254.67\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.82\u003csup\u003ed\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCM\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.20\u003csup\u003ee\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e257.33\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.76\u003csup\u003ee\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eControl\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.43\u003csup\u003ef\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e225.44\u003csup\u003ed\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.56\u003csup\u003ef\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLSD\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.51\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.40\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.57\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMBILI S + G\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5.92\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e252.78\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.31\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMono S\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.18\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e254.40\u003csup\u003eab\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.95\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eConv S + G\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5.07\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e257.12\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.63\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLSD\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.30\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.79\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.34\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/tbody\u003e\u003ctfoot\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd colspan=\"5\"\u003e*Means followed by same letter along the column for each treatment are not significantly different from each other at 5% probability level. Where: NPK = Nitrogen Phosphorus Potassium fertilizer; Zn = Zinc; S = Sorghum; G = Green grams; Conv = Conventional intercropping; MBILI = Managing Beneficial Interaction in Legume Intercrops; CM = Cattle Manure; Mono = Monocrop; Control = without fertilizer; LSD = Least Significant Different; CV = Coefficient of variation; R\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e = R-Squared\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/tfoot\u003e\u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe number of panicles ranged from 240.67 to 54.00 at Nairobi Ndogo and 290.75 to 193.67 at Kairini farm, highest in monocrop sorghum with NPK plus zinc fertilizer at Nairobi Ndogo and conventional intercropping with NPK plus zinc fertilizer at Kairini. Grain yield ranged from 0.68 t/ha to 0.08 t/ha at Nairobi Ndogo and 4.01 t/ha to 0.25 t/ha at Kairini farm, highest in conventional intercropping with NPK plus zinc fertilizer at Nairobi Ndogo and conventional intercropping with NPK fertilizer at Kairini. The study findings indicated that integrated soil fertility management significantly affects stover yield, number of panicles, and grain yield at both sites. The observed differences between the sites could be attributed to variations in rainfall during the planting seasons with Nairobi Ndogo experiencing long rains and Kairini short rains. A test of model adequacy for green gram yields indicated that the fitted model was adequate (p \u0026lt; 0.05) in explaining the effect of treatments on stand count, grain yield, and stover yield at both study sites.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab5\" border=\"1\"\u003e\u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 5\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMeans for effect of treatments on sorghum stover yield, number of panicles, grain yield at Nairobi Ndogo and Kairini sites\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e\u003ccolgroup cols=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/colgroup\u003e\u003cthead\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTreatment\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eStover yield\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNumber of panicles\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGrain yield\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/thead\u003e\u003ctbody\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNairobi Ndogo\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNPK + Zn + Mono S\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.63\u003csup\u003ed*\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e240.67\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.25\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNPK + Conv S + G\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.71\u003csup\u003ecd\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e198.75\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.18\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNPK + Zn + Conv S + G\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.92\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e183.00\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.68\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMavuno + Mono S\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.50\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e195.33\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.19\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNPK + Zn + Mbili S + G\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.71\u003csup\u003ecd\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e136.00\u003csup\u003ee\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.22\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNPK + Mbili S + G\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.93\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e58.00\u003csup\u003ei\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.13\u003csup\u003ed\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNPK + CM + Mono S\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.15\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e140.67\u003csup\u003ed\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.13\u003csup\u003ede\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eControl + Mono S\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.57\u003csup\u003ede\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e95.33\u003csup\u003eg\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.09\u003csup\u003ee\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCM + Mono S\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.28\u003csup\u003ed\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e137.33\u003csup\u003ee\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.08\u003csup\u003ef\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNPK + Mono S\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.48\u003csup\u003ef\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e89.50\u003csup\u003eh\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.19\u003csup\u003ee\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eControl + Mbili S + G\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.53\u003csup\u003ede\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e54.00\u003csup\u003ej\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.22\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eControl + Conv S + G\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.61\u003csup\u003ed\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e102.67\u003csup\u003ee\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.08\u003csup\u003ef\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLSD\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.63\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.55\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.06\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCV\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e10.42\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.09\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.09\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eR\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.97\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.00\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.00\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eKairini Farm\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNPK + Zn + Conv S + G\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6.95\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e290.75\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.62\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNPK + Conv S + G\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6.36\u003csup\u003ed\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e276.67\u003csup\u003eab\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.01\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNPK + Zn + MBILI S + G\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6.82\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e276.67\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.92\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNPK + MBILI S + G\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7.18\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e262.33\u003csup\u003ecd\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.01\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNPK + CM + Mono S\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.60\u003csup\u003eg\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e257.67\u003csup\u003ecde\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.23\u003csup\u003ed\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMavuno + Mono S\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.58\u003csup\u003eg\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e254.67\u003csup\u003ee\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.82\u003csup\u003ee\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNPK + Zn + Mono S\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.46\u003csup\u003ed\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e277.00\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.68\u003csup\u003eg\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eControl + Mono S\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.35\u003csup\u003ei\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e263.33\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.80\u003csup\u003eef\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCM + Mono S\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.35\u003csup\u003ef\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e257.33\u003csup\u003eab\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.75\u003csup\u003ef\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNPK + Mono S\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.35\u003csup\u003ef\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e220.50\u003csup\u003ef\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.42\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eControl + MBILI S + G\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.76\u003csup\u003ee\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e219.33\u003csup\u003eg\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.62\u003csup\u003eh\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eControl + Conv S + G\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.91\u003csup\u003eh\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e193.67\u003csup\u003eh\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.25\u003csup\u003ei\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLSD\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.76\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5.44\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.62\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCV\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.70\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.24\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5.37\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eR\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.00\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.99\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.00\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"5\" nameend=\"c5\" namest=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e*Means followed by same letter along the column for each treatment are not significantly different from each other at 5% probability level. Where: NPK = Nitrogen Phosphorus Potassium fertilizer; Zn = Zinc; S = Sorghum; G = Green grams; Conv = Conventional intercropping; MBILI = Managing Beneficial Interaction in Legume Intercrops; CM = Cattle Manure; Mono = Monocrop; Control = without fertilizer; LSD = Least Significant Different; CV = Coefficient of variation; R\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e = R-Squared\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/tbody\u003e\u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eSignificant site’s effects (p \u0026lt; 0.05) and interactions between site and treatments (p \u0026lt; 0.05) were observed for stand count, grain yield, and stover yield (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab6\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e6\u003c/span\u003e). Analyzing the effect of fertilizer application, stand count ranged from 388.00 to 239.78 at Nairobi Ndogo and 388.44 to 283.89 at Kairini farm. Plots treated with NPK fertilizer had the highest stand count at Nairobi Ndogo, while those with NPK plus Zinc fertilizer had the highest count at Kairini farm.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab6\" border=\"1\"\u003e\u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 6\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMeans for effect of types of fertilizer application and cropping systems on green gram stand count, grain yield, stover yield at Nairobi Ndogo and Kairini Sites\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e\u003ccolgroup cols=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/colgroup\u003e\u003cthead\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFactor\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eStand Count\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGrain yield\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eStover yield\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/thead\u003e\u003ctbody\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"7\" rowspan=\"8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNairobi Ndogo\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNPK + Zn\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e239.78\u003csup\u003ec*\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.13\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.32\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNPK\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e388.00\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.16\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.28\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eControl\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e357.56\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.13\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.22\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLSD\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.07\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.02\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.02\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMono G\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e457.67\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.16\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.35\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eConv S + G\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e262.44\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.17\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.25\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMBILI S + G\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e265.22\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.09\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.21\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLSD\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.07\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.02\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.02\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"7\" rowspan=\"8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eKairini farm\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNPK + Zn\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e388.44\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.36\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.26\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNPK\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e281.00\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.47\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.01\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eControl\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e283.89\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.52\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.72\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLSD\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.08\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.10\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.92\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMBILI S + G\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e222.11\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.24\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.61\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMono G\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e474.00\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.79\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.25\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eConv S + G\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e257.22\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.32\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.14\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLSD\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.08\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.10\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.92\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/tbody\u003e\u003ctfoot\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd colspan=\"5\"\u003e*Means followed by same letter along the column for each treatment are not significantly different from each other at 5% probability level. Where: NPK = Nitrogen Phosphorus Potassium fertilizer; Zn = Zinc; S = Sorghum; G = Green grams; Conv = Conventional intercropping; MBILI = Managing Beneficial Interaction in Legume Intercrops; CM = Cattle Manure; Mono = Monocrop; Control = without fertilizer; LSD = Least Significant Different; CV = Coefficient of variation; R\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e = R-Squared\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/tfoot\u003e\u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eGrain yield ranged from 0.16 t/ha to 0.13 t/ha at Nairobi Ndogo and 0.47 t/ha to 0.36 t/ha at Kairini farm. The highest grain yield was obtained with NPK plus Zinc fertilizer at Nairobi Ndogo and with NPK fertilizer at Kairini farm. Stover yield varied from 0.32 t/ha to 0.22 t/ha at Nairobi Ndogo and 3.01 t/ha to 2.26 t/ha at Kairini farm. Plots treated with NPK plus Zinc fertilizer had the highest stover yield at Nairobi Ndogo, while those treated with NPK fertilizer had the highest yield at Kairini farm.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eExamining the effect of cropping systems, stand count ranged from 457.67 to 262.44 at Nairobi Ndogo and 474.00 to 222.11 at Kairini farm. Monocrop green gram plots had the highest stand count at both sites. Grain yield ranged from 0.17 t/ha to 0.09 t/ha at Nairobi Ndogo and 0.79 t/ha to 0.24 t/ha at Kairini farm. Conventional intercropping system yielded the highest grain yield at Nairobi Ndogo, while monocrop green gram had the highest yield at Kairini farm. Stover yield ranged from 0.35 t/ha to 0.21 t/ha at Nairobi Ndogo and 4.25 t/ha to 1.61 t/ha at Kairini farm. Monocrop green gram plots had the highest stover yield at Nairobi Ndogo, while MBILI intercropping system had the highest yield at Kairini farm. Further assessment of model adequacy for green gram yields confirmed the suitability of the fitted model (p \u0026lt; 0.05) to explain the impact of treatments on stand count, grain yield, and stover yield across both study sites (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab7\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e7\u003c/span\u003e). Significant sites effects (p \u0026lt; 0.05) and interactions between site and treatments (p \u0026lt; 0.05) were observed for stand count, grain yield, and stover yield.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAnalyzing treatment effects, the mean stand count ranged from 582.67 to 16.00 at Nairobi Ndogo and 522.33 to 154.67 at Kairini farm. Monocrop green gram treated with NPK fertilizer exhibited the highest stand count at Nairobi Ndogo, while those treated with NPK plus Zinc fertilizer showed the highest count at Kairini farm. Grain yield varied from 0.22 t/ha to 0.07 t/ha at Nairobi Ndogo and 1.07 t/ha to 0.11 t/ha at Kairini farm. Conventional intercropping with NPK fertilizer resulted in the highest grain yield at Nairobi Ndogo, while monocrop green gram with NPK fertilizer had the highest yield at Kairini farm. Stover yield mean ranged from 0.47 t/ha to 0.07 t/ha at Nairobi Ndogo and 6.70 t/ha to 1.62 t/ha at Kairini farm. Monocrop green gram treated with NPK fertilizer exhibited the highest stover yield at both sites.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab7\" border=\"1\"\u003e\u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 7\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMeans for effect of treatments on green gram stand count, grain yield, stover yield at Nairobi Ndogo and Kairini sites\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e\u003ccolgroup cols=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/colgroup\u003e\u003cthead\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTreatment\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eStand Count\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGrain yield\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eStover yield\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/thead\u003e\u003ctbody\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNairobi Ndogo\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNPK + Mono G\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e582.67\u003csup\u003ea*\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.09\u003csup\u003ef\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.47\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNPK + Zn + Mono G\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e300.33\u003csup\u003ed\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.09\u003csup\u003ef\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.38\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNPK + Zn + Conv S + G\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e214.67\u003csup\u003eg\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.21\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.33\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNPK + Zn + Mbili S + G\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e204.33\u003csup\u003eh\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.10\u003csup\u003ee\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.23\u003csup\u003ef\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNPK + Mbili S + G\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e209.33\u003csup\u003eh\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.11\u003csup\u003ed\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.07\u003csup\u003ei\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNPK + Conv S + G\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e280.67\u003csup\u003ef\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.22\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.31\u003csup\u003ed\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eControl + Mono G\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e490.00\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.15\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.21\u003csup\u003eg\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eControl + Mbili S + G\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e382.00\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.16\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.32\u003csup\u003ee\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eControl + Conv S + G\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e292.00\u003csup\u003ee\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.07\u003csup\u003eg\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.13\u003csup\u003eh\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLSD\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5.32\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.04\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.04\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCV\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.87\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.87\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.94\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eR\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.99\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.99\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.00\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eKairini Farm\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNPK + Mono G\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e469.33\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.07\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6.70\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNPK + Zn + Mono G\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e522.33\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.56\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.28\u003csup\u003ed\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNPK + Zn + Conv S + G\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e174.67\u003csup\u003eg\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.28\u003csup\u003ef\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.67\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNPK + Zn + Mbili S + G\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e154.67\u003csup\u003eh\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.25\u003csup\u003eg\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.84\u003csup\u003ef\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNPK + Mbili S + G\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e190.33\u003csup\u003ef\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.11\u003csup\u003ei\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.72\u003csup\u003eh\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNPK + Conv S + G\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e183.33\u003csup\u003ef\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.23\u003csup\u003eh\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.62\u003csup\u003eg\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eControl + Mono G\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e430.33\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.74\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.77\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eControl + Mbili S + G\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e321.33\u003csup\u003ee\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.35\u003csup\u003ee\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.29\u003csup\u003ed\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eControl + Conv S + G\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e413.67\u003csup\u003ed\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.45\u003csup\u003ed\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.12\u003csup\u003ee\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLSD\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7.07\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.04\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.04\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCV\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.28\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.87\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.94\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eR\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.00\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.99\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.00\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/tbody\u003e\u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cp\u003e*Means followed by same letter along the column for each treatment are not significantly different from each other at 5% probability level. Where: NPK = Nitrogen Phosphorus Potassium fertilizer; Zn = Zinc; S = Sorghum; G = Green grams; Conv = Conventional intercropping; MBILI = Managing Beneficial Interaction in Legume Intercrops; CM = Cattle Manure; Mono = Monocrop; Control = without fertilizer; LSD = Least Significant Different; CV = Coefficient of variation; R\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e = R-Squared\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe comparison between the long rainy season in Nairobi Ndogo site and the short rainy season at Kairini farm revealed significant differences in the number of panicles and grain and stover yields, with the latter exhibiting higher yields. This corroborates findings by Kebenei (2021), which emphasized the greater sorghum yields during short rainy seasons. The agricultural activities in Eastern Kenya heavily rely on the predictability and consistency of the short rain seasons from October to December. The observed variability in production and yield components in response to fertilizer treatments underscores the complex interplay between fertilizers, cropping systems, and meteorological conditions.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eNotably, the absence of fertilizer resulted in the lowest sorghum grain production due to inadequate soil nutrient supply (Kamdi et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR10\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e). Good dry matter accumulation in a plant's early growth phases may be caused by the activation of numerous physiological processes, such as stomatal regulation, chlorophyll production, enzyme activation, and biochemical activities due to the availability of sufficient quantities of trace elements (Cakmak, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR3\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2008\u003c/span\u003e). Thus, adopting a field-based approach to fertilizer prescriptions through soil testing is imperative for optimizing crop productivity, especially considering the influence of variations in rainy seasons (Desta et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR4\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe study focuses on field-based fertilizer recommendations for sorghum production in Eastern Kenya, emphasizing the importance of soil testing and field-based approaches for optimizing crop productivity. The findings support our argument regarding the necessity of assessing overall soil fertility and adopting tailored fertilizer prescriptions for sorghum cultivation. The field study in Kenya investigates the impact of fertilization practices on sorghum grain yield, which is in line with this discussion on the variability in production and yield components in response to fertilizer treatments. The study underscores the importance of adopting field-based fertilizer recommendations for optimizing sorghum productivity. Farmers in rural communities often face resource constraints and cannot afford sufficient mineral fertilizers, necessitating the use of manure as an amendment. The application of manure enhances soil physicochemical properties and nutrient availability, which are crucial for plant growth and yield improvement. However, as observed in this study, cattle manure commonly used by smallholder farmers is rich in plant residues and require decomposers to use a lot of mineral nitrogen as sources of energy for decomposition hence nitrogen becomes unavailable to plants (Kugedera \u003cem\u003eet al.\u003c/em\u003e, 2024).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe significant yield improvements observed with the application of NPK plus Zinc fertilizer and NPK fertilizer supplemented with MOP 60% K2O highlight the importance of potassium (K) in plant growth and development. Potassium plays a crucial role in osmoregulation, stomatal movement, protein synthesis, and photosynthesis.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe application of NPK supplemented with MOP 60% K2O resulted in notable increases in sorghum grain and stover yield, emphasizing the significance of potassium in enhancing plant development. Furthermore, nitrogen and phosphorus fertilization has been shown to substantially boost productivity in African sorghum-cropping systems (Tonitto and Ricker-Gilbert, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR34\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2016\u003c/span\u003e). phosphorus helps the root system grow, which increases yield by enabling more balanced uptake of nutrients and water (Kamara et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR9\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2011\u003c/span\u003e). The use of NPK plus Zinc fertilizer and NPK fertilizer supplemented with potassium resulted in significant yield improvements compared to conventional fertilizers. Patel et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR25\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e) reported similar findings, showing that potassium supplementation enhances sorghum yield, which supports our recommendation regarding potassium fertilization. The significant effect on NPK fertilizer supplemented with MOP 60% K\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003eO, and NPK plus Zinc fertilizer on stand count, grain yield and stover yield contributed to an increase in the amount of zinc that plants absorb from the soil.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eSingh et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR30\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e) highlighted the importance of zinc fertilization in zinc-deficient soils, corroborating our discussion on the positive impact of zinc application on sorghum production. Integrating these studies strengthens the evidence supporting the effectiveness of nutrient management strategies in sorghum production. Zinc fertilization is essential in zinc-deficient soils, such as those observed at the Nairobi Ndogo site and Kairini farm, as it promotes root growth, pod development, and seed production, consequently enhancing overall yield (Neha and Dawson, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR23\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e). The positive impact of zinc on seedling growth and dry biomass further underscores its importance in boosting plant productivity (Raza et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR26\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eApplying 8 kg of Zn ha\u003csup\u003e− 1\u003c/sup\u003e significantly increased the number of seeds, seed production, seed yield per hectare, and seed quality (Gashash et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR6\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e). Zinc is crucial for plant metabolism because it affects the activities of carbonic anhydrase and hydrogenase, stabilizes ribosomal sections, and produces cytochrome. It is also required for the regulation and maintenance of gene expression that plants need to tolerate environmental stresses (Alloway, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR2\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2009\u003c/span\u003e). Grain production, pods per plant, and green gram dry matter were all greatly enhanced by soil zinc (Muindi et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR19\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e). Zinc treatment was found to be more effective in promoting grain production, nodulation rate, biomass accumulation, and crop growth in zinc-deficient soils. The application of soil zinc resulted in significant improvements in the height, leaf count, dry matter, pod count per plant, and grain output of green grams (Muindi et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR19\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e). Applying zinc improves the plant's ability to absorb nutrients and water, enhancing plant development and yield. Proper zinc application also enhances the process of flowering and fruiting.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe MBILI intercropping technique demonstrated a canopy-like formation, increasing competition for nutrients and resulting in higher stover yields at both sites. This finding aligns with previous studies indicating that intercropping can significantly increase crop yield and biomass dry matter, especially under optimal nitrogen fertilization (Temeche et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR33\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e). Overall, the utilization of integrated soil fertility management practices, including appropriate fertilizer applications and intercropping techniques, emerges as a promising approach to enhance sorghum and green gram production in Tharaka-Nithi County. Compared to the intercropping system, the monocrop green gram in this study significantly affected the stand count at both sites. The availability of growth resources and variations in part densities are responsible for variations in the yield on the corresponding green grams. Comparing green gram monocrop to conventional intercropping, the latter produced a lower grain yield. Grain yield, stover yield, and green gram stand count were all highly impacted by row arrangement. When compared to both solitary crop options, the net benefit from intercrop combinations was noticeably larger. Intercropping is far more advantageous than cultivating the components independently, despite being labor-intensive and expensive. Green gram yield under a single stand at the Kairini site was noticeably higher.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe intercropping row ratio that produced the highest grain production was 2:1 for sorghum and green gram, followed by 2:1 and 3:1 for other intercropping row ratios. Intercropping systems, particularly sorghum-green gram intercropping, efficiently utilize available nitrogen in the soil through legume fixation, thereby enhancing nitrogen uptake in cereals and improving overall crop output (Sousa \u003cem\u003eet al.\u003c/em\u003e, 2022; Xiang et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR39\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e). The underlying mechanism of intercropping systems facilitates nutrient exchange and root interactions, contributing to enhanced nutrient acquisition and overyielding (Wang et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR37\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2015\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eBecause green gram matures exceptionally early, it might not compete with sorghum for resources for a considerable amount of time. Intercropping is beneficial, complementary, and/or compatible with the use of resources. Examples of necessary resources include light, water, and soil nutrients (Temeche et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR33\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e). Due to its rapid growth, green gram can utilize resources before the slower-growing sorghum can, saving resources from being wasted. When sorghum reaches a point of maturity, green gram's resource requirement starts to decrease, making the two crops more compatible in terms of resource utilization. Furthermore, because green gram fixes nitrogen on its own, it does not require nitrogen fertilizer; as a result, the cropping system is compatible with sorghum, which requires nitrogen fertilizer.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"Conclusion and Recommendations","content":"\u003cp\u003eThe study revealed that integrated soil fertility management significantly impacted stover yield, number of panicles, and grain yield. The application of NPK plus Zinc fertilizer and NPK fertilizer supplemented with MOP 60% K2O resulted in a substantial yield increase compared to the control (zero fertilizer). The effects of monocrop sorghum, conventional intercropping, and the MBILI intercropping technique were assessed at both sites. For sorghum, treatments involving conventional intercropping and NPK plus Zinc fertilizer had the highest grain yield at Nairobi Ndogo, while the combination of conventional intercropping and NPK fertilizer supplemented with MOP 60% K2O produced the highest grain yield at Kairini farm. The variation in fertilizer performance was influenced by differing soil fertility statuses and planting seasons at both sites. When comparing the effects of NPK plus cattle manure, Mavuno fertilizer, and cattle manure alone on monocrop sorghum yield, the application of NPK plus cattle manure significantly increased yields compared to Mavuno fertilizer and cattle manure applied individually. The MBILI intercropping technique with NPK fertilizer yielded the highest sorghum stover at both sites.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFurthermore, the application of NPK plus Zinc fertilizer and NPK fertilizer supplemented with MOP 60% K2O produced a notable increase in production compared to the control. Conversely, the application of NPK plus cattle manure, Mavuno fertilizer, and sole cattle manure in monocrop sorghum resulted in lower yields. Conventional intercropping achieved the highest sorghum grain yield at both sites, while the MBILI intercropping technique recorded the highest stover yield. Monocrop sorghum had a minimal significant effect on sorghum grain and stover yield. The analysis of variance indicated that the factors and treatments significantly affected the stand count, grain yield, and stover yield of green gram. NPK supplemented with MOP 60% K2O and NPK plus Zinc significantly impacted stand count, grain yield, and stover yield compared to the zero-fertilizer treatment. The highest grain yield was observed in treatments with conventional intercropping and NPK plus Zinc fertilizer at Nairobi Ndogo, while conventional intercropping with NPK fertilizer achieved the highest grain yield at Kairini farm. The highest stover yield was recorded with the MBILI intercropping technique and NPK fertilizer at both sites. Intercropped green gram enhanced soil fertility through nitrogen fixation, benefiting sorghum production. Monocrop green gram with NPK fertilizer produced the highest stover yield and the highest grain yield.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBased on the findings of this study, it is recommended that farmers in Tharaka-Nithi County adopt specific integrated soil fertility management practices to enhance the yields of sorghum and green gram. For optimal production using a conventional intercropping system, applying NPK plus Zinc fertilizer at 50 Kg/ha NPK and 10 Kg/ha ZnSO₄, or NPK fertilizer supplemented with 10 Kg/ha MOP 60% K2O, is advised to improve soil fertility and crop yields. In a monocrop system for green grams, using NPK fertilizer at 50 Kg/ha is recommended. Regular soil testing is essential to tailor fertilizer applications to specific field conditions and integrating organic inputs like cattle manure with inorganic fertilizers can further boost soil fertility and crop yields.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Declarations","content":"\u003cp\u003e \u003ch2\u003eConflicts of interest/Competing interests\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe authors declare no conflicts of interest.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eFunding\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThis work is supported by National Research Fund through Kenyatta University\u0026rsquo;s Balanced Nutrition for Management of Soil Acidity and Nutrients Deficiency for Sustained Agricultural Productivity research project.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eAuthor Contribution\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eMMK wrote the main manuscript text. MMK, GGK, and MJ reviewed the manuscript\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eAcknowledgement\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eSpecial thanks to National Research Fund for funding this research.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eData Availability\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe output of data analysis in form of tables is provided within the manuscript. However, raw data collected from the field and the outputs of statistical analysis like ANOVAs can be provided on request by the corresponding author KMM and GGK.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"References","content":"\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAdolwa, I. S., Mutegi, J., Muthamia, J., Gitonga, A., Njoroge, S., Kiwia, A., ... \u0026amp; Nchanji, E. B. (2023). Enhancing sustainable agri-food systems using multi-nutrient fertilizers in Kenyan smallholder farming systems. \u003cem\u003eHeliyon\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003e9\u003c/em\u003e(4).\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAlloway, B. J. (2009). 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Agronomy Journal, 109(4), 1210-1217.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eXiang, H., Zhang, Y., Wei, H., Zhang, J. E., \u0026amp; Zhao, B. (2018). Soil properties and carbon and nitrogen pools in a young hillside longan orchard after the introduction of leguminous plants and residues. \u003cem\u003ePeer J\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003e6\u003c/em\u003e, e5536.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e"}],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":true,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":false,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":false,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Sorghum, Integrated soil fertility management practices, Cropping systems, Fertilizers, Zinc, Green gram","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-4635073/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-4635073/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eSorghum stands as a fundamental food and cash crop in Tharaka-Nithi, yet its production remains suboptimal due to soil fertility limitations. Globally, sorghum yields hover around 2.5 t/ha, indicating an untapped potential given its maximum yield potential of 5 t/ha. Kenya has witnessed a decline in sorghum yields from 0.95 t/ha to 0.78 t/ha, primarily attributed to inadequate soil fertility management and agronomic practices. Most soil management interventions have traditionally focused on singular practices, leaving gaps in understanding the efficacy of integrated approaches. This study sought to evaluate the impact of integrated soil fertility management practices on sorghum and green gram yield in Tharaka-Nithi County. The study was conducted in Nairobi Ndogo and Kairini Farm, the study employed a 3 x 5 factorial experiment in a Randomized Complete Block Design, different fertilizer types and cropping systems. Results, analyzed using Statistical Analysis Software version 9.4, demonstrated significant (p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05) effects of integrated soil fertility management on sorghum yield. Stover yields ranged from 1.93 t/ha to 0.28 t/ha and 7.18 t/ha to 1.35 t/ha at Nairobi Ndogo and Kairini farm, respectively, with the MBILI intercropping technique and NPK fertilizer yielding highest stover. Similarly, grain yields varied from 0.68 t/ha to 0.08 t/ha and 4.01 t/ha to 0.25 t/ha at Nairobi Ndogo and Kairini farm, respectively, with conventional intercropping and NPK plus Zinc fertilizer emerging as optimal treatments. In green gram yields, monocrop green gram and NPK fertilizer demonstrating superior performance. The analysis of treatment effect showed that the means for green gram stover yield ranged from 0.47 t/ha to 0.07 t/ha and 6.70 t/ha to 1.62 t/ha for Nairobi Ndogo and Kairini farm, respectively. The treatment with monocrop green gram, NPK fertilizer had the highest stover yield at both sites. The means for green gram grain yield ranged from 0.22 t/ha to 0.07 t/ha and 1.07 t/ha to 0.11 t/ha for Nairobi Ndogo and Kairini farm, respectively. Overall, the study underscores the potential of integrated soil fertility management in enhancing sorghum and green gram production, ensuring food security, and improving soil health in Tharaka-Nithi County. The findings advocate for the adoption of conventional intercropping systems supplemented with appropriate fertilization strategies to optimize crop productivity and soil fertility management in similar agro-ecological contexts.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"The Effects of Integrated Soil Fertility Management Practices in Enhancing Sorghum Yields","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2024-07-24 14:52:01","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-4635073/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"5ff52f50-f0c7-4cc9-abf9-75f45896676d","owner":[],"postedDate":"July 24th, 2024","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2025-09-10T08:38:19+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2024-07-24 14:52:01","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-4635073","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-4635073","identity":"rs-4635073","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"qtupq5eGEP_6zYnWcrvyt","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}