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Soils can serve as sources or sinks of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) depending on how they are managed. As atmospheric CO2 concentrations continue to rise there is need to find ways of reducing CO2 emissions from soils. This study was conducted to assess the effects of applying agricultural...

Rice is one of the staple food crops and is a profitable smallholder cash crop in Zambia. It has the potential to contribute to increased incomes and employment among rural producers. However, rice is the only staple crop for which domestic production does not meet domestic demand due to low...

Lead (Pb) and Zinc (Zn) were mined in Kabwe from 1904 to 1994, generating large quantities of solid mine waste. Among the solid wastes, were tailings from the leach plant which are now an environmental concern because of their high contents of Pb, Zn and other potentially toxic metals. To prevent...

Biochar is an organic residue combusted under low oxygen conditions, resulting in a porous, low-density carbon-rich material. Biochar has the potential to reduce pollutant mobility when used as an organic soil amendment. Until recently, Biochars’ potential has not been extensively evaluated for...

Organic amendments have been known to improve soil physical and chemical properties in sub-Saharan Africa. However, research information on how organic amendments affect aggregate stability and the degree of their effects in comparison to others is indaquate in Zambia. The study was therefore...

Soil acidity is a common constraint to crop production in Zambia. Agricultural lime is applied in dry powder form to acid soils to neutralize acidity. New liming materials in aqueous suspension form have recently been introduced on the Zambian market and their effectiveness in neutralizing...

Generating new information using traditional agricultural trials which are expensive is not sufficient to meeting novel agro-technologies. Planting date (PD), low soil fertility and climate change influences maize (Zea mays L.) growth and yield. Local-scale impacts of future climate change (CC)...

Common bean and groundnut are an important source of protein, fat, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals for both humans and livestock. These legumes are produced mostly by smallholder farmers whose current yields are far below the potential yield of 2 t/ha for both legumes due to biological...

Poor rainfall distribution, low soil calcium, soil acidity and low soil moisture stress contribute largely to low levels of groundnut productivity. Because the majority of groundnut farmers in Zambia are small-holder and have limited resources, they are not able to cope with these production...

Heavy metal contamination commonly results from human activities such as mining, and it has become a serious environmental problem. Heavy metals are an important category of the industrial pollutants due to their non-biodegradability. One of the most cost-effective strategies for dealing with...