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FILSAN / PHOSPHORUS SUCCESS STORIES IN THE

DRY LAND FARMING OF THE BAY REGION-


SOMALIA

Presented To: ToT Workshop, Horn Relief

September 30th – October 2nd 2009


Overview

 Introduction
 Bay region (population, crops, cropping systems,
rainfall)
 Pre-war research findings on:
 Filsan mungbean
 Phosphorous
 Post-war interventions
 Filsan mungbean
 Phosphorous
Introduction

 Human population 400,000


– 45% farmers
– 33% nomadic
– 20% non agricultural
 Animal population 1.1M
– 29% camels
– 34% cattle
– 33% goats
– 04% sheep
Introduction

 Crops
– Sorghum 95%
• Grain - human consumption
• Stover – Livestock consumption

– Other Crops 5%
• Cowpeas, mungbeans and peanuts
Introduction
160

 Arid to semi arid 140


120

 Annual rainfall 500-700mm-Bimodal 100


80

– GU: 250-350mm 60
40
– Der: 200 –250mm 20

 80% of the grain is produced during the Gu season0 J M M J S N

 Average temperature 26oC 40


35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
J F M A M J J A S O N D

Max temp Min temp


Introduction

 Subsistence farming
 Farm size 1-8 ha
 Monocropping system
 Inputs
• Seed
• Labor
 Grain Yield (sorghum) 300-800 kg/ha
Pre-Emergency Research Findings
1970 1980 1990 00 09

Research and
Academic inst.

BIG BANG
Somtux

Filsan seed release


Phosphorus
Emergency and post
Emergency context
I. FILSAN SEED: PRE-EMERGENCY RESEARCH
RESULTS (1981-1986)
Pre-emergency (1981-1986)
Days to maturity Seeds/pod
80 12
70
10
60
8
50
40 6
30
4
20
2
10
0 0
Local Filsan Local Filsan
Pre-emergency (1981-1986)
1000 Seed wt Yield (kg/ha)
70 480
60 460
440
50
420
40 400
30 380
360
20
340
10 320
0 300
Local Filsan Local Filsan
Agronomic Data (1981-1986) Bonka
Variety Days to Seeds/ Seed Yield % Ashy
maturity pod wt. (Kg/ha) Stem
Blight
Filsan 60 7 60 470 23
Local 76 12 42 458 6
V3474 59 8 57 453 18
V1945 58 8 63 447 52
V1560 60 7 62 418 41
V1177 60 6 62 380 -
Pre-emergency(1981-1986)

 Filsan seed was recommended for release in


1987
 Filsan seed multiplication was initiated in 1988
and 1989
 Civil war 1990
 Filsan seed along with all other institutional
memories were vanished
I. FILSAN SEED: PRE-EMERGENCY RESEARCH
RESULTS (1981-1986)
Filsan: Post-emergency recovery
 2002- Breeders Seed (FILSAN) was
obtained from AVRDC-Taiwan

 2002 & 2003 seed increased in


Minnesota

 March 2004-11kg of seed shipped


to ICRISAT-Kenya for further seed
increase

 2005, 110 kg Filsan seed produced


with the help of ICRISAT-Nairobi
Post-emergency recovery

 110 kg Filsan seed repatriated to


Somalia and distributed to
farmers by SAGRA
Post-emergency recovery
Post-War Filsan

 CEFA conducted 9 demonstration plots using both


FILSAN and a local variety in the Bay region. Filsan
yielded 558 Kg/ha, 37% higher yield than the local
that averaged 407 Kg/ha
Limitations and Opportunities

I-Limitation
 Lack of institutional support for
– Evaluation of new potential varieties
– Technology transfer support services
– Seed support institutions
– Small-scale seed multiplication, distribution and marketing
systems
– Human resources development

II-Opportunities
 Emergence of new support services
– INGO and local NGO
II- PHOSPHOROUS: PRE-EMERGENCY RESEARCH
RESULTS (1981-1986)
Pre-emergency: Response to P
Gu1986-Sorghum
1200

1000
Grain Yield (kg/ha)

800

600

400

200

0
Control 50N 100N N+P N+P
N+P = 50N + 17.5P; N+P = 100N + 35P
Pre-emergency: Response to P
Gu1987-Sorghum

800
Grain Yield (kg/ha)

600

400

200

0
Control 50N 100N N+P N+P
Pre-emergency: Response to Animal Manure

Gu1986-Sorghum

1300
Grain Yield (kg/ha)

1100

900

700

500

300

100
Control T1 T2 T3 T4 T5
T1=5T/ha Camel T2=5T/ha Goat T3=5T/ha Cattle
T4= 10T/ha Goat T5=10T/ha Cattle
Pre-emergency: Response to Animal Manure

Gu1987-Sorghum
1300
Grain Yield (kg/ha)

1100

900

700

500

300

100
Control T1 T2 T3 T4 T5

T1=5T/ha Camel T2=5T/ha Goat T3=5T/ha Cattle


T4= 10T/ha Goat T5=10T/ha Cattle
Pre-emergency: Response to Animal Manure

Response to P on Filsan mungbean


Similar Experience in the Sahelian Region

44 to 120% yield increase for


sorghum and millet- ICRISAT
Why P is not available to plants in the Bay Region
soils?

High soil pH

8.0 to 8.3
Why P is not available to plants in the Bay Region
soils?

The soil pH range at which maximum P availability occurs is between 6.0


and 7.0

In the Bay Region, the soils are alkaline and have a pH ranging from of 8.0
to 8.5

Soils with a pH of 7.5 and higher typically have a high calcium concentration
that binds P as calcium-phosphate creating an insoluble compound that is
not available to plants

Therefore, it is necessary to amend agricultural soils in the Bay Region with


available forms of P at the correct agronomic rate
Relationship between soil PH and Phosphorous
availability
Reccomendations

Would P-Aid be a potential solution?


It is an established fact that P is a yield limiting factor in the
Bay Region
The data clearly show that P-application can double/triple
yield
P application establishes a good root system which is
important for the dryland crops
Thank You

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