PRODUCTIVE SANITATION SYSTEM PROJECT. Presented By: Fred Semyalo e-mail: [email protected] Food security and Nutrition Programme Manager, Uganda Women’s Efforts to Save Orphans ( Uweso ). Study site characteristics. - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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The study was conducted at Migyera Uweso Training Institute (MUTI), in Nakasongola district, central Uganda.
This area lies in the Pastoral rangelands otherwise known as the ‘cattle corridor’ and is characterised by low rainfall (915 to 1021 mm) with two rainy seasons, March to May and Sept to Dec
Temperature ranges from 12.5 – 30C. Altitude ranges from 129 – 1,524 m and soils which are moderate to poor.
The area is dominated by mainly smallholders with a lot of communal grazing, agro pastoral practices, low literacy level, (Republic of Uganda, 2004).
Soil and urine samples were collected at the start of the experiment, for laboratory analysis of the chemical (pH, N, P, K) and biological (pathogen) composition.
The vegetables were harvested piece-meal between 3rd July and 28th September 2009.
Field data collected and recorded included. This included; number of leaves or fruits and weight per harvest per plot.
The data were statistically analysed using Genstat package version 3.2.
Significant differences between treatment means were determined at a 95% Confidence level and means separated using the standard error of difference (sed) procedure
Application of 10% urine weekly significantly increased total cabbage yield from 3.98 kg to 12.89 per plot of 8 m2 [or 4,975 kg ha-1 to 16,113 kg ha-1] . Expected income from cabbage also increased from Ug. Shs. 3,975/= to 12,892/= per 8 m2 plot [or Ug. Shs. 4,968,750/= to 16,115,000/= per ha].
Weekly urine application at concentrations higher than 10% decreased cabbage yield (although not significantly).
Applying urine once every two weeks did not significantly affect cabbage yields.
Averaged over the two frequencies (weekly & every 2 weeks) urine application up to 20% had no significant effect on average leaf/fruit weight for all vegetables (spinach, kale, cabbage, eggplants, tomato). Increasing urine concentration to 30% decreased average cabbage head weight by 36% below the control.
Average cabbage head weight was significantly bigger on plots receiving urine weekly than where urine was applied once every 2 weeks (548 vs 427 g per head,).
Optimum spinach leaf N content was attained at 10% urine applied weekly or 20% urine applied once every 2 weeks. However, at optimum spinach leaf weight (23g) the leaf N content was higher for weekly applied urine than once applied once in 2 weeks (3.3% vs 3.0), giving the former as a better quality food material than the latter.
Human urine contains nitrogen in a readily available solution form.
The benefits of nitrogen in urine (e.g. increased cabbage yields and head size) are better observed where the urine is applied more frequently (e.g. weekly) rather than once in 2 weeks.