Experts seek soil-based fertiliser recommendations to improve yields.
By Cynthia Alo Agricultural experts have called for a shift from one-size-fits-all fertiliser recommendations to soil-based application, warning that farmers may be wasting money on nutrients their crops do not need.
They said differences in soil conditions and crop requirements meant that applying the same fertiliser rates across farming locations could result in poor nutrient use, higher production costs and lower productivity.
The experts spoke at the 2026 Nigeria Fertiliser Summit on Phosphorus and Food Security, organised by the Institute of Agricultural Research and Training (IAR&T), Obafemi Awolowo University and the Fertilizer Producers and Suppliers Association of Nigeria (FEPSAN), with the Fertilizer and Inputs Support Services Department of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security as co-convener in Abuja.
Findings presented at the summit by the Regional Hub for Fertilizer and Soil Health for West Africa and the Sahel showed that phosphorus requirements for maize and rice in northern Nigeria ranged from zero to more than 60 kilogrammes of phosphorus pentoxide per hectare, depending on soil conditions. Phosphorus is an essential plant nutrient that supports root development, crop growth and grain formation. its availability to crops varies with soil properties and farming conditions. A soil scientist and modelling expert at IAR&T, Prof.
MSEApp News is publishing an original rewrite of this tip for readers, based on reporting associated with Vanguard.