ASSESSMENT OF THE QUALITY AND QUANTITY OF MAIZE, RICE AND SOYBEAN BIOMASS IN THE NORTHERN REGION OF GHANA

Abstract

The efficient use of crop residues, including straw, stalks, and pods, plays a crucial role in achieving sustainable agricultural production. This research was aimed at evaluating the quantity and quality of maize, rice, and soybean biomass in the Northern Region of Ghana. Data was collected from 200 farmers in the Tolon and Kumbungu districts, as well as the Savelugu municipality using purposive sampling method and analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Crop residue samples were obtained from farm fields and subjected to laboratory analysis to determine their nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), and carbon (C) content. The average crop residue yield for the three crops were: 7020 kg/ha for maize, 4096 kg/ha for rice, and 2924 kg/ha for soybean. The percentage of crop residue used as fuel wood for each crop were 25.0% for maize, 9.6% for rice, 5.6% for soybean. Percentage of residue for animal feed were 8.9% for maize, 15.4% for rice, and 55.5% for soybean. Also, the percentage of residue for soil amendment were 12.5% for maize, 13.5% for rice and 25% for soybean straw. The larger portion of the residue were burnt on the field either by farmers or game hunters, with 53.6% for maize straw, 57.7% for rice straw, and 13.9% for soybean straw. The nitrogen content of the residue varied significantly (p <. 001). Soybean recorded the highest nitrogen content of 1.103 ± 0.34% followed by rice residue with a nitrogen content of 0.914 ± 0.25% whiles maize residue recorded the least nitrogen content of 0.825 ± 0.17%. The phosphorus content of maize, rice and soybean residue ranged from 0.0620 ± 0.02%, 0.0606 ± 0.02%, 0.0970 ± 0.16% respectively which were not significantly different (p = 0.25) from each other. The price of nitrogen in one (1) kg of maize residue was estimated to have a value price of GH₵ 0.0495 or US$ 0.0083. One kilogram of soybean residue can be estimated to have a value price of GH₵ 0.06618 or US$ 0.011. This price encompasses not only the value of nitrogen or phosphorus present in the crop residues but also includes the value of additional environmental benefits that go beyond simply substituting fertilizers. The research findings indicate that the practice of recycling crop residues for crop production in the Northern Region of Ghana is currently inadequate and should be promoted due to the numerous associated advantages.