Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32854759›Full record

ArticleBMC research notes2020

Potential of termite mounds and its surrounding soils as soil amendments in smallholder farms in central Uganda.

Samuel Obeng Apori, Marius Murongo, Emmanuel Hanyabui, Kofi Atiah, John Byalebeka

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC research notes, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
2.0field-weighted citation impact, top 13% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed, 21 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 2 institutions in 3 countries.

Samuel Obeng AporiAfrican Center of Excellence in Agroecology and Livelihood System, Faculty of Agriculture, Uganda Martyrs University, Nkozi, Uganda. apori.samuel@umu.ac.ug.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2131-6461
Marius MurongoAfrican Center of Excellence in Agroecology and Livelihood System, Faculty of Agriculture, Uganda Martyrs University, Nkozi, Uganda.
Emmanuel HanyabuiDepartment of Soil Science, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana.
Kofi AtiahDepartment of Soil Science, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana.
John ByalebekaFaculty of Agriculture, Uganda Martyrs University, Nkozi, Uganda.
University of Cape Coast · GHUganda Martyrs University · UG

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesThe low fertility of highly weathered soils has been a major problem for resource-constrained smallholder farmers. In central Uganda, smallholder farmers have been collecting termite mound soils anywhere around the termite mound to improve their soil fertility. However, no studies have been conducted on which sections of the termite mounds consist of high soil nutrients. This study was conducted to assess selected major soil essential plant nutrients of soils collected from the top of the mound (TPMS), and the basal part of the mound (BPMS). The surrounding soil samples were collected from five, fifteen, and thirty meters away from the mound (TMSS1, TMSS2, and TMSS3 respectively), covering ten termite mounds in five different maize fields in central Uganda.

resultsTPMS and BPMS had significant (P-value < 0.05) higher N, P, K, OC, Ca and Mg levels than TMSS1, TMSS2, and TMSS3. However, OC levels in BPMS was higher than TPMS. On the whole, termite mounds are beneficial as a source for essential plant nutrients. It will be best if smallholder farmers could collect the termite mound soils from the top and the basal part of the mound to improve the fertility of their soil.

Indexed as

IsopteraSoilAnimalsFarmsSoil MicrobiologyUgandaSoilChemical propertiesNutrient indexSurrounding soil

Identifiers

PMID32854759
PMCPMC7457291
OpenAlexW3080508893

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.