Abstract:
Maize yields in both Iringa and Chunya districts have been reported to be low due to infestation
with Striga. A study was therefore conducted to characterize Striga infested soils and assess
their fertility status under maize production in 6 villages of Chunya and Iringa districts. The
soils of Iringa were classified as Cambisols and those of Chunya as Arenosols. The results
further showed that, the majority of the soils were of sand to loamy sand texture. Such soils are
well drained with low water holding capacity, conditions that favour Striga germination. The
fertility status was established through physical and chemical analyses of the soils. One
hundred and four composite soil samples were collected from the two districts. Laboratory
analysis showed that most of the soils were acidic with pH ranging from 4.13 to 7.74 and low
to medium cation exchange capacity (CEC). Organic carbon was low with a range of 0.01 to
0.07% while total N values were also low ranging from 0.028 to 0.86%. Phosphorus was low
with few samples indicating medium values. Exchangeable bases were generally low with most
soils having saturation values of < 50%. Overall, the soils are of low fertility status. The low
fertility status and the sandy texture are possibly the cause of high Striga infestation and low
maize yields in the two districts. The soils are of low productivity requiring improvement of
their organic matter content and application of inorganic fertilizers if improved maize yields
are to be realized. It is further recommended that tillage practices that improve the soil physical
conditions be adopted, not only for greater maize yields but also as one of the strategies to
control the Striga weed. Key words: fertility, maize, soil, striga
