Soil Fertility Analysis and Crop Interpretations for Principal Crops In Haiti.

Subsistence farming and environmental degradation dominate the landscape in Haiti and there is little accurate soil-fertility research available to growers.  The Watershed Initiative for National Natural Environmental Resources (WINNER) project focuses on improving living conditions by spurring sustainable economic growth and protecting environmental resources in five major watershed regions of Haiti: Gonaives, Archaie/Cabaret, Cul-de-Sac, Kenscoff, and Mirebalais/Saut D’eau.  This report focuses on the soil-test data development, soil-test interpretations, and crop-specific fertilization recommendations calibrated for the Mehlich-3 (M-3) extractant.  Fifteen hundred soil samples were analyzed for physical and chemical properties by researchers at the University of Florida.  There is currently no M-3 calibrated crop response data in Haiti, therefore the soil fertility results were compared to crop-specific soil index values for crops growing in similar soils in areas with similar climate.  Nitrogen was the limiting factor for crop growth most often.  Phosphorus was deficient in 62% of sites.  The dominant fertilizer formulation in Haiti is 12-12-20, yet soil-test results show that only 4% of soils sampled required K fertilization.  Soil reports containing soil-test values with interpretations were generated. Tables, useful for improved fertilization rates based on these interpretations for a total of 24 commonly grown Haitian crops, were compiled from the literature.  This project provides tools for growers to increase yields beyond subsistence farming levels and the flexibility to grow additional types of crops.  Future research will focus on the development of calibrated M-3 crop interpretations that are specific to the various climate and site conditions in Haiti in order to achieve the most efficient nutrient/crop management strategies.