Dr. NISHIGAKI Tomohiro, Researcher in the Crop, Livestock and Environment Division, received the award for excellence in poster presentation at the annual meeting 2021 of the Japanese Society of Soil Science and Plant Nutrition (JSSSPN) held online on September 14-16, 2021. The winning poster was titled “Cultivation of Stylosanthes guianensis can enhance phosphorus dynamics and following rice production in the central highlands of Madagascar”.

In his award-winning research, Dr. Nishigaki showed that the forage legume Stylosanthes guianensis  (stylo) has superior phosphorus absorption capacity compared to rice, maize and soybean in a phosphorus-deficient farmer's field in Madagascar. Furthermore, rice yield in the following year was higher in the plot where stylo was grown than in the plot where rice or maize was grown in the previous year. The results of this study showed that the cultivation of stylo can enhance nutrient cycling and rice productivity in agricultural fields where phosphorus deficiency is a problem, and can contribute to the adoption of fertilizer management by local farmers who have little access to expensive chemical fertilizers.