Growing African Nightshade in Kericho

Soil suitability analysis based on Kericho's nutrient profile

Kericho County is well suited to African Nightshade, scoring 79/100 on ShambaIQ's soil-match model. Local soils average pH 5.94 — slightly acidic to near-neutral and inside the 5.5–7.5 band African Nightshade prefers, so no lime is usually required. Nitrogen (1.34 g/kg), phosphorus (23.7 mg/kg) and potassium (225 mg/kg) all meet African Nightshade's requirements, so a maintenance fertilizer programme is enough. African Nightshade prefers loam soils, while Kericho is largely clay, so drainage and organic-matter management matter more here. On ShambaIQ's soil-match model, African Nightshade is the #24 soil match of the 106 crops we assess for Kericho County. At current prices (about KES 50/kg) and a typical 5,000 kg/acre yield, a well-managed African Nightshade crop here can gross roughly KES 250,000 per acre.