Growing African Nightshade in Murang'a

Soil suitability analysis based on Murang'a's nutrient profile

Murang'a County is a solid choice for African Nightshade, with a soil-match score of 66/100. At an average pH of 5.03 the soil is moderately acidic, below African Nightshade's preferred 5.5–7.5 range; agricultural lime will lift pH and unlock phosphorus the crop cannot otherwise access. Nitrogen (1.2 g/kg), phosphorus (12.2 mg/kg) and potassium (168 mg/kg) all meet African Nightshade's requirements, so a maintenance fertilizer programme is enough. African Nightshade prefers loam soils, while Murang'a is largely clay, so drainage and organic-matter management matter more here. On ShambaIQ's soil-match model, African Nightshade is the #39 soil match of the 106 crops we assess for Murang'a County. African Nightshade's full potential is about 5,000 kg/acre (~KES 250,000/acre at KES 50/kg), but at Murang'a's 66/100 suitability a realistic target here is closer to 4,125 kg/acre (~KES 206,250/acre) unless the constraints above are addressed.