Growing African Nightshade in Vihiga

Soil suitability analysis based on Vihiga's nutrient profile

Vihiga County is a solid choice for African Nightshade, with a soil-match score of 70/100. Local soils average pH 5.62 — slightly acidic to near-neutral and inside the 5.5–7.5 band African Nightshade prefers, so no lime is usually required. The main gap is nitrogen — measured at N 1.02 g/kg, P 14.8 mg/kg, K 164 mg/kg against this crop's high/medium/medium demand — so the fertilizer plan below prioritises closing that deficit. The county's predominantly clay loam soils suit African Nightshade, which favours loam. On ShambaIQ's soil-match model, African Nightshade is the #33 soil match of the 106 crops we assess for Vihiga County. African Nightshade's full potential is about 5,000 kg/acre (~KES 250,000/acre at KES 50/kg), but at Vihiga's 70/100 suitability a realistic target here is closer to 4,375 kg/acre (~KES 218,750/acre) unless the constraints above are addressed.