A strategic design approach to develop sustainable product service systems: examples taken from the ‘environmentally friendly innovation’ Italian prize

The product service systems’ (PSS) sustainability potential is described in the framework of the new types of stakeholder relationships and/or partnerships, producing new convergence of economic interests, and a potential concomitant systemic resources optimization.In this perspective, it is argued that the design competencies should move towards those of the ‘strategic design’, thus introducing the concept of ‘strategic design for sustainability’: the design of an innovation strategy, shifting the business focus from designing (and selling) physical products only, to designing (and selling) a system of products and services which are jointly capable of fulfilling specific client demands, while re-orienting current unsustainable trends in production and consumption practices.Some examples of PSS are presented and discussed using the PSS categories ‘services providing added value to the product life cycle’, ‘services providing final results to customers’, and ‘services providing enabling platforms for customers’. The cases derive from an analysis of the ‘environmental friendly innovation’ yearly endowed prize submissions. The Politecnico di Milano University together with the Bocconi University and Legambiente (an environmental NGO) promotes the initiative in Italy.     

PRIMA: a Dutch initiative for environmental improvement of retail assortments

Cleaner production (CP) working methods should facilitate the search for feasible CP options and contribute to their on-going implementation in a company. Over the past decade, numerous working methods have been developed in order to cater for specific segments of industry. This paper describes, compares and analyses the core components of six Dutch working methods to develop a framework for CP methodologies, to draft guidelines for the selection of an appropriate working method for a certain industry, and to identify areas which require additional methodology development. A division is proposed between four types of CP working methods: indicators, scan, pre-assessment and assessment. Each of these has its strengths and weaknesses, which calls for a careful selection of the working method, which in turn could be based on size of the company, material- and energy-intensity of the production, and complexity of the production processes. This comparative evaluation further proves that the working methods are still weak in stimulating the corporate transition process from ‘end-ofpipe’ to CP thinking and acting. It is tentatively concluded that an ‘assessment’ is superior in identifying comparatively radical environmental improvements (‘innovations’) as well as in fostering the integration of CP into the daily operation and management of a company. The use of simplified working methods in selected industries, is, however, justified given their ability to contribute to the implementation of relatively obvious CP options.     

Survey of willingness of residents to participate in electronic waste recycling in Nigeria – A case study of mobile phone recycling

Presently, large quantities of waste mobile phones are being generated in Nigeria with a significant proportion in storage. This paper investigated the behavior of consumers in Nigeria towards this waste stream and their willingness to participate in waste mobile phones recycling. This study also assessed the willingness of consumer's to pay for a more ‘environment friendlier’ phone – the so-called ‘green phone’. We performed a principal component analysis with varimax rotation in order to condense some of our questions into a smaller set of factors. We developed a model to estimate and explain the willingness to pay (WTP) a premium for ‘green’ cell phones. The model showed that the significant predictors of willingness to pay extra for green electronics include awareness and concern about the deteriorating environment, age, and the general attitude towards the environment. About 65% of the respondents are either ‘willing’ or ‘very willing’ to drop-off no-longer-in-use electronics at a nearby recycling facility. Majority of the respondents are also very willing to pay a premium for a green phone. Considering the increasing waste generation by this sector, it has become expedient that a recycling program be introduced for these potentially harmful waste materials.     

The influence of source and timing of nitrogen fertilizers on yield and nitrogen use efficiency of four sweet potato cultivars

Nitrogen (N) availability is a very important determinant of crop yield. It is also one of the most expensive inputs in crop production. Thus, the efficient management of N by farmers with limited resource is a very important part of successful soil and crop management system. A field study was conducted on a Norfolk sandy loam soil at the George Washington Carver Agricultural Experiment Station, Tuskegee, AL, to evaluate the influence of fertilizer source and timing on the yield of four sweet potato [Ipomoea batatas (L.)] cultivars. Two N sources (urea, CO(NH₂)₂ and ammonium nitrate, NH₄NO₃), four sweet potato cultivars (‘Georgia Jet’, GA-Jet; ‘TU-82-155’, TU-155; ‘TU-1892’; and ‘Rojo Blanco’, Rojo-Bl) and three times (zero, single, and split applications) were used in a factorial designed experiment. Plants were harvested after 80 and 120 days and total and marketable yields determined. Nitrogen recovery efficiency, yield efficiency and physiological efficiency were also determined. Total and marketable yields of early maturing cultivars were significantly higher than of late maturing cultivars (P<0.05). The single application of N resulted in significantly higher yield in storage roots than split application (P<0.05). Physiological efficiency values were highly correlated with total marketable yields. Recovery rates increased with time. Late maturing cultivars tended to have higher N recovery and physiological efficiency than early maturing cultivars. These results suggest that cultivar maturity group should play an important part in N fertilization recommendations for sweet potato.     

The basis for a method to integrate work environment in life cycle assessments

A method is proposed for including work environment in life cycle assessments. The method is based on five quantitative and two qualitative impact categories. The quantitative categories include: (1) deaths due to work-related accidents; (2) workdays lost due to work-related accidents and diseases; (3) workdays lost due to illness (exceeding ‘normal’); (4) hearing loss; and (5) allergies, eczemas and similar diseases. The qualitative impact categories have been represented by: (6) carcinogenic impact; and (7) impact on reproduction. The impacts in categories 1, 2, 4 and 5 can be estimated for companies and for trades using statistics. Impact category 3 can only be estimated using statistics from companies. For categories 6 and 7, semi-quantitative estimates are possible. The quantitative methods suggested for the work environment part of an LCA can be used in parallel with the quantitative methods for the external environment. The advantages and disadvantages with the methods proposed are also discussed. Impacts have been calculated for energy production, transport and steel production.     

Consumer response to integrated pest management and certification

This study investigated consumer awareness of integrated pest management (IPM) and the effects of two marketing strategies. Specific objectives were to find whether eastern Massachusetts farmstand and farmers' market customers purchasing sweet corn care how their food is grown, whether they are aware of IPM, whether they would prefer to buy IPM-certified sweet corn and why, and whether the marketing methods presently available to IPM-certified growers can enhance awareness of IPM. In 1993, the Massachusetts Department of Food and Agriculture in collaboration with the IPM Program at the University of Massachusetts began a pilot IPM certification program for sweet corn and strawberries, designated ‘Partners with Nature’ (PWN). This study compared a ‘passive’ and ‘active’ PWN marketing strategy with a control that did not have any PWN publicity. The passive strategy was simply display of a PWN certificate and poster. The active strategy also included newspaper advertisements, clear labeling of corn as IPM-certified at the point of selection, a PWN sticker placed on bags of corn at payment, personally thanking customers for ‘buying our IPM-certified sweet corn’, and IPM brochures available to customers. Thirty purchasers of IPM-grown corn were interviewed at each of six farmstands and six farmers' markets.The dominant reason why customers patronize farmstands and farmers' markets was convenience. As found by other northeastern surveys, awareness of IPM was low: only 19% had heard of IPM before the survey, and only 38% of these could mention a specific method used in IPM. Although 45% of the respondents initially said that they did not care how their food is grown, 85% said that they would prefer to buy IPM-certified sweet corn after hearing a short definition. The definition gave only environmental benefits, but 74% of the customers preferring IPM-certified corn said they would buy it because it is safer or healthier. Most of the respondents claimed that they would be willing to pay 10% more for IPM-certified corn. Simply displaying an IPM poster had no significant results on consumer preference for IPM-grown produce, but active marketing significantly raised awareness of IPM and the PWN program.This study demonstrated the willingness of customers to support IPM because they believe it will have positive consequences for human health and environmental quality. It is concluded that sweet corn marketing based on IPM certification positively influenced consumer reactions to IPM; and a more extensive, diverse marketing strategy would enhance consumer awareness and support.     

Faunal loss from bushmeat hunting: empirical evidence and policy implications in Bioko Island

Bushmeat market data can be used to detect hunting sustainability by using proxies such as decline in sale volume and price increases over time. Here, we explore these proxies for the Malabo market in Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea, the main bushmeat sale centre for the island. We gathered data during two sample phases (we call these ‘early’ and ‘later’) between March 1996 and October 1998, to test for evidence of faunal depletion during that period. Mammals (ungulates, rodents and primates) made up most of the bushmeat sold. Our analyses confirmed significant and sudden, rather than continuous, declines between phases, in total and individual animal group carcass volumes. Market species composition differed between phases; diversity indices and evenness increased in the later phase of the study. Price was related to species body mass and carcass condition (whether the carcass was smoked or fresh). Most species prices were higher in the later phase of the study. A total of 33 sites contributed bushmeat to the market, with over half of the recorded volume emerging from five sites in the south of the island. Bushmeat volume supplied from different regions of the island varied significantly between phases, and fewer sites contributed animals to the market during the later phase of the study. Proportionately more primates, ungulates but fewer rodents, appeared in the southern samples, compared with the northern. We suggest that in just over 2 years, hunting incursions, especially into the south of the island, may have resulted in drastic faunal losses. Subsequent data, collected by other authors, also indicate that the hunting spurt in the mid- and late-1990s may have irreversibly imperilled the island's mammalian fauna, since numbers of these animals entering the market have not increased since our study period. Although the Equato-Guinean authorities have recently initiated mechanisms to better protect the country's wildlife, through various legal and funding instruments, we suggest that these initiatives are likely to fail, if the social and environmental linkages are not fully understood to guide immediate restoration of such a unique African faunal assemblage.     

Some requirements of an interactive software tool for life cycle analysis

This paper briefly presents the current practice for carrying out life cycle inventories, and mentions some advantages and drawbacks of a few dedicated software tools that are commercially available. A list is presented of some features that we think should be present in an ‘ideal’ life cycle analysis (LCA) software tool, after the specifications made at Ecobilan for the development of a specific tool for LCA. Some consideration is given to the technical difficulties involved, and the benefits that could be expected from the implementation of such features.     

The Energy and Environmental Benefits of Superconducting Power Products

Superconductivity has the potential to bring a more fundamental change to electric power technologies than has occurred since electricity use became widespread nearly a century ago. The potential is for an energy revolution as profound as the impact fiber optics has had on communications. The fiber optic ‘information superhighway’ was constructed by replacing copper wires with a higher capacity alternative. Superconductivity provides an ‘energy superhighway’ that greatly improves efficiency and capacity. The economic and energy impacts of superconductors are predicted to be huge. Many challenges are being addressed in order for superconductivity to play this important role in the electric power system. The difficult challenge is underway in many countries to manufacture electrical wire from the ceramic high-temperature superconducting (HTS) materials, while in parallel, super-efficient power devices that use these wires are being designed and demonstrated in field trials. The benefits can be substantial: HTS wires that are a resistance-free alternative to conventional wires while carrying 100 times the amount of electricity; oil-free electrical equipment that is environmentally benign, with half the energy losses and half the size of conventional alternatives; and addressable markets estimated to exceed US$10 billion per annum within the next two decades. The savings due to increased efficiency of HTS electric power products may exceed 36 million metric tons of CO₂ in Japan, and much higher numbers in the U.S. and Europe, if generation continues to rely upon fossil fuels.     

Mortality of pollen beetle (Meligethes spp.) larvae due to predators and parasitoids in rape fields and the effect of conservation strips

In 1996–1999, different mortality factors of pollen beetle larvae were investigated in twenty six rape fields in the northern part of Switzerland which had either a wild flower strip or an extensively managed meadow adjacent to the long side of the field. At 3 and 30 m into the crop from the conservation strip, total mortality, mortality from predators, parasitoids and unspecified factors were measured. Total pollen beetle larval mortality was 66–96%. Mortality caused by predators was 16–27% and there was no significant difference between mortality at 3 m and that 30 m from the extensively managed meadows. However, in fields with wild flower strips adjacent to them, the percentage mortality from predators was significantly greater at 30 m than at 3 m. The range of parasitism of pollen beetle larvae was 0–54% and was on average greater at 3 m than at 30 m. In fields with wild flower strips, the percentage parasitism with Tersilochus heterocerus was significantly higher than in fields with extensively managed meadows. However, mortality from all parasitoids was only 1–2% and there was no significant difference between 3 and 30 m. The effect of parasitoids on pollen beetle mortality was masked by the high unspecified mortality and the mortality from predators. The unspecified mortality was 46–72% and was significantly greater in 1998 and 1999 than in 1996 and 1997. These differences are probably because of meteorological factors (wet in 1999 and dry in 1998). The possible influences of the two types of conservation strips on pollen beetle larval density were investigated. The results show that in fields with adjacent wild flower strips, the pollen beetle larvae were more evenly distributed (but not significantly so) than in fields with extensively managed meadows where larval density decreases faster from the edge into the rape field.     

On uncertainty and sensitivity of LCA-based priority setting

Life-cycle assessments are normally made without quantitative estimations of their uncertainty. More interest has been focused on sensitivity analysis. In ISO 14040, LCA standard and SETAC's ‘code of practice’ sensitivity and uncertainty analysis are recommended or even requested. In the EPS system, an analysis of significance and sensitivity has been carried out for several years. The article describes this procedure in ISO terms and generalises it for other types of life-cycle assessments.     

Why bio-physical and social scientists can speak the same language when addressing Sustainable Development

Scientists assert that integrated research is a foundation of Sustainable Development. However, they often presume that differences between the bio-physical and social sciences are hurdles in the way of integration. We show that need not be the case. The problem lies in the way environmental research is organised. The essay goes on to discuss how the problem is being resolved, and the implications for ‘environmental science’.     

Increasing land pressure in East Africa: The changing role of cassava and consequences for sustainability of farming systems

Increasing land pressure during the past three to four decades has transformed farming systems in the mid-altitude zone of East Africa. Traditional millet-, cotton-, sugarcane- and/or banana-based farming systems with an important fallow and/or grazing component have evolved into continuously cultivated cassava or cassava/maize-based systems. Within three to four decades, cassava cultivation increased from 1–11 to 16–55% of cropped fields in our six study sites. Declining soil fertility, and not labour or food shortage, was apparently the primary trigger for this transformation. The land use changes have increased nutrient offtakes and reduced nutrient recycling rates. Cassava and maize now account for 50–90% of nutrient removal. Whereas single-season fallows were the most important source of nutrient recycling on cropped fields in the past, currently cassava litterfall and maize stover contribute roughly 70% of nutrient recycling, with 50–70% of N, P and K recycled in cassava litterfall. This may explain why many farmers reason that cassava ‘rests’ the soil. With increasing land use pressure farmers progressively use cassava as an ‘imitation fallow’ throughout their farm. Farmers increasingly target cassava to poor fertility fields characterized by low pH and available P. High cassava intensities are nonetheless maintained on more fertile fields, probably to guarantee regeneration of soil fertility on all fields. Once cassava is targeted to poor fertility soils, farmers have run out of low-input management options and need to intensify management to maintain system productivity. As cassava is now used by more farmers and on a larger acreage than fallowing in the studied farming systems, cassava cropping could perhaps serve as an excellent entry point to strengthen system sustainability.     

Comparative studies on the soil life in ecofarmed and conventionally farmed fields and grasslands of Austria

The soil fauna of ecofarmed and conventionally farmed fields and grasslands was investigated in various regions of Austria. The results obtained from the evaluation of a total of 13 paired sites are reviewed in this contribution: (1) many of the investigated soil zoological parameters do not differ statistically in ecofarmed and conventionally farmed fields and grasslands; (2) there are no striking differences in species composition and dominance structure of the protozoa, an important group of indicator organisms due to their delicate external membranes, their short generation time and their high contribution to energy flow and nutrient cycling; (3) all differences which can be guaranteed with an error probability of α = 10% or less invariably show higher biological activity in the ecofarmed plots. The soil physical and chemical investigations which accompanied the zoological studies on some sites indicate that the higher biological activity is caused by the higher humus content and the lower soil compaction. The organic matter content is significantly higher in the ecofarmed plots, whereas soil compaction is more pronounced under conventional cultivation; (4) conventional agriculture has a more detrimental effect on soil fauna in semi-arid regions without stockfarming than in atlantic regions with mixed husbandry. A short review of the literature shows our results to be consistent with those of other studies. It is increasingly evident that generalizations like ‘Conventional farming destroys life in the soil’ or ‘Ecofarming stimulates soil life’ are only partially supported by the available data. A far more comprehensive view taking into account especially climate, soil type and farm management is necessary. However, the discernible detrimental effects on the soil organisms caused by conventional farming call for serious consideration and ought to stimulate the development of soft agricultural technology and intensified soil biological research. Future research should include studies on productivity of soil animals under various management systems, the analysis of single factors (e.g. the special admixtures used in biodynamic farming) to elucidate causative mechanisms, and studies on the relationship between soil animals, crop production and sustained yield.     

长江经济带湖北省人为源VOCs排放清单及变化特征

以人为源挥发性有机物（VOCs）为研究对象,以5类源活动水平数据为基础,采用排放因子法建立了长江经济带湖北省2018年人为源VOCs排放清单,并进一步研究了2009~2018期间工艺过程源VOCs排放特征及变化趋势.结果表明,湖北省2018年人为源VOCs排放总量为6.52×10⁵ t,约占全国总排放量的6.41%;化石燃料固定燃烧源、工艺过程源、溶剂使用源、移动源和废弃物处理源对湖北省的贡献分别为3.26%、76.39%、4.54%、14.72%和1.09%.涉及9个行业45个子类的工艺过程源在VOCs排放中占比突出,其中武汉市和宜昌市的VOCs排放量较高.从经济水平和区域面积分别分析了各市州工艺过程源VOCs排放强度,天门市和神农架林区单位GDP的VOCs排放量较高,而武汉市、鄂州市和天门市单位面积VOCs排放量较高.2009年VOCs排放量从2.45×10⁵ t逐年递增,2015~2017年趋于稳定,最大排放量达7.01×10⁵ t,2018年VOCs排放量降至4.98×10⁵ t,与全国人为源VOCs排放趋势相同.化学原料及化学制品制造业、橡胶和塑料制造业是其变化的主要驱动力,10年间贡献分别为33.85%~51.55%和7.07%~38.13%.其中化学药品原药、化学农药原药生产在10年间对VOCs排放贡献占据重要优势,而泡沫塑料生产排放量变化大,在2015~2017年突增到2.00×10⁴ t以上.湖北省在国家及地方相关政策引导下,重点行业VOCs减排效果显著.     

Modifying traditional and high-input agroecosystems for optimization of microbial symbioses: a case study of dry beans in Costa Rica

Optimization of symbioses between plants and microbes has been suggested as method for enhancing nutrient uptake in low-input agroecosystems. In generall symbioses may be maximized through: (1) the selection of plant cultivars responsive to symbiontss; (2) ionoculation with highly efficient strains of symbionts; (3) habitat modification to encourage symbioses. These methods were tested under a traditional, slash mulch, ‘frijol tapado’ en agroecosystem and/or a high-input (‘espequeado’) system to increase nodulation and vesicular-arbuscular mycorrbizae (VAM) of beans with the following results: (1) Under the espequeado system (modified by the exclusion of fertilizer application), four cultivars of indeterminate, vining dry beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) nodulated more than two determinate, bush varieties, especially under low available soil phosphorus (P). VAM levels were not statistically different under these conditions. (2) Under the tapado system, pelletization with rock phosphate and Rhizobium inoculum did not significantly change nodule biomass, dinitrogen (N₂)-fixation or yield. (3) Without P application, neither nodulation nor % VAM were significantly different between the two systems of bean production. However, as applied P increased, differences in %VAM of the two systems became significant, decreasing more sharply with increasing P in the tapado system.The tripartite symbiosis of beans can be influenced by various factors such as cultivar, nutrient application and production system. Although traditional varieties and systems may optimize certain microbial symbioses, the quantity of the symbiosis appears to depend on a number of complex factors. An intermediate agricultural technology, the mixing of traditional and modern, is exemplified here by the application of moderate levels of fertilizer to the tradional, tapado systems. This intermediate approach promises to decrease inputs in comparison to the espequedo system, as well as the need for shift cultivation, but long-term testing is needed.     

Phosphorus and nitrogen in soil, plants, and overland flow from sheep-grazed pastures fertilized with different rates of superphosphate

Eutrophication of waterways through delivery of phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N) from farmland is a problem in many countries. Loss of nutrients from grazed grassland via overland flow is well demonstrated, but the sources of these nutrients and the processes controlling their mobilization into water are not well understood. Much of the nutrient loss in overland flow from grazed pastures may be due to generally increased fertility of the soil–plant system (i.e. background or ‘systematic’ nutrient loss) rather than to immediate loss after fertilizer application [Nash, D., Clemow, L., Hannah, M., Barlow, K., Gangaiya, P., 2005. Modelling phosphorus exports from rain-fed and irrigated pastures in southern Australia. Aust. J. Soil Res. 43, 745–755]. The main aim of this study was to measure the effects of long-term (25 years) superphosphate (Ca(H₂PO₄)₂ + 2CaSO₄) fertilizer application (0–23 kg/(ha year)) on P and N in soil, plants, and potential background P and N movement in overland flow (generated using a rainfall simulator) from sheep-grazed pastures in southern Australia. Measurements were taken in autumn, under dry soil conditions, and in winter, under wet soil conditions, 12 and 15 months after the last fertilizer applications, respectively. Superphosphate application caused a strong increase in plant P, soil total P, Olsen P, and Colwell P; and a weaker increase in plant N, soil total N, and inorganic N (ammonium and nitrate). Soil P and N were concentrated in the surface 25 mm of soil. Soil water-extractable P, calcium chloride-extractable P, and calcium chloride organic P were in general only poorly associated with fertilizer application. The concentration of P and, to a lesser extent, the concentration of N in overland flow increased with increasing fertilizer application and showed strong seasonal differences (0.06–0.77 mg P/L and 0.6–5.5 mg N/L in autumn; 0.04–0.20 mg P/L and 0.4–1.7 mg N/L in winter). The P in overland flow was predominantly dissolved reactive P in autumn and particulate P in winter. The N in overland flow contained significant proportions of dissolved organic N, dissolved inorganic N (ammonium and nitrate), and particulate N. The concentrations of P and N in overland flow usually exceeded State water quality targets (<0.04 mg P/L and <0.90 mg N/L), suggesting that background losses of nutrients from these pasture systems could contribute to the eutrophication of waterways.     

A proposed Multi Criteria Analysis decision support tool for international environmental policy issues: a pilot application to emissions control in the international aviation sector

Policy making at the level of international environmental problems appears to lack a transparent, multi criteria based, decision support ‘tool’. This is due mainly to the highly political, volatile, and contextual nature of issues at this level. The environmental problem of how to regulate emissions from international civil aviation due to their transboundary nature, and the participation of international and domestic players, makes it a ‘wicked’ international environmental problem where policy making has proved problematic. This problem has been used as the basis for developing and pilot testing a tool for contributing to international policymaking, the Multi Criteria Decision Support System (MCDSS). This tool is based on simplifying and integrating key components of Multi Criteria Analysis with a Decision Support System. A preliminary application of the tool explored three options for progressing the reduction of aviation emissions. Testing was based on the allocation of weights to environmental, social, economic and institutional categories, which were each then internally weighted to reflect key criteria in the policy process. Finally, likely performances of each option, against the criteria, were evaluated against Likert scale measures. The outputs from each of these steps were combined to generate a summed best policy option. Conclusions have been drawn and they indicate that the tool is potentially useful especially in the initial stages of policy development. The MCDSS is not an alternative to the international policy process, but rather complements, and makes explicit key tradeoffs in, that process.     

Residual benefits of promiscuous soybean to maize (Zea mays L.) grown on farmers’ fields around Minna in the southern Guinea savanna zone of Nigeria

Biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) by promiscuous cultivars of soybeans (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) in cereal-based cropping systems of Nigeria’s moist savanna zone offers a potential for minimizing the investment made by resource-poor farmers on nitrogen fertilizers. A 3-year trial was conducted on five farmers’ fields in the southern Guinea savanna zone of Nigeria to assess the residual effects of two successive crops of promiscuous soybean cultivars on the yield of a following maize (Zea mays L.) crop. The soybean cultivars, TGX1456-2E (medium maturity) and TGX1660-19F (late maturity), were grown in 1996 and 1997. Treatments, imposed only in the first year of the trial, were: (i) uninoculated, (ii) inoculated with a mixture of two Bradyrhizobium strains, and (iii) fertilized with 60 kg N ha⁻¹. A fourth treatment was a plot left to fallow. In 1998, all the previous soybean and fallow plots were sown to maize without any fertilizer application. Results in 1996 and 1997 showed a soybean response to inoculation in the first year, but differences due to the residual effect of inoculation in the second year were not significant. Both cultivars showed a similar response to inoculation but responses at the five sites were varied. Soybean cultivar 1456-2E fixed 43–52% of its N amounting to 56–70 kg N ha⁻¹ and cultivar 1660-19F derived 39–54% of its N from N₂-fixation which amounted to 51–78 kg N ha⁻¹. Both cultivars had a high N harvest index resulting in a net removal of 52–95 kg N ha⁻¹ when both grain and stover were exported. Even when the stover was returned, there was a depletion of 23–65 kg N ha⁻¹, with 1456-2E removing more N than 1660-19F. Arbuscular-mycorrhizal infection on maize roots was 11–27% and dependent on previous soybean treatments and farmers’ fields. Plant height, shoot biomass, grain yield, and N uptake of maize were significantly greater in plots previously sown to soybean than in the fallow plots. In general, plots sown to the late maturing cultivar 1660-19F exhibited better residual effect, producing larger yield parameters than the plots planted with medium maturing 1456-2E.