Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-t5pn6 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-23T16:07:05.865Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

EFFECT OF CONSERVATION AGRICULTURE ON MAIZE YIELD IN THE SEMI-ARID AREAS OF ZIMBABWE

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 September 2013

J. NYAMANGARA ,
K. NYENGERAI ,
E. N. MASVAYA ,
R. TIRIVAVI ,
N. MASHINGAIDZE ,
W. MUPANGWA ,
J. DIMES ,
L. HOVE  and
S. TWOMLOW
J. NYAMANGARA*
Affiliation:
ICRISAT, Matopos Research Station, P.O. Box 776, Bulawayo, Zimbabwe
K. NYENGERAI
Affiliation:
ICRISAT, Matopos Research Station, P.O. Box 776, Bulawayo, Zimbabwe
E. N. MASVAYA
Affiliation:
ICRISAT, Matopos Research Station, P.O. Box 776, Bulawayo, Zimbabwe
R. TIRIVAVI
Affiliation:
ICRISAT, Matopos Research Station, P.O. Box 776, Bulawayo, Zimbabwe
N. MASHINGAIDZE
Affiliation:
ICRISAT, Matopos Research Station, P.O. Box 776, Bulawayo, Zimbabwe
W. MUPANGWA
Affiliation:
CIMMYT, P.O. Box MP 163, Mount Pleasant, Harare, Zimbabwe
J. DIMES
Affiliation:
QDEEDI, P.O. Box 102, Toowoomba QLD 4350, Australia
L. HOVE
Affiliation:
FAO, Merafe House, Johannesburg, South Africa
S. TWOMLOW
Affiliation:
IFAD Regional Office in Kenya, c/o UNON, UN Avenue, Gigiri P.O. Box 67578, 00200 Nairobi, Kenya
*
‡Corresponding author: j.nyamangara@cgiar.org
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

Globally, a range of agronomic factors have been reported to have an impact on the performance of conservation agriculture (CA) and often determine its performance in relation to conventional agriculture (CONV). To assess this performance in Zimbabwe, 48 CA experiments were conducted by the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics in the semi-arid areas of southern Zimbabwe from 2004 to 2010, to calculate the weighted mean difference (WMD) through meta-analytical methods. The two CA practices, planting basins (Basins) and ripper tillage (Ripper), were compared with CONV. It was hypothesised that CA results improved yield compared with CONV and that the effect of CA practices on yield is affected by soil type, rainfall amount and distribution and selected management practices, which included rates of inorganic fertilisers and manures and mulching. Basins were superior to CONV in 59% of the experiments and the overall effect was significant (p < 0.001). The effect of Ripper was non-significant. The hypothesis that CA practices result in improved maize grain yield over CONV was accepted for Basins. The WMD for experiments conducted on sandy soils was 0.365 t ha−1 for Basins and 0.184 t ha−1 for Ripper, and in both cases was significant (p < 0.05). For clay soils, only the WMD for Basins was significant. A higher rainfall regime (500–830 mm) resulted in a lower WMD for Basins (0.095 t ha−1) and Ripper (0.105 t ha−1) compared with 0.151 t ha−1 for Basins and 0.110 t ha−1 for Ripper under lower rainfall (320–500 mm). The overall effect of Basins under the higher rainfall regime was not significant. There was better yield performance for Basins when the rainfall was well distributed; the reverse was noted for the Ripper. The application of 10–30 kg ha−1 of N (micro-dose range) resulted in a higher WMD for Basins than zero N application. Without N application, the WMD of Basins was not significant. For zero manure application in Basins, the WMD was 0.043 t ha−1 compared with 0.159 t ha−1 when manure was applied. The application of mulch depressed the WMD in Basins by 44% and Ripper by 89%. The hypothesis that yield performance under CA is influenced by soil type, rainfall amount and distribution, inorganic fertiliser and manure application was accepted.

Type
Research Article
Information
Experimental Agriculture , Volume 50 , Issue 2 , April 2014 , pp. 159 - 177
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2013 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

APCAEM (United Nations and Pacific Centre for Agricultural Engineering and Machinery). (2007). Towards sustainable agriculture: challenges and opportunities. APCAEM Policy Brief, Issue 2, 1–6. Beijing.Google Scholar
Apina, T., Wamai, P. and Mwangi, P. K. (2007). Lakapia district. In Conservation Agriculture as Practised in Kenya: Two Case Studies, 1–56 (Eds Kaumbutho, P. and Kienzle, J.). African Conservation Tillage Network Nariobi, Centre de Coopération Internationale de Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement Paris, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Rome. Available at http://www.fao.org/ag/ca/doc/Kenya_casestudy.pdfGoogle Scholar
Bationo, A., Hartenmink, A., Lungu, O., Naimi, M., Okoth, P., Smaling, E. and Thiombiano, L. (2006). African soils: their productivity and profitability of fertiliser use. Background paper prepared for the African Fertiliser Summit, 9–13 June, Abuja, Nigeria.Google Scholar
Borenstein, M., Hedges, L. V., Higgins, J. P. T. and Rothstein, H. R. (2009). Introduction to Meta-Analysis. London: Wiley.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Braunack, M. V. (1995). Effect of aggregate size and soil water content on emergence of soybean (Glycine max, L. Merr.) and maize (Zea mays, L.). Soil and Tillage Research 33 (3):149–161.Google Scholar
Cheshire, M. V., Bedrock, C. N., Williams, B. L., Chapman, S. J., Solntseva, I. and Thomsen, I. (1999). The immobilization of nitrogen by straw decomposition. European Journal of Soil Science 50 (2):329–341.Google Scholar
Chivenge, P. P., Murwira, H. K., Giller, K. E., Mapfumo, P. and Six, J. (2007). Long-term impact of reduced tillage and residue management on soil carbon stabilization: implications for conservation agriculture on contrasting soils. Soil and Tillage Research 94 (2):328–337.Google Scholar
FAO (1991). Water harvesting: Natural Resources Management and Environment, U3160. Food and Agriculture Organisation, Rome, Italy.Google Scholar
Fatondji, D., Martius, C., Bielders, C. L., Vlek, P. L. G., Bationo, A. and Gerard, B. (2006). Effect of planting technique and amendment type on pearl millet yield, nutrient uptake, and water use on degraded land in Niger. Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems 76 (2–3):203–217.Google Scholar
Gicheru, P., Gachene, C., Mbuvi, J. and Mare, E. (2004). Effects of soil management practices and tillage systems on surface soil water conservation and crust formation on a sandy loam in semi-arid Kenya. Soil and Tillage Research 75 (2):173–184.Google Scholar
Giller, K. E., Witter, E., Corbeels, M. and Tittonell, P. (2009). Conservation agriculture and smallholder farming in Africa: the heretics view. Field Crops Research 114 (1):23–24.Google Scholar
Gowing, J. W. and Palmer, M. (2008). Sustainable agricultural development in sub-Saharan Africa: the case for a paradigm shift in land husbandry. Soil Use Management 24 (1):92–99.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Griffith, D. R., Kladivko, E. J., Mannering, J. V., West, T. D. and Parsons, S. D. (1988). Long-term tillage and rotation effects on corn growth and yield on high and low organic matter, poorly drained soils. Agronomy Journal 80:599–605.Google Scholar
Guzha, A. C. (2004). Effects of tillage on soil microrelief, surface depression storage and soil water storage. Soil and Tillage Research 76 (2):105–114.Google Scholar
Henao, J. and Baanante, C. A. (1999). Nutrient depletion in the agricultural soils of Africa. 2020 Vision Brief 62, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), Washington DC.Google Scholar
Hobbs, P. R., Sayre, K. and Gupta, R. (2008). The role of conservation agriculture in sustainable agriculture. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B 363 (1491):543–555.Google Scholar
Holland, J. M. (2004). The environmental consequences of adopting conservation tillage in Europe: reviewing the evidence. Agriculture Ecosystems and Environment 103 (1):1–25.Google Scholar
Hussaini, M. A., Ogunlela, V. B., Ramalan, A. A. and Falaki, A. M. (2008). Mineral composition of dry season maize (Zea mays L.) in response to varying levels of nitrogen, phosphorus and irrigation at Kadawa, Nigeria. World Journal of Agricultural Sciences 4:775–780.Google Scholar
IFAD (International Fund for Agricultural Development). (2011). IFAD's Environment and Natural Resource Management Policy: resilient livelihoods through the sustainable use of natural assets. Available at http://www.ifad.org/gbdocs/eb/102/e/EB-2011-102-R-9.pdfGoogle Scholar
Jin, H., Hongwen, L., Rasaily, R. G., Wang, Q., Guohua, G., Yanbo, S., Xiaodong, Q. and Lijin, L. (2011). Soil Properties and crop yields after 11 years of no tillage farming in wheat–maize cropping system in North China Plain. Soil and Tillage Research 113 (1):48–54.Google Scholar
Kassam, A., Friedrich, T., Shaxson, F. and Pretty, J. E. (2009). The spread of conservation agriculture: justification, sustainability and uptake. International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability 7 (4):292–320.Google Scholar
Kumwenda, J. D. T., Waddington, S. R., Snapp, S. S., Jones, R. B. and Blackie, M. J. (1996). Soil fertility management research for maize cropping systems of smallholders in Southern Africa: a review. CIMMYT Natural Resource Group Paper 96-02, Mexico.Google Scholar
Langyintuo, A. S. (2005). Maize production systems in Zimbabwe: setting indicators for impact assessment. CIMMYT Report, Mount Pleasant Harare, Zimbabwe, International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre, 56 pp.Google Scholar
Mashingaidze, N., Madakadze, C. and Twomlow, S. (2012). Response of weed flora to conservation agriculture systems and weeding intensity in semi-arid Zimbabwe. African Journal of Agricultural Research 7 (36):5069–5082.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mashingaidze, N., Madakadze, C., Twomlow, S., Nyamangara, J. and Hove, L. (2012). Crop yield and weed growth under conservation agriculture in semi-arid Zimbabwe. Soil and Tillage Research 124:102–110.Google Scholar
Mason, K., Pritchard, K. and Small, K. (1987). Effects of early season water-logging on maize growth and yield. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 38 (1):27–35.Google Scholar
Materechera, S. A. and Mloza-Banda, H. R. (1997). Soil penetration, root growth and yield of maize as influenced by tillage system on ridges in Malawi. Soil and Tillage Research 41 (1–2):13–24.Google Scholar
Mazvimavi, K. and Twomlow, S. (2009). Socio-economic and institutional factors affecting adoption of conservation farming by vulnerable households in Zimbabwe. Agricultural Systems 101 (1–2):20–29.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mazvimavi, K., Twomlow, S., Belder, P. and Hove, L. (2008). An assessment of the sustainable uptake of conservation farming in Zimbabwe. Global Theme on Agroecosystems, Report 39. Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics, 60 pp.Google Scholar
Motsi, E. K., Chuma, E. and Mukamuri, B. B. (2004). Rainwater harvesting for sustainable agriculture in communal lands of Zimbabwe. Physics and Chemistry of the Earth 29 (15–18):1069–1073.Google Scholar
Moyo, M. (2001). Representative soil profiles of ICRISAT research sites. Chemistry and Soil Research Institute, Soils Report No. A666. AREX, Harare, Zimbabwe, 97 pp.Google Scholar
Mupangwa, W. (2009). Water and Nitrogen Management for Risk Mitigation in Smallholder Cropping Systems. PhD thesis, University of the Free State, South Africa.Google Scholar
Mupangwa, W., Twomlow, S. and Walker, S. (2008). The influence of conservation tillage methods on soil water regimes in semi-arid southern Zimbabwe. Physics and Chemistry of the Earth 33 (8–13):762–767.Google Scholar
Mupangwa, W., Walker, S. and Twomlow, S. (2011). Start, end and dry spells of the growing season in semi-arid southern Zimbabwe. Journal of Arid Environments 75 (11):1097–1104.Google Scholar
Ncube, B., Dimes, J., Twomlow, S., Mupangwa, W. and Giller, K. (2007). Raising the productivity of smallholder farms under semi-arid conditions by use of small doses of manure and Nitrogen: a case of participatory research. Nutrient Cycling in Agro-ecosystems 77 (1):53–67.Google Scholar
Ncube, B., Twomlow, S. J, Dimes, J. P., van Wijk, M. T. and Giller, K. E. (2009). Resource flows, crops and soil fertility management in smallholder farming systems in semi-arid Zimbabwe. Soil Use and Management 25:78–90.Google Scholar
Ngwira, A. R., Thierfelder, C. and Lambert, D. M. (2012). Conservation agriculture systems for Malawian smallholder farmers: long term effects on crop productivity, profitability and soil quality. Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems. doi:10.1017/S1742170512000257.Google Scholar
Nyengerai, K. A. (2010). Conservation Tillage under Small-Holder Farming Conditions of Semi-Arid Zimbabwe: An Assessment of Crop Establishment, Dry Spell Mitigation, Maize Yield and Crops Response to Nitrogen. MSc thesis, Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Resource, Africa University, Mutare.Google Scholar
Pessarakli, M. (1999). Handbook of Plant and Crop Stress. New York: Marcel Dekker Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rockström, J., Kaumbutho, P., Mwalley, J., Nzabi, A. W., Temesgen, M., Mawenya, L., Barron, J., Mutua, J. and Damgaard-Larsen, S. (2009). Conservation farming strategies in east and southern Africa: yields and rain water productivity from on-farm action research. Soil and Tillage Research 103 (1):23–32.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rosenberg, M. S., Adams, D. C. and Gurevitch, J. (2000). Meta Win, Statistical Software for Meta Analysis Version 2. Massachusetts: Sinauer Associates.Google Scholar
Rusinamhodzi, L., Corbeels, M., van Wijk, M. T., Rufino, M. C., Nyamangara, J. and Giller, K. E. (2011). Long-term effects of conservation agriculture practices on maize yields under rain-fed conditions: lessons for southern Africa. Agronomy for Sustainable Development 31 (4):657–673.Google Scholar
Stone, L. R. and Schlegel, A. J. (2006). Yield–water supply relationships of grain sorghum and winter wheat. Agronomy Journal 98 (5):1359–1366.Google Scholar
Thierfelder, C., Mombeyarara, T., Mango, N. and Rusinamhodzi, L. (2013). Integration of conservation agriculture in smallholder farming systems of southern Africa: identification of key entry points. International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability. doi:10.1080/14735903.2013.764222.Google Scholar
Thierfelder, C. and Wall, P. C. (2012). Effects of conservation agriculture on soil quality and productivity in contrasting agro-ecological environments of Zimbabwe. Soil Use and Management 28 (2):209–220.Google Scholar
Twomlow, S., Hove, L., Mupangwa, W., Masikati, P. and Mashingaidze, N. (2009). Precision conservation agriculture for vulnerable farmers in low-potential zones. In Increasing the Productivity and Sustainability of Rainfed Cropping Systems of Poor Smallholder Farmers, 37–54 (Humphreys, E. and Bayot, R.S.). Colombo: The CGIAR Challenge Program on Water and Food.Google Scholar
Twomlow, S., Rohrbach, D., Dimes, J., Mupangwa, W., Ncube, B., Hove, L., Moyo, M., Mashingaidze, N. and Maphosa, P. (2010). Micro-dosing as a pathway to Africa's Green Revolution: evidence from broad-scale on-farm trials. Nutrient Cycling in Agro-ecosystems 88 (1):3–15.Google Scholar
Twomlow, S. J., Steyn, J. T. and Du Preez, C. C. (2006 ). Dryland farming in southern Africa. Adapted from Twomlow, S. J., Riches, C., O’Neil, D., Brookes, P. and Ellis Jones, J. (1999). Sustainable dryland smallholder farming in sub-Saharan Africa. Annals of Arid Zone 38 (2):93–135.Google Scholar
Twomlow, S., Urolov, J. C., Jenrich, M. and Oldrieve, B. (2008). Lessons from the field – Zimbabwe's conservation agriculture task force. Journal of Semi-Arid Tropics Agricultural Research 6 (1):1–11.Google Scholar
Vanlauwe, B. and Zingore, S. (2011). Integrated soil fertility management: an operational definition and consequences for implementation and dissemination. Better Crops 95 (3):4–7.Google Scholar
Vogeler, I., Rogasik, J., Funder, U., Panten, K. and Schnug, E. (2008). Effect of tillage systems and P-fertilisation on soil physical and chemical properties, crop yield and nutrient uptake. Soil and Tillage Research 103 (1):137–143.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wall, P. C. (2007). Tailoring conservation agriculture to the needs of small farmers in developing countries: an analysis of issues. Journal of Crop Improvement 19 (1–2):137–155.Google Scholar
Zingore, S., Murwira, H. K., Delve, R. J. and Giller, K. E. (2007). Influence of nutrient management strategies on variability of soil fertility, crop yields and nutrient balances on smallholder farms in Zimbabwe. Agriculture Ecosystems and Environment 119:112–126.Google Scholar