Tillage and fertilizer effect on maize and soybean yields in the Guinea savanna zone of Ghana

被引：23

作者：

Buah S.S.J. ^{[1
]}

Ibrahim H. ^{[1
]}

Derigubah M. ^{[2
]}

Kuzie M. ^{[2
]}

Segtaa J.V. ^{[3
]}

Bayala J. ^{[4
]}

Zougmore R. ^{[5
]}

Ouedraogo M. ^{[5
]}

机构：

[1] Wa Station, CSIR-Savanna Agricultural Research Institute (CSIR-SARI), P.O. Box 494, Wa

[2] Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA), Jirapa, Jirapa District

[3] Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA), Lawra, Lawra District

[4] West and Central Africa Regional Office - Sahel Node, World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF), Bamako

[5] The CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS), ICRISAT West and Central Africa Regional Office, Bamako

来源：

Agriculture & Food Security | / 6卷 / 1期

关键词：

Economic analysis; Ghana; Maize; Mineral fertilizer; No-till; Rainfall; Soil fertility; Soybean;

D O I：

10.1186/s40066-017-0094-8

中图分类号：

学科分类号：

摘要：

Background: The most limiting factors for sustainable maize production in smallholder farming systems of sub-Saharan Africa, especially the savanna agro-ecological zone, are erratic rainfall pattern and low soil fertility. Methods: Research was conducted with smallholder farmers in 2013 and 2014 in two communities in the Upper West Region of Ghana to evaluate the effects of NPK mineral fertilizer (64-38-38 kg ha-1 N-P2O5-K2O, respectively) on growth and yield of maize at Bompari, and 375 kg ha-1 of YaraLegume™ fertilizer (0-18-13 NPK + 3 CaO + 2 MgO + 4 S) on growth and yield of soybean at Doggoh, under no-tillage (using pre-plant application of glyphosate) and conventional tillage (using hand hoe). Results: Mean grain yields of both maize and soybean were higher in 2014 than 2013. In both years, no-tillage and conventional tillage had similar effect on soybean plant height, pods per plant and aboveground dry matter production. Averaging over fertilizer treatment, grain yield of no-tillage soybean was 51% higher when compared with tilled soybean in 2014 only. Mean grain yield of no-tillage maize was 68% higher than that of tilled maize in 2013 only. Regardless of tillage method, fertilizer application significantly increased maize and soybean grain yields. Application of fertilizer to soybean resulted in 59% (193 kg ha-1) and 54% (474 kg ha-1) increase in grain yields in 2013 and 2014, respectively, over no fertilizer treatment. Mean grain yield of maize was 140 and 252% higher with fertilizer treatment in 2013 and 2014, respectively. No-till system showed cost savings due to reduced labour mainly for weed control. Conclusion: The results of these studies showed that no-tillage with fertilizer, whether for maize or soybean, generally resulted in the highest grain yields. No-tillage also gave the highest economic returns. Farmers can get better returns to the money invested in herbicide for producing maize and soybean under no-till than with their traditional practice even on degraded savanna soils with low levels of plant available nutrients. © 2017 The Author(s).

引用

共 22 条

[1]

Tittonell P., Giller K.E., When yield gaps are poverty traps: the paradigm of ecological intensification in African smallholder agriculture, Field Crops Res, 143, pp. 76-90, (2013)

[2]

Mapfumo P., Mtambanengwe F., Giller K.E., Mpepereki S., Tapping indigenous herbaceous legumes for soil fertility management by resource poor farmers in Zimbabwe, Agric Ecosyst Environ, 109, pp. 221-233, (2005)

[3]

Nezomba H., Tauro T.P., Mtambanengwe F., Mapfumo P., Indigenous legume fallows (indifallows) as an alternative soil fertility resource in smallholder maize cropping systems, Field Crops Res, 115, pp. 149-157, (2010)

[4]

Giller K.E., Witter E., Corbeels M., Tittonell P., Conservation agriculture and smallholder farming in Africa: the heretics' view, Field Crops Res, 114, 1, pp. 23-34, (2009)

[5]

Baudron F., Tittonell P., Corbeels M., Letourmy P., Giller K.E., Comparative performance of conservation agriculture and current smallholder farming practices in semi-arid Zimbabwe, Field Crops Res, 132, pp. 117-128, (2012)

[6]

Peterson C.A., Local-level appraisal of benefits and barriers affecting adoption of climate-smart agricultural practices: Ghana, (2014)

[7]

Bayala J., Kalinganire A., Tchoundjeu Z., Sinclair F., Garrity D., Conservation agriculture with trees in the West African Sahel-a review, (2011)

[8]

Aflakpui G.K.S., Vyn T.J., Hall M.R., Anderson G.W., Swanton C.J., Effect of tillage on nitrogen response in corn (Zea mays L.) after established alfalfa, Can J Plant Sci, 73, pp. 73-81, (1993)

[9]

Buah S.S.J., Polito T.A., Killorn R., No-tillage corn response to placement of fertilizer nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, Commun Soil Sci Plant Anal, 31, pp. 3121-3133, (2000)

[10]

Ngwira A.R., Aune J.B., Mkwinda S., On-farm evaluation of yield and economic benefit of short term maize legume intercropping systems under conservation agriculture in Malawi, Field Crops Res, 132, pp. 149-157, (2012)

← 1 2 3 →