Closing the yield gap of soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merril) in southern Africa: a case of Malawi, Zambia, and Mozambique
Introduction: Smallholder farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) are increasingly producing soybean for food, feed, cash, and soil fertility improvement. Yet, the difference between the smallholder farmers’ yield and either the attainable in research fields or the potential from crop models is wide. Re...
| Autores principales: | , , , , , , , , |
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| Formato: | Journal Article |
| Lenguaje: | Inglés |
| Publicado: |
Frontiers Media
2023
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| Acceso en línea: | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/131334 |
| _version_ | 1855521028837474304 |
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| author | Omondi, J.O. Mkuhlani, S. Mugo, J. Chibeba, A.M. Chiduwa, M.S. Chigeza, G. Boahen, S. Masikati, Patricia Nyagumbo, I. |
| author_browse | Boahen, S. Chibeba, A.M. Chiduwa, M.S. Chigeza, G. Masikati, Patricia Mkuhlani, S. Mugo, J. Nyagumbo, I. Omondi, J.O. |
| author_facet | Omondi, J.O. Mkuhlani, S. Mugo, J. Chibeba, A.M. Chiduwa, M.S. Chigeza, G. Boahen, S. Masikati, Patricia Nyagumbo, I. |
| author_sort | Omondi, J.O. |
| collection | Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace) |
| description | Introduction: Smallholder farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) are increasingly producing soybean for food, feed, cash, and soil fertility improvement. Yet, the difference between the smallholder farmers’ yield and either the attainable in research fields or the potential from crop models is wide. Reasons for the yield gap include low to nonapplication of appropriate fertilizers and inoculants, late planting, low plant populations, recycling seeds, etc.
Methods: Here, we reviewed the literature on the yield gap and the technologies for narrowing it and modelled yields through the right sowing dates and suitable high-yielding varieties in APSIM.
Results and Discussion: Results highlighted that between 2010 and 2020 in SSA, soybean production increased; however, it was through an expansion in the cropped area rather than a yield increase per hectare. Also, the actual smallholder farmers’ yield was 3.8, 2.2, and 2.3 times lower than the attainable yield in Malawi, Zambia, and Mozambique, respectively. Through inoculants, soybean yield increased by 23.8%. Coupling this with either 40 kg ha−1 of P or 60 kg ha−1 of K boosted the yields by 89.1% and 26.0%, respectively. Overall, application of 21–30 kg ha-1 of P to soybean in SSA could increase yields by about 48.2%. Furthermore, sowing at the right time increased soybean yield by 300%. Although these technologies enhance soybean yields, they are not fully embraced by smallholder farmers. Hence, refining and bundling them in a digital advisory tool will enhance the availability of the correct information to smallholder farmers at the right time and improve soybean yields per unit area. |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | CGSpace131334 |
| institution | CGIAR Consortium |
| language | Inglés |
| publishDate | 2023 |
| publishDateRange | 2023 |
| publishDateSort | 2023 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media |
| publisherStr | Frontiers Media |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | CGSpace1313342025-12-08T10:29:22Z Closing the yield gap of soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merril) in southern Africa: a case of Malawi, Zambia, and Mozambique Omondi, J.O. Mkuhlani, S. Mugo, J. Chibeba, A.M. Chiduwa, M.S. Chigeza, G. Boahen, S. Masikati, Patricia Nyagumbo, I. legumes soybeans sub-saharan africa food security smallholders farmers Introduction: Smallholder farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) are increasingly producing soybean for food, feed, cash, and soil fertility improvement. Yet, the difference between the smallholder farmers’ yield and either the attainable in research fields or the potential from crop models is wide. Reasons for the yield gap include low to nonapplication of appropriate fertilizers and inoculants, late planting, low plant populations, recycling seeds, etc. Methods: Here, we reviewed the literature on the yield gap and the technologies for narrowing it and modelled yields through the right sowing dates and suitable high-yielding varieties in APSIM. Results and Discussion: Results highlighted that between 2010 and 2020 in SSA, soybean production increased; however, it was through an expansion in the cropped area rather than a yield increase per hectare. Also, the actual smallholder farmers’ yield was 3.8, 2.2, and 2.3 times lower than the attainable yield in Malawi, Zambia, and Mozambique, respectively. Through inoculants, soybean yield increased by 23.8%. Coupling this with either 40 kg ha−1 of P or 60 kg ha−1 of K boosted the yields by 89.1% and 26.0%, respectively. Overall, application of 21–30 kg ha-1 of P to soybean in SSA could increase yields by about 48.2%. Furthermore, sowing at the right time increased soybean yield by 300%. Although these technologies enhance soybean yields, they are not fully embraced by smallholder farmers. Hence, refining and bundling them in a digital advisory tool will enhance the availability of the correct information to smallholder farmers at the right time and improve soybean yields per unit area. 2023 2023-07-31T09:35:28Z 2023-07-31T09:35:28Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/131334 en Open Access application/pdf Frontiers Media Omondi, J.O., Siyabusa, M., Mugo, J., Chibeba, A.M., Chiduwa, M.S., Chigeza, G., ... & Nyagumbo, I. (2023). Closing the yield gap of soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merril) in southern Africa: acase of Malawi, Zambia and Mozambique. Frontiers in Agronomy, 5: 1219490, 1-14. |
| spellingShingle | legumes soybeans sub-saharan africa food security smallholders farmers Omondi, J.O. Mkuhlani, S. Mugo, J. Chibeba, A.M. Chiduwa, M.S. Chigeza, G. Boahen, S. Masikati, Patricia Nyagumbo, I. Closing the yield gap of soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merril) in southern Africa: a case of Malawi, Zambia, and Mozambique |
| title | Closing the yield gap of soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merril) in southern Africa: a case of Malawi, Zambia, and Mozambique |
| title_full | Closing the yield gap of soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merril) in southern Africa: a case of Malawi, Zambia, and Mozambique |
| title_fullStr | Closing the yield gap of soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merril) in southern Africa: a case of Malawi, Zambia, and Mozambique |
| title_full_unstemmed | Closing the yield gap of soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merril) in southern Africa: a case of Malawi, Zambia, and Mozambique |
| title_short | Closing the yield gap of soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merril) in southern Africa: a case of Malawi, Zambia, and Mozambique |
| title_sort | closing the yield gap of soybean glycine max l merril in southern africa a case of malawi zambia and mozambique |
| topic | legumes soybeans sub-saharan africa food security smallholders farmers |
| url | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/131334 |
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