Integrating legume-based systems into wheat monoculture: Agronomic and soil fertility impacts in the southeastern highlands of Ethiopia
Wheat production in Ethiopia’s Bale highlands is central to national food security but is increasingly constrained by interannual climate variability, soil fertility decline, and competing demands for crop residues in mixed crop–livestock systems. To evaluate sustainable intensification pathways, we...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Informe técnico |
| Language: | Inglés |
| Published: |
Bioversity International and International Center for Tropical Agriculture
2025
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/179596 |
| _version_ | 1855517742602387456 |
|---|---|
| author | Mesfin, Tewodros Tibebe, Degefie Abera, Wuletawu Liben, Feyera Mkuhlani, Siyabusa Kouadio, Amani Louis |
| author_browse | Abera, Wuletawu Kouadio, Amani Louis Liben, Feyera Mesfin, Tewodros Mkuhlani, Siyabusa Tibebe, Degefie |
| author_facet | Mesfin, Tewodros Tibebe, Degefie Abera, Wuletawu Liben, Feyera Mkuhlani, Siyabusa Kouadio, Amani Louis |
| author_sort | Mesfin, Tewodros |
| collection | Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace) |
| description | Wheat production in Ethiopia’s Bale highlands is central to national food security but is increasingly constrained by interannual climate variability, soil fertility decline, and competing demands for crop residues in mixed crop–livestock systems. To evaluate sustainable intensification pathways, we applied APSIM Classic (v7.10) within the AgWise framework to simulate long-term (1994–2024) performance of wheat monoculture and legume-integrated alternatives across a 10 × 10 km grid in Bale Zone, southeastern Oromia, Ethiopia, using gridded rainfall (CHIRPS), temperature (ERA5), solar radiation (NASA POWER), and 10-km soil profile data. Three wheat-based systems were assessed: continuous wheat, a wheat–faba bean rotation, and a field pea–wheat double-cropping sequence, with legumes simulated under 0 and 25 kg N ha⁻¹ starter N while wheat management was held constant (80 kg N ha⁻¹ split and 15 kg P ha⁻¹ per crop). System performance was quantified using annual system grain yield, interannual variability (CV), downside risk (years with yield <300 kg ha⁻¹), and soil indicators (organic carbon and profile NO₃–N). Legume integration generated strong spatially structured yield responses: the faba bean–wheat rotation supported by starter N produced the greatest yield potential and the largest site-to-site heterogeneity, including extreme high-yield outliers, whereas unfertilized double cropping frequently incurred a yield penalty. Nitrogen supply to the legume phase was pivotal for risk outcomes: unfertilized double cropping showed the highest yield instability and downside risk, while starter N reduced variability and shifted downside risk toward levels comparable to continuous wheat. Across systems, simulated soil organic carbon was higher under legume-based diversification than under continuous wheat, while elevated and slowly increasing profile NO₃–N was largely confined to the fertilized faba bean–wheat rotation. These results support spatially targeted promotion of legume–wheat systems, emphasizing modest starter N to legumes to maximize productivity while limiting downside risk under highland conditions. |
| format | Informe técnico |
| id | CGSpace179596 |
| institution | CGIAR Consortium |
| language | Inglés |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| publishDateRange | 2025 |
| publishDateSort | 2025 |
| publisher | Bioversity International and International Center for Tropical Agriculture |
| publisherStr | Bioversity International and International Center for Tropical Agriculture |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | CGSpace1795962026-01-10T02:03:03Z Integrating legume-based systems into wheat monoculture: Agronomic and soil fertility impacts in the southeastern highlands of Ethiopia Mesfin, Tewodros Tibebe, Degefie Abera, Wuletawu Liben, Feyera Mkuhlani, Siyabusa Kouadio, Amani Louis legumes soil organic carbon mixed cropping wheat crop rotation double cropping spatial variations Wheat production in Ethiopia’s Bale highlands is central to national food security but is increasingly constrained by interannual climate variability, soil fertility decline, and competing demands for crop residues in mixed crop–livestock systems. To evaluate sustainable intensification pathways, we applied APSIM Classic (v7.10) within the AgWise framework to simulate long-term (1994–2024) performance of wheat monoculture and legume-integrated alternatives across a 10 × 10 km grid in Bale Zone, southeastern Oromia, Ethiopia, using gridded rainfall (CHIRPS), temperature (ERA5), solar radiation (NASA POWER), and 10-km soil profile data. Three wheat-based systems were assessed: continuous wheat, a wheat–faba bean rotation, and a field pea–wheat double-cropping sequence, with legumes simulated under 0 and 25 kg N ha⁻¹ starter N while wheat management was held constant (80 kg N ha⁻¹ split and 15 kg P ha⁻¹ per crop). System performance was quantified using annual system grain yield, interannual variability (CV), downside risk (years with yield <300 kg ha⁻¹), and soil indicators (organic carbon and profile NO₃–N). Legume integration generated strong spatially structured yield responses: the faba bean–wheat rotation supported by starter N produced the greatest yield potential and the largest site-to-site heterogeneity, including extreme high-yield outliers, whereas unfertilized double cropping frequently incurred a yield penalty. Nitrogen supply to the legume phase was pivotal for risk outcomes: unfertilized double cropping showed the highest yield instability and downside risk, while starter N reduced variability and shifted downside risk toward levels comparable to continuous wheat. Across systems, simulated soil organic carbon was higher under legume-based diversification than under continuous wheat, while elevated and slowly increasing profile NO₃–N was largely confined to the fertilized faba bean–wheat rotation. These results support spatially targeted promotion of legume–wheat systems, emphasizing modest starter N to legumes to maximize productivity while limiting downside risk under highland conditions. 2025-12 2026-01-09T13:09:05Z 2026-01-09T13:09:05Z Report https://hdl.handle.net/10568/179596 en Open Access application/pdf Bioversity International and International Center for Tropical Agriculture Abebe, T.M.; Degefie, D.T.; Abera, W.; Liben, F.M.; Mkuhlani, S. (2025) Integrating legume-based systems into wheat monoculture: Agronomic and soil fertility impacts in the southeastern highlands of Ethiopia. CGIAR Sustainable Farming Science Program. 28 p. |
| spellingShingle | legumes soil organic carbon mixed cropping wheat crop rotation double cropping spatial variations Mesfin, Tewodros Tibebe, Degefie Abera, Wuletawu Liben, Feyera Mkuhlani, Siyabusa Kouadio, Amani Louis Integrating legume-based systems into wheat monoculture: Agronomic and soil fertility impacts in the southeastern highlands of Ethiopia |
| title | Integrating legume-based systems into wheat monoculture: Agronomic and soil fertility impacts in the southeastern highlands of Ethiopia |
| title_full | Integrating legume-based systems into wheat monoculture: Agronomic and soil fertility impacts in the southeastern highlands of Ethiopia |
| title_fullStr | Integrating legume-based systems into wheat monoculture: Agronomic and soil fertility impacts in the southeastern highlands of Ethiopia |
| title_full_unstemmed | Integrating legume-based systems into wheat monoculture: Agronomic and soil fertility impacts in the southeastern highlands of Ethiopia |
| title_short | Integrating legume-based systems into wheat monoculture: Agronomic and soil fertility impacts in the southeastern highlands of Ethiopia |
| title_sort | integrating legume based systems into wheat monoculture agronomic and soil fertility impacts in the southeastern highlands of ethiopia |
| topic | legumes soil organic carbon mixed cropping wheat crop rotation double cropping spatial variations |
| url | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/179596 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT mesfintewodros integratinglegumebasedsystemsintowheatmonocultureagronomicandsoilfertilityimpactsinthesoutheasternhighlandsofethiopia AT tibebedegefie integratinglegumebasedsystemsintowheatmonocultureagronomicandsoilfertilityimpactsinthesoutheasternhighlandsofethiopia AT aberawuletawu integratinglegumebasedsystemsintowheatmonocultureagronomicandsoilfertilityimpactsinthesoutheasternhighlandsofethiopia AT libenfeyera integratinglegumebasedsystemsintowheatmonocultureagronomicandsoilfertilityimpactsinthesoutheasternhighlandsofethiopia AT mkuhlanisiyabusa integratinglegumebasedsystemsintowheatmonocultureagronomicandsoilfertilityimpactsinthesoutheasternhighlandsofethiopia AT kouadioamanilouis integratinglegumebasedsystemsintowheatmonocultureagronomicandsoilfertilityimpactsinthesoutheasternhighlandsofethiopia |