Impact of reduced tillage and crop residue management on soil properties and crop yields in a long-term trial in western Kenya
Sustainable farming practices are required to address the persistent problems of land degradation and declining crop productivity in Sub-Saharan Africa. Approaches such as reducing tillage and retaining crop residues as mulch are potential entry points for smallholder farmers to move towards sustain...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Journal Article |
| Language: | Inglés |
| Published: |
Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation
2016
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/80387 |
| _version_ | 1855535838183555072 |
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| author | Okeyo, Jeremiah M. Norton, Jay Koala, Saidou Waswa, Boaz Shaban Kihara, Job Maguta Bationo, B. André |
| author_browse | Bationo, B. André Kihara, Job Maguta Koala, Saidou Norton, Jay Okeyo, Jeremiah M. Waswa, Boaz Shaban |
| author_facet | Okeyo, Jeremiah M. Norton, Jay Koala, Saidou Waswa, Boaz Shaban Kihara, Job Maguta Bationo, B. André |
| author_sort | Okeyo, Jeremiah M. |
| collection | Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace) |
| description | Sustainable farming practices are required to address the persistent problems of land degradation and declining crop productivity in Sub-Saharan Africa. Approaches such as reducing tillage and retaining crop residues as mulch are potential entry points for smallholder farmers to move towards sustainability. In this study, we assessed the impact of reduced tillage (RT) compared with conventional tillage (CT), each combined with crop residue reapplication, on soil quality indicators and crop yields under an 8-year trial in western Kenya. Our results indicate that RT combined with crop residue reapplication enhanced soil physical quality through increased macroaggregate (>2000µm) proportions and mean weight diameter. Similarly, lower respiratory quotient values indicate that soil microbes under RT have better substrate-use efficiency than those under CT. Nevertheless, soil organic carbon (C), potentially mineralisable C, microbial biomass C and mineral nitrogen contents were all higher under CT with crop residue incorporated into the soil. Maize grain yield and aboveground biomass were also higher under CT. Thus, despite RT showing potential to improve soil physical properties, CT performed better. A stepwise approach is proposed towards the practice of conservation agriculture under resource-constrained smallholder farming conditions, starting with increased biomass production to provide crop residue for soil cover, followed by RT approaches. |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | CGSpace80387 |
| institution | CGIAR Consortium |
| language | Inglés |
| publishDate | 2016 |
| publishDateRange | 2016 |
| publishDateSort | 2016 |
| publisher | Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation |
| publisherStr | Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | CGSpace803872025-12-08T10:29:22Z Impact of reduced tillage and crop residue management on soil properties and crop yields in a long-term trial in western Kenya Okeyo, Jeremiah M. Norton, Jay Koala, Saidou Waswa, Boaz Shaban Kihara, Job Maguta Bationo, B. André soil fertility nutrient management farming systems soil chemicophysical properties crop yield smallholders conservation tillage fertilidad del suelo sistemas de explotación propiedades físico - químicas suelo rendimiento de cultivos labranza de conservación Sustainable farming practices are required to address the persistent problems of land degradation and declining crop productivity in Sub-Saharan Africa. Approaches such as reducing tillage and retaining crop residues as mulch are potential entry points for smallholder farmers to move towards sustainability. In this study, we assessed the impact of reduced tillage (RT) compared with conventional tillage (CT), each combined with crop residue reapplication, on soil quality indicators and crop yields under an 8-year trial in western Kenya. Our results indicate that RT combined with crop residue reapplication enhanced soil physical quality through increased macroaggregate (>2000µm) proportions and mean weight diameter. Similarly, lower respiratory quotient values indicate that soil microbes under RT have better substrate-use efficiency than those under CT. Nevertheless, soil organic carbon (C), potentially mineralisable C, microbial biomass C and mineral nitrogen contents were all higher under CT with crop residue incorporated into the soil. Maize grain yield and aboveground biomass were also higher under CT. Thus, despite RT showing potential to improve soil physical properties, CT performed better. A stepwise approach is proposed towards the practice of conservation agriculture under resource-constrained smallholder farming conditions, starting with increased biomass production to provide crop residue for soil cover, followed by RT approaches. 2016 2017-03-16T16:03:13Z 2017-03-16T16:03:13Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/80387 en Limited Access Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation Okeyo, Jeremiah M.; Norton, Jay; Koala, Saidou; Waswa, Boaz; Kihara, Job; Bationo, André. 2016. Impact of reduced tillage and crop residue management on soil properties and crop yields in a long-term trial in western Kenya . Soil Research. 54(6): 719-729. |
| spellingShingle | soil fertility nutrient management farming systems soil chemicophysical properties crop yield smallholders conservation tillage fertilidad del suelo sistemas de explotación propiedades físico - químicas suelo rendimiento de cultivos labranza de conservación Okeyo, Jeremiah M. Norton, Jay Koala, Saidou Waswa, Boaz Shaban Kihara, Job Maguta Bationo, B. André Impact of reduced tillage and crop residue management on soil properties and crop yields in a long-term trial in western Kenya |
| title | Impact of reduced tillage and crop residue management on soil properties and crop yields in a long-term trial in western Kenya |
| title_full | Impact of reduced tillage and crop residue management on soil properties and crop yields in a long-term trial in western Kenya |
| title_fullStr | Impact of reduced tillage and crop residue management on soil properties and crop yields in a long-term trial in western Kenya |
| title_full_unstemmed | Impact of reduced tillage and crop residue management on soil properties and crop yields in a long-term trial in western Kenya |
| title_short | Impact of reduced tillage and crop residue management on soil properties and crop yields in a long-term trial in western Kenya |
| title_sort | impact of reduced tillage and crop residue management on soil properties and crop yields in a long term trial in western kenya |
| topic | soil fertility nutrient management farming systems soil chemicophysical properties crop yield smallholders conservation tillage fertilidad del suelo sistemas de explotación propiedades físico - químicas suelo rendimiento de cultivos labranza de conservación |
| url | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/80387 |
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