Effects of grain-producing cover crops on rice grain yield in Cabo Delgado, Mozambique

Abstract

RESUMOBesides providing benefits to the environment such as soil protection, release of nutrients, soil moisture maintenance, and weed control, cover crops can increase food production for grain production. The aim of this study was to evaluate the production of biomass and grain cover crops (and its respective effects on soil chemical and physical attributes), yield components, and grain yield of rice in Mozambique. The study was conducted in two sites located in the province of Cabo Delgado, in Mozambique. The experimental design was a randomized block in a 2 × 6 factorial, with four repetitions. Treatments were carried out in two locations (Cuaia and Nambaua) with six cover crops: Millet (Pennisetum glaucum L.); namarra bean (Lablab purpureus (L.) Sweet), velvet beans (Mucuna pruriens L.), oloco beans (Vigna radiata (L.) R. Wilczek), cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L.), and fallow. Cover crops provided similar changes in chemical and physical properties of the soil. Lablab purpureus, Vigna unguiculata, and Mucuna pruriens produced the highest dry matter biomass. Vigna unguiculada produced the highest amount of grains. Rice grain yields were similar under all cover crops and higher in Cuaia than Nambaua.

Effects of Tillage Systems and Cropping Patterns on Soil Physical Properties in Mozambique

“…These impacts must, therefore, be understood and optimized. In Mozambique, research on the individual effects of tillage systems and cropping patterns on soil physical properties has been conducted [19][20][21], but the information is scanty on the combined effects of tillage systems and cropping pattern on soil physical properties. Therefore, this study is conducted at four sites over two growing seasons to evaluate the impact of tillage systems and cropping patterns and their interactions on selected soil physical properties.…”

Biomass accumulation, extraction and nutrient use efficiency by cover crops

“…The variation in nutrient use efficiency depends on genetic and physiological process, but it can be modified by the interaction of the plant with environmental variables. The variability in dry mass production and nutrient accumulation by species is associated with different growth habits, with the number of days to flowering and with the amount of shoot dry mass produced by the cover crops species, with the partition of N within the plant and with edaphic-climatic conditions (Fageria et al, 2014;Nascente et al, 2017). Finally, our study pointed out that the higher biomass production of pigeon pea arbore was associated with greater nutrients uptake or accumulation and also with greater macronutrients use efficiency.…”

“…Sakala et al (2003) also observed that sunn hemp was the legume species that took less time to reach the stage of full flowering, ranged from 64 to 85 days, in different locations in Malawi. The variation in the vegetative cycle is associated with genetic factors, soil quality, climatic factors such as precipitation, temperature, degree days and photoperiod, ability to uptake and use nutrients for each species and management conditions (Nascente et al, 2017;Sennhenn et al, 2017), and it is important to know the agronomic performance of the species from research in the different regions where they will be used.…”

Phytomass addition and liming in the dynamics of soil chemical and physical attributes

“…In addition, changes in soil chemical attributes by the effect of phytomass addition require more time than that used in the present study. Nascente et al (2017), working with cover crops before upland rice cultivation in Mozambique, also did not find significant differences between treatments for soil chemical and physical attributes. The authors attributed the result to the short time of development of cover plants in the area.…”