Competition between maize and pigeonpea in semi-arid Tanzania: Effect on yields and nutrition of crops

Kimaro, Anthony A.; Timmer, V. R.; Chamshama, S.A.O.; Ngaga, Y.N.; Kimaro, D.A.

doi:10.1016/j.agee.2009.06.002

Cited by 56 publications

(68 citation statements)

References 24 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…This shows that, when input parameters are known, the model can properly mimic field observations such as the ones of Kimaro et al (2008Kimaro et al ( , 2009 used in this exercise for model evaluation. The RRMSE below 10% can be considered excellent, according Jamieson et al (1991).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Simulations using the same conditions (real data for weather, soil, agronomic management) of the field experiments done by Kimaro et al (2008Kimaro et al ( , 2009) including a nearby region, were done. The results of the validation were satisfactory, indicating that the model could mimic maize grain yields from field observations of three available crop seasons (2004)(2005)(2006), as presented in …”

Section: Model and Cultivar Validationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, for this study, a further validation step was done using three years of field data including soil, weather, agronomic management and yield (Kimaro et al 2008(Kimaro et al , 2009 (Fox 1981) and relative root mean squared error (RRMSE) (Jørgensen et al 1986) were used to evaluate the simulation outputs. The final maize plant population density was defined at 33000 plants per ha, planted at 7 cm depth in rows with 75 cm spacing between rows.…”

Section: Crop Modelingmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Is dry soil planting an adaptation strategy for maize cultivation in semi-arid Tanzania?

et al. 2017

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Agriculture has the greatest potential to lift the African continent out of poverty and alleviate hunger. Among the countries in sub-Saharan Africa, Tanzania has an abundance of natural resources and major agricultural potential. However, one of the most important constraints facing Tanzania's agricultural sector is the dependence on unreliable and irregular weather, including rainfall. A strategy to cope with climate uncertainty in semi-arid regions is to proceed with the sowing of the crop before the onset of the rainy season. The advantage is that when the rains start, seeds are already in the soil and can begin immediately the process of germination. The objective of this paper was to assess the effectiveness of dry-soil planting for maize as an adaptation strategy in the context of a changing climate in Dodoma, a semi-arid region in Tanzania. For this assessment, the DSSAT crop model was used in combination with climate scenarios based on representative concentration pathways. A probability of crop failure of more than 80% can be expected when sowing occurs during the planting window (of 21 days) starting on 1st November. The next planting window we assessed, starting on 23rd November (which was still before the onset of rain), presented significantly lower probabilities of crop failure, indicating that sowing before the onset of the rainy season is a suitable adaptation strategy. Results also indicated that, despite not reaching the highest maize grain yields, fields prepared for dry-soil planting still produced adequate yields. The cultivation of several fields using the dry planting method is a strategy farmers can use to cope with low rainfall conditions, since it increases the chances of harvesting at least some of the cultivated fields. We conclude that dry-soil planting is a feasible and valid technique, even in scenarios of climate change, in order to provide acceptable maize yields in semi-arid Tanzania.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Model and Cultivar Validationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Crop Modelingmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Is dry soil planting an adaptation strategy for maize cultivation in semi-arid Tanzania?

et al. 2017

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…cultivar. Previous studies have shown that intercropping this long duration pigeonpea (maturity in up to 300 days; Silim et al 2007) with maize does not affect the yield of the maize crop in the study site (Myaka et al 2006) and elsewhere in Tanzania (Kimaro et al 2009). Following this, only maize yield was directly monitored through field measurements.…”

Section: Description Of Study Sitementioning

confidence: 99%

Agronomic survey to assess crop yield, controlling factors and management implications: a case-study of Babati in northern Tanzania

Kihara

Tamene²,

Massawe³

et al. 2014

Nutr Cycl Agroecosyst

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Improved agronomic management is important to reduce yield gaps and enhance food security in sub-Saharan Africa. This study was undertaken to understand contributing factors to observed yield gaps for maize in farmer fields and to demonstrate appropriate agronomic survey methods. The study aimed to (1) demonstrate an approach for farmlevel agronomic survey, (2) identify key crop production constraints and (3) define the nutrient input and output balances of different fields. Agronomic survey was conducted in 117 farmer fields randomly distributed in a 10 km by 10 km block in Babati, northern Tanzania. A semi-structured questionnaire and production measurements were used to collect data which were analyzed with regression classification and mixed effect models. The exploitable maize yield gap at farm-level reaches up to 7.4 t ha -1 , and only \5 % of fields achieve maize grain yield of 5 t ha -1 . Slope, plant density, distance from homestead, crop variety, timing of planting and period since conversion significantly influenced maize yields. For example, fields on flat land had up to 1.6 t ha -1 more maize grain yield than those on steep slopes while fields with plant density [24,000 plants ha -1 had 900 kg ha -1 more yield than those with less density. At least 52 % of the fields had negative nutrient balances. We conclude that cropping systems used in Babati should be preferentially supplemented with mineral fertilizers while optimizing plant density, increasing manure application and appropriate varietal choice in order to reduce the yield gaps.

show abstract

“…Intercropping is practised because it often gives higher total yields and greater economic and monetary returns than the same crops grown sole. The practice also diversifies food production and household cash (Rao and Mathuva, 2000;Kimaro et al, 2009), lowers risks, and minimizes losses due to pests and diseases and losses due to adverse environmental conditions (Okigbo and Greenland, 1976;Kurata, 1986;Ofori and Stern, 1987;Altieri, 1999).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Yield and yield components of intercropped dual-purpose lablab and cowpea with maize of contrasting maturities

Ewansiha¹,

Chiezey²,

Law-Ogbomo³

2018

Bayero J. Pure App. Sci.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Intercropping is a way to intensify agricultural land use. Cowpea is an important crop in the traditional farming systems in northern Nigeria because it serves to provide food and feed. Although lablab has potential to function in these ways, it remains an underutilized crop because among other factors, there is dearth of information on its incorporation into the system by way of intercropping it with the major cereal crops. A field trial was conducted at Samaru (11º 11'N, 07º 38'E, 686 m asl) in northern Guinea savannah of Nigeria, to evaluate the relative yield and yield components of dual-purpose lablab and cowpea cultivars when gown sole and when intercropped with maize of contrasting maturities. The experiment was laid out in a split-plot design with four replications. The experiment consisted of early maize maturing cultivar (TZE COMP. 5 W) and a late maize maturing cultivar (TZL COMP. 1 SYN). Cropping system (intercropping and sole cropping) was assigned to the main plot and crop cultivar (lablab: ILRI 4612, NAPRI 2 and cowpea: IT89KD-288, IT99K-241-2) was assigned to subplots. Results showed that intercropping cowpea or lablab into early maturing maize cultivar was more productive than intercropping into late maturing maize cultivar for number of pods ( -1 ), meaning that both legumes have potential in providing food and feed with lablab producing more fodder and cowpea more grain. Land equivalent ratio showed that intercropping advantage was higher when lablab and cowpea were intercropped with early maturing maize cultivar (1.34, 1.24) than with late maturing maize cultivar (1.10, 1.15). It is recommended that for higher lablab or cowpea/maize productivity in an intercrop, farmers should intercrop dual-purpose cultivars of these crops with maize of earlier maturities.

show abstract

Competition between maize and pigeonpea in semi-arid Tanzania: Effect on yields and nutrition of crops

Cited by 56 publications

References 24 publications

Is dry soil planting an adaptation strategy for maize cultivation in semi-arid Tanzania?

Is dry soil planting an adaptation strategy for maize cultivation in semi-arid Tanzania?

Agronomic survey to assess crop yield, controlling factors and management implications: a case-study of Babati in northern Tanzania

Yield and yield components of intercropped dual-purpose lablab and cowpea with maize of contrasting maturities

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About