Effects of conservation agriculture techniques on infiltration and soil water content in Zambia and Zimbabwe

Thierfelder, Christian; Wall, P. C.

doi:10.1016/j.still.2009.07.007

Cited by 357 publications

(293 citation statements)

References 10 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

259

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Positive responses to CA are principally the result of the interacting effect of soil characteristics and climate [1]. One of these benefits is attributed to the water-harvesting effects of minimum-tillage practices [50,51]. Underwater limited conditions increased soil moisture, leading to comparably higher yields under CA [9].…”

Section: Implications Of Growing Conditions On Yield Parametersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Phenotyping Conservation Agriculture Management Effects on Ground and Aerial Remote Sensing Assessments of Maize Hybrids Performance in Zimbabwe

Gracia‐Romero

Vergara-Díaz

Thierfelder³

et al. 2018

Remote Sensing

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract:In the coming decades, Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) faces challenges to sustainably increase food production while keeping pace with continued population growth. Conservation agriculture (CA) has been proposed to enhance soil health and productivity to respond to this situation. Maize is the main staple food in SSA. To increase maize yields, the selection of suitable genotypes and management practices for CA conditions has been explored using remote sensing tools. They may play a fundamental role towards overcoming the traditional limitations of data collection and processing in large scale phenotyping studies. We present the result of a study in which Red-Green-Blue (RGB) and multispectral indexes were evaluated for assessing maize performance under conventional ploughing (CP) and CA practices. Eight hybrids under different planting densities and tillage practices were tested. The measurements were conducted on seedlings at ground level (0.8 m) and from an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) platform (30 m), causing a platform proximity effect on the images resolution that did not have any negative impact on the performance of the indexes. Most of the calculated indexes (Green Area (GA) and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI)) were significantly affected by tillage conditions increasing their values from CP to CA. Indexes derived from the RGB-images related to canopy greenness performed better at assessing yield differences, potentially due to the greater resolution of the RGB compared with the multispectral data, although this performance was more precise for CP than CA. The correlations of the multispectral indexes with yield were improved by applying a soil-mask derived from a NDVI threshold with the aim of corresponding pixels with vegetation. The results of this study highlight the applicability of remote sensing approaches based on RGB images to the assessment of crop performance and hybrid choice.

show abstract

Section: Implications Of Growing Conditions On Yield Parametersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Phenotyping Conservation Agriculture Management Effects on Ground and Aerial Remote Sensing Assessments of Maize Hybrids Performance in Zimbabwe

Gracia‐Romero

Vergara-Díaz

Thierfelder³

et al. 2018

Remote Sensing

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…An assessment of more than 60 economic studies of various management practices ranging from alley cropping to tillage and fertilizer indicates that water management strategies increase net returns and purchasing power parity of households much more than any other and perhaps presents the only viable pathway to help transition smallholder farmers out of poverty (Harris and Orr 2014). Without a doubt, the ability to supply water, mitigate the impacts of variable rainfall on crops, pasture and animals, and extend growing seasons has significant impacts on smallholder livelihoods, increasing yields and economic returns (Burney and Naylor 2012;Kurwakumire et al 2014;Thierfelder and Wall 2009;Gebrehiwot et al 2015). As an alternative to establishing irrigation schemes, more passive water harvesting techniques can equally yield big gains for smallholders.…”

Section: Water Use Efficiency and Managementmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Qualitative Evaluation of CSA Options in Mixed Crop-Livestock Systems in Developing Countries

Thornton

Rosenstock

Förch³

et al. 2017

Natural Resource Management and Policy

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The mixed crop-livestock systems of the developing world will become increasingly important for meeting the food security challenges of the coming decades. The synergies and trade-offs between food security, adaptation, and mitigation objectives are not well studied, however. Comprehensive evaluations of the costs and benefits, and the synergies and trade-offs, of different options in developing-country mixed systems do not exist as yet.Here we summarise what we know about the climate smartness of different alternatives in the mixed croplivestock systems in developing countries, based on published literature supplemented by a survey of experts. We discuss constraints to the uptake of different interventions and the potential for their adoption, and highlight some of the technical and policy implications of current knowledge and knowledge gaps.

show abstract

“…Depending on soil type, frequent tillage may cause the development of a hardpan at the bottom of the ploughed or hoe cultivated layer which can impede water infiltration and root penetration (Thierfelder and Wall, 2009). Irrespective of SOM, tillage damages soil structure, and hence soil water holding and release characteristics, through physical disruption of soil aggregates (Beare et al, 1994).…”

Section: Tillage and Economic Efficiencymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, regular tillage breaks down soil organic matter through mineralization, more so in warmer climates (Kirschbaum, 1995), thus contributing to deteriorating soil physical, chemical and biological properties (Wall, 2007). The physical effects of tillage also adversely affect soil structure, with consequences for water infiltration and soil erosion through runoff, and create hardpans below the plough layer (Thierfelder and Wall, 2009). These adverse effects of tillage have been addressed over recent decades by the development of conservation agriculture (CA) (GarciaTorres et al, 2003).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Conservation agriculture for small holder rainfed farming: Opportunities and constraints of new mechanized seeding systems

Johansen¹,

Haque²,

Bell

et al. 2012

Field Crops Research

170

138

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Small holder farmers in rainfed agriculture believe that soil tillage is needed to maximize crop yields.However, as cropping intensity, and hence tillage intensity, increases there may be a decline in particular physical, chemical and biological properties of the soil which limit crop yield. This is primarily caused by declining soil organic matter, its oxidation being accelerated by tillage, particularly in warmer climates, and exacerbated by the limited return of above-ground biomass to the soil due to its competing use for other purposes. In large-scale commercial agriculture declining soil quality has been effectively addressed by conservation agriculture-cropping systems based on minimum tillage, crop residue retention and appropriate crop rotations and associations, preferably including legumes. This has required development of minimum tillage planting equipment along with herbicide technology to achieve weed control that is traditionally achieved through tillage. However, a shortage of mechanized options suitable for small holder farmers is creating an impediment to the adoption of conservation agriculture practices that would arrest the decline in soil quality in their fields. In South Asia, two-wheel tractors are replacing animal-drawn ploughing in small holder plots.This speeds the tillage operation and hence the turnaround time between crops, which may increase opportunities for crop intensification, but the problems associated with full tillage remain. Over the previous decade planter attachments to two-wheel tractors have been developed which permit seed and fertilizer placement with minimum to zero tillage in a single-pass. Recent tests have demonstrated that use of these implements can produce crop yields equal to or better than conventional tillage involving hand broadcasting of seed and fertilizer. Further, fuel and labour costs, seed and fertilizer inputs and turnaround time between crops can be reduced. In Africa, the introduction of animal-drawn rippers and direct seeders, originally developed for small-scale farmers in Brazil, is considered as a major breakthrough to small-scale farmer mechanization. It significantly reduces labour required for planting and benefits may be even greater if herbicides can be effectively used for weed control.Nevertheless, movement towards minimum tillage with two-wheel tractor mounted planters and animal-drawn direct seeding equipment is constrained by weed management issues. There are problems of availability and of safe and effective use of herbicides by resource-poor farmers and there is a need to develop more integrated weed management strategies that can be combined with smallscale planters. There is also a need to optimize the performance of small-scale planters to suit farmers' needs in different agro-ecological environments. Tools and concepts are now available to implement conservation agriculture for small holders and thereby increase profitability of their cropping practices and at the same time improve soil quality and sustainability of the...

show abstract

Effects of conservation agriculture techniques on infiltration and soil water content in Zambia and Zimbabwe

Cited by 357 publications

References 10 publications

Phenotyping Conservation Agriculture Management Effects on Ground and Aerial Remote Sensing Assessments of Maize Hybrids Performance in Zimbabwe

Phenotyping Conservation Agriculture Management Effects on Ground and Aerial Remote Sensing Assessments of Maize Hybrids Performance in Zimbabwe

A Qualitative Evaluation of CSA Options in Mixed Crop-Livestock Systems in Developing Countries

Conservation agriculture for small holder rainfed farming: Opportunities and constraints of new mechanized seeding systems

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About