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Bram Govaerts, Ken Sayre, Nele Verhulst, Luc Dendooven Agustin Limon-Ortega Leonardo Patiño-Zúñiga

The effects of conservation agriculture on crop performance, soil quality and potential c emission reduction and c sequestration in contrasting environments in Mexico. Bram Govaerts, Ken Sayre, Nele Verhulst, Luc Dendooven Agustin Limon-Ortega Leonardo Patiño-Zúñiga. Conservation Agriculture.

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Bram Govaerts, Ken Sayre, Nele Verhulst, Luc Dendooven Agustin Limon-Ortega Leonardo Patiño-Zúñiga

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  1. The effects of conservation agriculture on crop performance, soil quality and potential c emission reduction and c sequestration in contrasting environments in Mexico Bram Govaerts, Ken Sayre, Nele Verhulst, Luc Dendooven Agustin Limon-Ortega Leonardo Patiño-Zúñiga

  2. Conservation Agriculture • Comprises three basic components • Surface crop residue retention • Minimal soil movement • Crop rotation

  3. Sustainable agriculture Crop rotation Conventional agriculture Intensity of soil disturbance Conservation agriculture Surface crop retention Direct seeding Conventional Minimum Tillage Adapted from Pereira

  4. Conservation Agriculture is a complex technology: it involves a complete change in the agricultural system.

  5. CIMMYT in Mexico Mexicali 22 m Cd. Obregón 39 m Mexico City El Batán* 2249 m Toluca 2640 m Agua Fría 60 m Tlaltizapán 940 m

  6. CIMMYT in Mexico Mexicali 22 m Cd. Obregón 39 m El Batán* 2249 m Mexico City Toluca 2640 m Agua Fría 60 m Tlaltizapán 940 m

  7. Climate LGP

  8. Soil Classification Rastra Ap Ap0’ Arado Cumulic Phaeozem Fine, mixed, thermic Cumulic Haplustoll A 2Bw 2C

  9. DROUGHT EROSION Characteristics • Non-equatorial semi-arid subtropical highlands (2240 masl) • Periodical drought • Periodical water excess • Wind and water erosion • Rain fed agriculture • Grain yield < 3 ton ha-1

  10. Experimental Fields

  11. Treatments K = Keep residue on the field; R = Remove the residue ; P = Partial residue retention W = Wheat; M = Maize; B= Beans

  12. CIMMYT in Mexico Mexicali 22 m Cd. Obregón 39 m El Batán* 2249 m Mexico City Toluca 2640 m Agua Fría 60 m Tlaltizapán 940 m

  13. Características del Valle del Yaqui • 27.33oN; 109.09oW • 38 m asl • T(max) 26.7oC; T(min) 8.7oC • Wheat growing season: November-May • Maize – Sorghum: June - October

  14. Soil – Station Obregon, Sonora, México • Suelo – Vertisol • Calcareous Vertisols (mixed montmorillonitic typic Calciorthid) • Low organic matter: 0.95 % (0-30 cm) • Slightly alkaline: PH (CaCl2) = 7.7 • E.C. 0.8-1.9 dS m-1 (30-90 cm: 4.15 dS m-1)

  15. Results: Yield Towards a high and stable yielding system ?

  16. CIMMYT in Mexico Mexicali 22 m Cd. Obregón 39 m El Batán* 2249 m Mexico City Toluca 2640 m Agua Fría 60 m Tlaltizapán 940 m

  17. Govaerts et al., 2005

  18. Govaerts et al., 2005

  19. Zero vs. Conventional CT ZT ZT CT Govaerts et al., 2005

  20. Yield results 1997-2005 Govaerts et al., 2005

  21. Yield Stability Govaerts et al., 2005 ZT = zero tillage, CT = conventional tillage K = keep residue; R = remove residue W = wheat; M = maize

  22. CIMMYT in Mexico Mexicali 22 m Cd. Obregón 39 m El Batán* 2249 m Mexico City Toluca 2640 m Agua Fría 60 m Tlaltizapán 940 m

  23. Sayre et al., 2006

  24. Soil quality, not just a word but a conceptual framework

  25. Soil quality • Variety of definitions • Doran and Parkin (1994)“it is the capacity of a soil to be functional, within the limits imposed by the ecosystem and land use, to preserve the biological productivity and environmental quality, and promote plant, animal and human health” • Larson and Pierce (1994) “fitness for use”

  26. Selection Soil Parameters • Limiting factor set: comparison of optimal conditions for land use and field conditionsIdeal conditions for land use versus real conditions • Measuring possible critical indicators linked with the limiting factors • Multivariate analysis => most explicative indicators = minimum dataset

  27. (M)ANOVA • Indicators influenced by • Residue • Tillage Biological parameters are weak!

  28. Selected Parameters

  29. PCA Soil physical properties Govaerts et al., 2006

  30. PCA Soil chemical properties Govaerts et al., 2006

  31. Aggregate stability Total Soil Wet sieving Macroaggregates (M) (>250 μm) Microaggregates (m) (53-250 μm) Silt + Clay (<53μm) Microaggregate isolator Micros within Macros (mM) (53-250 μm) Silt and clay (s+c mM) (>53 μm) Coarse POM-C + sand (CPOM mM) (>250 μm) Density floatation + dispersion Inter-mM-POM-C (53-250 μm) Intra-mM-POM-C (53-250 μm)

  32. Lichter et al., 2008

  33. Lichter et al., 2008

  34. CO2 flux

  35. Residues Management Tillage Patiño-Zúñiga et al., 2008

  36. CIMMYT in Mexico Mexicali 22 m Cd. Obregón 39 m El Batán* 2249 m Mexico City Toluca 2640 m Agua Fría 60 m Tlaltizapán 940 m

  37. Implementation of conservation agriculture through a network of hubs

  38. The hub concept • benchmark sites for research on the impacts of CA • focal point for regional (agro-ecological) capacity-building and scaling out of research and innovation systems • regional CA networks are established to facilitate and foment research and extension of CA innovation systems and technologies • example of the functionality of CA systems

  39. structure to work together with partners including farmers • to test various best-bet technology options with farmers • to integrate these options to improve farm level economics and family well-being • to provide a demonstration platform to extend these technologies to surrounding farmers • to provide a training/demonstration platform to bring together all actors from other areas with similar production systems and conditions • to provide a platform to do relevant research

  40. Strategic research feeding into the international network of hubs

  41. Literature review • Govaerts et al., submitted • West and Post (2002), Jarecki and Lal (2003), VandenBygaart et al. (2003), Blanco-Canqui and Lal (2008) + Literature search (Web of Science) • Only >5y and minimum 30cm • Very little research in Africa, Central- Latin- America, Asia

  42. Literature review • Conventional till  Zero tillage • 8/62 cases C stock decreased • 21/62 cases C stock not significant different • 33/62 case C stock increased • Increased rotation • 22/55 cases C stock decreased • 5/55 cases C stock not significant different • 28/55 cases C stock increased

  43. Conclusions • Not always increase in C stock • Why? Not clear • Underlying processes seem not fully understood • Need for an international network of hubs linked to strategic research sites • Even if CA does not lead always to C stock increase it is still the best practice to promote

  44. Thanksb.govaerts@cgiar.org

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