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Anne Karuma (SUA) Charles Gachene ( UoN ) Patrick Gicheru (KARI)

Anne Karuma (SUA) Charles Gachene ( UoN ) Patrick Gicheru (KARI). Effect of conservation tillage on soil moisture and crop yields in Mwala District, Kenya. Introduction, Problem statement & Justification.

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Anne Karuma (SUA) Charles Gachene ( UoN ) Patrick Gicheru (KARI)

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  1. Anne Karuma (SUA)Charles Gachene (UoN)Patrick Gicheru (KARI) Effect of conservation tillage on soil moisture and crop yields in Mwala District, Kenya

  2. Introduction, Problem statement & Justification • Conventional tillage (CT) – the mechanical soil manipulation; the cultivation using ploughs, harrows or mechanical implements to prepare the field for crop prodn (FAO, 2000). • Causes soil compaction, affects soil phy properties, provokes biological degradation......declined crp yields. • CT in Kenya, involves hand hoes, ox drawn mould board ploughs, tractor drawn disc ploughs and harrows tog with straw collection and burning (Gachene and Kimaru, 2003). • Conservn tillage (CA) practices e.g. tied ridging, subsoiling & ripping hv the potential of soil moisture retention & mitigation of intra-seasonal dry spells that result in low prodty and crp failure (Manyatsi et al., 2011).

  3. In Kenya, CA practices involve use of mulch, ripping and sub-soiling without inverting soil (Gitongaet al., 2008). • Although practiced by large-scale farmers esp in the Mt Kenya region, CA is slowly being adopted by some small-scale farmers, and evaluating its performance in these condns is presently a priority. • Although CA is highly advocated, there is strong evidence that this kind of tillage may not be good with soils prone to surface crusting and sealing, a xstic of most of the soils in semi arid areas of Kenya (Unger et al., 1991, Mudjeciet al., 2010). • Therefore, the objective of this study was to assess the effect of conservation tillage on soil water conservation and yields of maize and beans relative to the conventional tillage in a semi arid region of Eastern Kenya.

  4. Materials and Methods • Study area: Mbiuni Location, Mwala District, Kenya • The mean annual rainfall for Mwala District is 596 mm • Trials established during the long rains (LR) and short rains (SR) of 2012/13. • 6 tillage sys: Disc plough (MB), Disc plough and Harrowing (MBH), Ox-ploughing (OX), Hand hoe and Tied Ridges (HTR), Hand hoe only (H) and subsoiling – ripping (SR) • 3 cropping sys- sole maize (M), sole bean (B) and maize-bean intercrop (M + B) • Split-plot design with 4 reps.

  5. Data collection • Soil moisture - at depths of 0 - 20 cm and 20 - 40 cm using the gravimetric method (Okalebo et al., 2002). • Test crops - dryland maize variety (DH 02) and beans (rose coco - GLP 2) • Final crop biomass and grain yields were det from plants harvested in a 2 × 2 m at the centre of the plot. • The data was subjected to ANOVA to evaluate the trt effects

  6. Locally manufactured Magoye ripper and subsoiler, which can fit onto the same frame as the plough beam (Source: Kaumbutho and Kienzle, 2007)

  7. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

  8. T = HTR > MBH > H > OX > MB (p = 0.019) C = B > M > M+B (p = 0.891) Time x T x C = (p = 0.005)

  9. T = OX > SR > MB > HTR > H > MBH (p = 0.158) C = M > B > M+B ( p = 0.684) Time x C = (p = 0.003)

  10. T = OX > SR > H > MB > MBH > HTR (p = 0.003) C = B > M+B > M (p = 0.057) Time x tillage (p < 0.001) Time x C (p = 0.044)

  11. 3 season moisture average indicate; • Tillage trend is OX > H > MB > MBH > HTR > SR. CT practices had the highest soil moisture content compared to the CA methods (effect of pry and sec tillage implements used, which improved porosity and WHC of the soil) • Cropping sys - Sole bean > Sole maize > Intercrop (surface cover - reduce evaporn, increasing infiltration, increased plant popl density…higher moisture extraction.

  12. T, S = (p < 0.001)

  13. T = (p = 0.057)

  14. CONCLUSIONS • These results suggest that tillage methods and cropping sys hv an influence on soil moisture conservn and crop yields in the semi arid areas of Kenya. • Inconsistencies in relative grain and biomass yields among tillage treatments likely ass with the presence of soil moisture at the time of tillage/planting, growing season and prevailing climatic conditions • Long term tillage expts are req!!! (diff locations, under various environt’l and soil condns

  15. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

  16. Thank you…..

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