Water is perhaps the most important single factor that limits crop production in the semi-arid northeast of Nigeria. A four-year field experiment was therefore initiated in 1999 to evaluate the influence of land configuration practices with or without wood-shavings mulch on water conservation, yield and water use efficiency (WUE) of sorghum. The experimental treatments consisted of flat bed (FB), open ridging (OR), tied ridging (TR), FB + mulch (FBM), OR + mulch (ORM), and TR + mulch (TRM). Ridge heights were 15 to 20 cm and furrows were left open (for OR and ORM) or tied (for TR and TRM). Wood-shavings mulch was used at the rate of 5 t ha −1 in 1999, but this was increased to 10 t ha −1 in subsequent years to ensure adequate soil coverage. Differences in soil water storage at various sampling dates were significant only in some cases in each year, but trends were towards greater soil water storage in the mulched treatments than in the non-mulched treatments, irrespective of tillage method. Growth parameters (plant height and leaf area index) indicated significant differences between treatments on only some measurement dates in each year. Sorghum water use varied significantly between years and treatments. Seasonal water use was greater with FBM, ORM and TRM than with the FB treatment in all cropping seasons. Averaged over the four-year period, mean increases in grain yield relative to the FB treatment were 16 % for OR, 25 % for TR, 77 % for FBM, 50 % for ORM and 57 % for TRM. Pooled across the experimental years, the WUE (ET) of FB, OR, TR, FBM, ORM and TRM were 1.95, 2.12, 2.13, 2.74, 2.36 and 2.48 kg ha −1 mm −1 respectively. The corresponding WUE(R) values for these treatments were 1.26, 1.46, 1.56, 2.22, 1.88 and 1.97 kg ha −1 mm −1 respectively. It is concluded that combining the practice of flat bed cultivation with mulching may eliminate the need for ridging in increasing the productivity of sorghum grain in semi-arid northeast Nigeria. † Corresponding author: Email amchiroma@yahoo.co.uk ‡ Deceased 200 A . M . C H I RO M A et al.

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Knowledge of water transmission properties of soils could play a significant role in the choice of appropriate water management practices capable of alleviating production constraints of predominantly coarse textured soils of semi arid environments. The effect of 3 tillage systems (no-till :NT, reduced-till: RT and conventional tillage: CT) on water transmission properties of a sandy loam soil in Maiduguri was investigated after 9-15 years of management. Within the growing season of 2010, saturated hydraulic conductivity (K sat ) was determined using undisturbed cores ( 10.8 cm in diameter and 12 cm in height) at surface (0-15 cm) and sub surface (15-30 cm) soil depths and infiltration rate determined using double ring infiltrometer method. The NT and RT treatments had higher K sat values at both surface and sub surface soil depths (though the differences were not significant at p ≤ 0.05) compared to the CT treatment. However, infiltration characteristics of the soil were significantly (p ≤ 0.05) greater for the NT and RT treatments relative to the CT treatment. The study revealed that, the NT and RT treatments better improved K sat and infiltration characteristics of the soil relative to the CT treatment, and are therefore better management practices for improving water transmission properties of coarse textured soils in semi arid north eastern Nigeria.

Ridge tillage (RT) and organic manure management are among promising agronomic practices for conserving soil moisture and improving soil physical environment in arid and semiarid rain-fed areas. The studies were conducted during the year 2020 farming season with two soil types from northeastern part of Nigeria to compare the relative efficacy of RT with and without organic manure in improving soil physical properties and root growth of millet under rain-fed semi-arid condition. The effects of the RT treatments in combination with organic manure were compared to the conventional flat-bed treatment (control, FB). The soil types chosen for the study were sandy loam soil located at the University of Maiduguri (Unimaid) and sandy clay loam located at Alakaramti village, respectively. The other land configuration and manure treatments compared were: open-ridge (OR), tied-ridge (TR), flat bed + manure (FBM), open-ridge + manure (ORM), and tied-ridge + manure (TRM) each laid out in randomized complete block design with four replicates. The combination of RT (open or tied) plus organic manure (ORM & TRM) performed better in terms of all measured parameters: bulk density (Bd), porosity (Tp), mean weight diameter (MWD), soil water content (SWC) and root growth as measured with root mass density (RMD) than the bare ridge-tilled (OR & TR) or flat bed with manure (FBM) and without manure (FB) treatments, irrespective of differences in soil type. The improvement in soil condition resulting from combining the practices of RT with organic manure application as reflected by reduced Bd, increased Tp, and higher profile SWC has enhanced millet root growth under the water limited rain-fed farming system of the study area. In regions like northeast Nigeria where low and variable rainfall often limits crop production, the practice of combining RT(open or tied) with organic matter input could be recommended as an optimal agronomic practice for improving drought resilience of crops like millet.