A comparative analysis of conservation agriculture systems: Benefits and challenges of rotations and intercropping in Zimbabwe

Thierfelder, Christian; Cheesman, Stephanie; Rusinamhodzi, Léonard

doi:10.1016/j.fcr.2012.08.017

Cited by 142 publications

(99 citation statements)

References 38 publications

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“…In Zimbabwe, an 8-year . Recently, Thierfelder et al 73 showed that larger increases of cumulative soil erosion occurred on conventionally plowed fields compared to rip-line seeded CA treatments with sole maize or maize-legume intercropping (Fig. 4).…”

Section: Monocroppingmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…Substantial yield increases were observed, and in some cases maize yields following legumes were almost double that of continuous maize under no-till. At Henderson Research Station in Zimbabwe, there was a significant increase in maize yields planted after sunnhemp after several years 73 . CA has generally been reported to increase labor use efficiency and returns per unit labor compared to conventional agriculture 99 .…”

Section: Effects Of Ca On Productivitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Intercropping legumes and maize increased SOC under no-till, largely due to increased biomass production compared to no-till continuous maize cropping. On a sandy soil in Zimbabwe, SOC in the first 30 cm increased when maize was intercropped with pigeonpea compared to continuous maize under no-till (+ 12%) and 333 Conservation agriculture in Southern Africa conventional tillage (+ 34%) 73 . Furthermore in central Mozambique on similar soil types, Rusinamhodzi et al 81 reported a significant increase in SOC after 5 years of intercropping (Table 2).…”

Section: Effects Of Ca On Soil Carbonmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Without sufficient fertilization (e.g., through mineral fertilizer, manure and/or compost) farmers cannot raise their productivity to a level that enables them to retain at least 2.5-3 t ha − 1 of biomass, which is needed to cover at least 30% of the soil surface. Rotations and intercropping systems might also add to the carbon pool, but their potential to increase SOC largely depends on the agroecological environment and their overall biomass production 73,81 . It is worth noting, that while reduced tillage helps to reduce decomposition rates, it may also play a negative role in SOC stratification within the soil 30 .…”

Section: Effects Of Ca On Soil Carbonmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, these past researches were largely conducted within experimental stations and did not take into account socio-economic constraints in real farm situations that could hinder the widespread adoption of CA. Recently, more studies reporting results from onfarm and on-station trials have been published concentrating on some of the above-mentioned challenges and constraints 28,37,68,73,86,94,96,97,99,101,102,104,[113][114][115][116] .…”

Section: Constraints To Adoption Of Ca Systems In Southern Africamentioning

confidence: 99%

See 4 more Smart Citations

Conservation agriculture in Southern Africa: Advances in knowledge

Thierfelder¹,

Rusinamhodzi²,

Ngwira

et al. 2014

Renew. Agric. Food Syst.

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140

112

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The increasing demand for food from limited available land, in light of declining soil fertility and future threats of climate variability and change have increased the need for more sustainable crop management systems. Conservation agriculture (CA) is based on the three principles of minimum soil disturbance, surface crop residue retention and crop rotations, and is one of the available options. In Southern Africa, CA has been intensively promoted for more than a decade to combat declining soil fertility and to stabilize crop yields. The objective of this review is to summarize recent advances in knowledge about the benefits of CA and highlight constraints to its widespread adoption within Southern Africa. Research results from Southern Africa showed that CA generally increased water infiltration, reduced soil erosion and run-off, thereby increasing available soil moisture and deeper drainage. Physical, chemical and biological soil parameters were also improved under CA in the medium to long term. CA increased crop productivity and also reduced on-farm labor, especially when direct seeding techniques and herbicides were used. As with other cropping systems, CA has constraints at both the field and farm level. Challenges to adoption in Southern Africa include the retention of sufficient crop residues, crop rotations, weed control, pest and diseases, farmer perception and economic limitations, including poorly developed markets. It was concluded that CA is not a 'one-size-fits-all' solution and often needs significant adaptation and flexibility when implementing it across farming systems. However, CA may potentially reduce future soil fertility decline, the effects of seasonal dry-spells and may have a large impact on food security and farmers' livelihoods if the challenges can be overcome.

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Section: Monocroppingmentioning

confidence: 98%

Section: Effects Of Ca On Productivitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Effects Of Ca On Soil Carbonmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Effects Of Ca On Soil Carbonmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Constraints To Adoption Of Ca Systems In Southern Africamentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Conservation agriculture in Southern Africa: Advances in knowledge

Thierfelder¹,

Rusinamhodzi²,

Ngwira

et al. 2014

Renew. Agric. Food Syst.

Self Cite

140

112

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Maize–legume systems under conservation agriculture

et al. 2021

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Soil fertility depletion due to land degradation and poor cropping diversity have resulted in poor crop yield in sub‐Saharan Africa. On‐farm experiments were conducted to determine the effects of conservation agriculture (CA)‐based maize (Zea mays L.)–legume cropping systems and conventional tillage (CT) on soil properties and yield of maize. The experiments were laid out in a randomized complete block design with three replications. The experiments were continued for 3 yr from 2012 to 2014. The treatments were: CT with monoculture maize (CT‐M), CA with monoculture maize (CA‐M), CA‐based maize–common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) intercropping (CA‐M+CB), CA‐based maize–cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L.) intercropping (CA‐M+CP) and CA‐based maize–common bean rotation (CA‐M–CB).Weed infestation in CA‐based maize–legume cropping systems reduced over the years. Application of CA‐based maize–legume cropping systems increased soil organic matter, total nitrogen, available phosphorus (Ava.P), and soil water infiltration rate by 37, 54, 12.3, and 327%, respectively, over CT‐M. Maize grain yield increased by 54% in CA‐M–CB over CT. The highest production efficiency was obtained from CA‐M–CB. In conclusion, CA‐M–CB followed by CA‐based maize–legume intercropping were the best soil management practices as elucidated in higher soil fertility and stable yield. However, future research on CA‐based cropping systems should be executed under various agro‐ecologies and crop types.

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Yield and nitrogen uptake of sole and intercropped maize and peanut in response to N fertilizer input

Gao

Wang

Zhang

et al. 2019

Food and Energy Security

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Chinese agriculture needs to become less dependent on fertilizer inputs to enhance sustainability. Cereal/legume intercropping is a potential pathway to lower fertilizer inputs, but there is insufficient knowledge on the nitrogen (N) response in species mixtures. Here, we investigated N response in maize/peanut intercropping. Maize showed a stronger yield response to N input than peanut both in sole cropping and in intercropping, and so did sole crops relative to intercrops. Maize yield was the highest at the maximum level tested: 360 kg N/ha. Agronomic efficiency (AE) of sole maize was 7.8 kg/kg N input, averaged across five N levels (0, 90, 180, 270, and 360 kg/ha). Partial land equivalent ratios (pLERs) for maize decreased with N input, from 0.70 at zero to 0.64 at 360 kg/ha. Sole peanut showed an optimum yield response to N input, with the highest yield at 270 kg/ha and lower yield at 360 kg/ha. The average AE of sole peanut was 1.3 kg/kg. The pLER of peanut declined from 0.43 at zero to 0.32 at 360 kg/ha while the overall LER decreased from 1.13 to 0.96, indicating relative better performance of intercropping at low than at high N input. Apparent recovery (RE) for N was 27.2% for sole maize, 12.4% for sole peanut, and 7.2% for intercrops. Mean N uptake was 179 kg/ha in sole maize, 199 kg/ha in intercropping, and 264 kg/ha in sole peanut. Partial economic budgeting indicated that with the current low Chinese N fertilizer prices, gross margin is maximized with high N input in sole crops; however, for intercropping, the highest gross margin was attained at intermediate N inputs of 180 or 270 kg/ha. Fertilizer price incentives may facilitate a transition to intercropping at moderate N input in China.

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A comparative analysis of conservation agriculture systems: Benefits and challenges of rotations and intercropping in Zimbabwe

Cited by 142 publications

References 38 publications

Conservation agriculture in Southern Africa: Advances in knowledge

Conservation agriculture in Southern Africa: Advances in knowledge

Maize–legume systems under conservation agriculture

Yield and nitrogen uptake of sole and intercropped maize and peanut in response to N fertilizer input

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