Effect of four different tillage practices on maize performance under rainfed conditions

Abstract

An experiment was conducted to determine the effect of tillage practices on moisture retention and maize performance under rainfed conditions in Swaziland. The five treatments were based on structure of seedbed and seed planting method. They were ; zero tillage where jab planter was used to directly seed (JAB), tractor drawn planter to directly seed without ploughing (TDSS), tractor drawn cultivator to loosen soil followed by planting with tractor planter (TDRDS), planting basics made by using hand hoe (PLB) and conventional tillage (CNT) which was used as a control. The treatments were replicated three times. The data collected included weather data, germination counts, plant height, moisture retention, total dry matter and dry grain yield. The results displayed a significant difference in terms of moisture retention for the majority of the periods where measurements were done (p<0.05). Conventional tillage retained the least moisture while JAB retained the most moisture. In terms of seed emergence, TDRDS had the highest emergence during the first seven days compared to the other treatments. Conventional tillage had the tallest plants (268.5 cm) compared to the other treatments at 21 days after planting. Conventional tillage also had the highest total dry matter (16.2 tons/ha) and planting basins had the lowest dry matter (12.6 tons/ha). TDRDS had the highest grain yield (9.9 tons/ha), and JAB had the lowest grain yield (9.1 tons/ha). The difference in mean total dry matter and mean grain yield was not significant (p>0.05).

Morphological and Phenological Attributes of Maize Affected by Different Tillage Practices and Varied Sowing Methods

“…Deep tillage was seen an improved practice regarding plant height and but flat sowing remained inefficient to improve plant height as compared to ridge and bed sowing. Borghei et al [18] and Wasaya et al [19] who concluded that sub-soiling up to 50 -55 cm caused the highest average plant height while our results were contradictive to Najafinezhad et al [20] who concluded that conventional tillage (CT) and reduced tillage (RT) plots exhibited highest plant height whereas stem diameter remained in effective by different tillage operations and sowing methods which was found in line with Aikins et al [21], who concluded that maize stem girth was non-significant under different tillage practices. Moreover, deep tillage and ridge sowing improved leaf area, leaf area index and crop growth rate of maize which found in accordance with the results reported by Rasheed et al [22] and Balasubramaniyan et al [23] who found that maize crop sown on ridges gave considerably higher leaf area index (5.22) and further elucidated that planting methods influenced leaf area index positively and crop growth rate of maize significantly.…”

Nitrogen and Phosphorus Fertilizers and Tillage Effects on Growth and Yield of Maize (Zea mays L.) at Dugda District in the Central Rift Valley of Ethiopia

“…Ahmad et al (2005) also concluded that the application of 120 kg N haG 1 increased maize plant height. Similarly, Hammad et al (2011) also reported that there was more vegetative as well as reproductive growth with increase in the amount of N. In line with our current findings, Aikins et al (2012) also found no significant effect of tillage on plant height and in another similar study, Al-Ghrerie (1988) also reported that zero tillage and conventional tillage showed no significant effect on plant height of maize.…”

Effect of tillage practices on moisture retention and maize (Zea mays L.) performance under rainfed conditions in Swaziland

“…Similar results were observed in a study done in Turkey where plants under conventional tillage were higher than those under no till [24]. In a study done in Ghana there was no significance in difference for mean height between different tillage treatments, even though the shorted plant was found in the no tillage treatment [25]. The great plant height under conventional tillage may be attributed to better soil aeration and more uniform distribution of nutrients in soil profile [26].…”