Maize yields under coppicing and non coppicing fallows in a fallow–maize rotation system in central Zimbabwe

Nyamadzawo, George; Nyamugafata, P.; Wuta, Menas; Nyamangara, Justice

doi:10.1007/s10457-011-9453-9

Cited by 13 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…The study agreed with Abunyewa and Karbo (2005), found that maize yields increased after two-years of pigeonpea fallows as compared to continuous monocropping without fertilizer. Nyamadzawo et al (2012) also found that improved fallowing increased yields as compared to natural fallow which agreed with our findings both pigeonpea fallows out yielded a natural fallow. In a meta-analysis conducted by Sileshi et al (2008a), increase in maize yield when legume trees such as pigeonpea when used as fallows is attributed to N input by BNF, retrieval of nutrients from below rooting maize crops, reduction in nutrient losses from leaching, runoff and erosion and improved soil water conditions.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Effects of improved pigeonpea fallows on biological and physical soil properties and their relationship with maize yield

Musokwa

Mafongoya

2021

Agroforest Syst

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Declining soil properties have triggered lower maize yields among smallholder famers in South Africa. Legume trees such as pigeonpea can be used as improved fallows to replenish degraded soils. The objectives of the study were to: (1) examine the effects of improved pigeonpea fallows on enhancing biological, physical soil properties and maize yield responses and (2), analyze the relationship of maize grain yield to biological and physical soil properties after improved pigeonpea fallows at Wartburg, South Africa. Pigeonpea fallows were established in 2015/16 season and terminated in 2017 and subsequently maize was planted. A randomized complete block design replicated three times was used with five treatments: continuous sole maize without fertilizer (T1), natural fallow then maize (T2), pigeonpea + grass—pigeonpea then maize (T3), maize + pigeonpea—pigeonpea then maize (T4), two-year pigeonpea fallow then maize (T5). Improved pigeonpea fallows increased maize yields through improvement in soil macrofauna species abundance, richness and diversity, aggregate stability, infiltration rate. Pigeonpea fallows increased maize yield by 3.2 times than continuous maize without fertilizer. The maize grain yield (3787 kg ha−1), was the highest on two-year pigeonpea fallows while continuous maize without fertilizer had the least (993 kg ha−1). There was a significant positive correlation between soil macrofauna indices and physical soil properties to maize yields. Smallholders who have limited access to fertilizers can sustainably use improved fallows to restore degraded soils to achieve higher maize yields in South Africa.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Effects of improved pigeonpea fallows on biological and physical soil properties and their relationship with maize yield

Musokwa

Mafongoya

2021

Agroforest Syst

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“…For example, soils in planted fallows had more macropores and large pore sizes because of improved aggregation (Chirwa et al 2004;Nyamadzawo et al 2008a) and presence of channels formed when roots die and decompose (Chirwa et al 2003). Agroforestry has been shown to improve soil moisture compared to control by reducing loss of water from the soil through evaporation and transpiration by crops (Rhoades 1995;Siriri et al 2013), increasing water infiltration, and improving water storage capacity (Makumba et al 2006;Nyamadzawo et al 2012a).…”

Section: Water Regulationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Agroforestry delivers a win-win solution for ecosystem services in sub-Saharan Africa. A meta-analysis

Kuyah

Whitney

Jonsson

et al. 2019

Agron. Sustain. Dev.

170

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Agricultural landscapes are increasingly being managed with the aim of enhancing the provisioning of multiple ecosystem services and sustainability of production systems. However, agricultural management that maximizes provisioning ecosystem services can often reduce both regulating and maintenance services. We hypothesized that agroforestry reduces trade-offs between provisioning and regulating/maintenance services. We conducted a quantitative synthesis of studies carried out in sub-Saharan Africa focusing on crop yield (as an indicator of provisioning services), soil fertility, erosion control, and water regulation (as indicators of regulating/maintenance services). A total of 1106 observations were extracted from 126 peer-reviewed publications that fulfilled the selection criteria for meta-analysis of studies comparing agroforestry and non-agroforestry practices (hereafter control) in sub-Saharan Africa. Across ecological conditions, agroforestry significantly increased crop yield, total soil nitrogen, soil organic carbon, and available phosphorus compared to the control. Agroforestry practices also reduced runoff and soil loss and improved infiltration rates and soil moisture content. No significant differences were detected between the different ecological conditions, management regimes, and types of woody perennials for any of the ecosystem services. Main trade-offs included low available phosphorus and low soil moisture against higher crop yield. This is the first meta-analysis that shows that, on average, agroforestry systems in sub-Saharan Africa increase crop yield while maintaining delivery of regulating/maintenance ecosystem services. We also demonstrate how woody perennials have been managed in agricultural landscapes to provide multiple ecosystem services without sacrificing crop productivity. This is important in rural livelihoods where the range of ecosystem services conveys benefits in terms of food security and resilience to environmental shocks.

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“…Forests of Taita Hills contribute to the food security by capturing atmospheric moisture as fog deposit and storing the water, providing water for farms in the foothills and lowlands (Pellikka et al, 2013;Helle, 2016). In addition to dew capture, agroforestry has been shown to contribute to improved soil moisture (Rhoades, 1995;Siriri et al, 2013), hydraulic conductivity (Nyamadzawo et al, 2003(Nyamadzawo et al, , 2007, and water storage (Makumba et al, 2006;Nyamadzawo et al, 2012).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Strong influence of trees outside forest in regulating microclimate of intensively modified Afromontane landscapes

et al. 2022

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Abstract. Climate change is expected to have detrimental consequences on fragile ecosystems, threatening biodiversity, as well as food security of millions of people. Trees are likely to play a central role in mitigating these impacts. The microclimatic conditions below tree canopies usually differ substantially from the ambient macroclimate as vegetation can buffer temperature changes and variability. Trees cool down their surroundings through several biophysical mechanisms, and the cooling benefits occur also with trees outside forest. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of canopy cover on microclimate in an intensively modified Afromontane landscape in Taita Taveta, Kenya. We studied temperatures recorded by 19 microclimate sensors under different canopy covers, as well as land surface temperature (LST) estimated by Landsat 8 thermal infrared sensor. We combined the temperature records with high-resolution airborne laser scanning data to untangle the combined effects of topography and canopy cover on microclimate. We developed four multivariate regression models to study the joint impacts of topography and canopy cover on LST. The results showed a negative linear relationship between canopy cover percentage and daytime mean (R2=0.65) and maximum (R2=0.75) temperatures. Any increase in canopy cover contributed to reducing temperatures. The average difference between 0 % and 100 % canopy cover sites was 5.2 ∘C in mean temperatures and 10.2 ∘C in maximum temperatures. Canopy cover (CC) reduced LST on average by 0.05 ∘C per percent CC. The influence of canopy cover on microclimate was shown to vary strongly with elevation and ambient temperatures. These results demonstrate that trees have a substantial effect on microclimate, but the effect is dependent on macroclimate, highlighting the importance of maintaining tree cover particularly in warmer conditions. Hence, we demonstrate that trees outside forests can increase climate change resilience in fragmented landscapes, having strong potential for regulating regional and local temperatures.

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Maize yields under coppicing and non coppicing fallows in a fallow–maize rotation system in central Zimbabwe

Cited by 13 publications

References 40 publications

Effects of improved pigeonpea fallows on biological and physical soil properties and their relationship with maize yield

Effects of improved pigeonpea fallows on biological and physical soil properties and their relationship with maize yield

Agroforestry delivers a win-win solution for ecosystem services in sub-Saharan Africa. A meta-analysis

Strong influence of trees outside forest in regulating microclimate of intensively modified Afromontane landscapes

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