Agro-Economic Evaluation of Alternative Crop Management Options for Teff Production in Midland Agro-Ecology, Ethiopia

Fekremariam Asargew Mihretie,Derege Tsegaye Meshesha,Nigussie Haregeweyn,Muluken Bayable,Atsushi Tsunekawa,Enyew Adgo,Kindiye Ebabu,Mitsuru Tsubo,Tsugiyuki Masunaga

doi:10.3390/agriculture11040298

Abstract

Teff is an important crop for smallholder farmers in Ethiopia. Improved crop management practices are needed to increase teff productivity and decrease production costs. Here, we used a split–split plot design to evaluate the impacts of different tillage, sowing, and soil compaction practices, and their combinations, on agronomic performance, weed population, lodging, and cost in teff production at the Aba Gerima watershed in northwestern Ethiopia in 2018–2020. Reduced tillage (RT) improved soil moisture, resulting in increased agronomic performance and decreased production costs compared with conventional tillage (CT); however, the weed population was substantially larger with RT than with CT. Row planting (RP) reduced seed cost and lodging but increased sowing and weeding costs compared with broadcast planting (BP). Plant population and leaf area index were substantially greater with BP than with RP during early-stage growth, but this reversed during late-stage growth. Despite labor costs being significantly greater with (WC) compaction than without (NC), little to no differences were observed in the weed population or in agronomic performance. Partial cost–benefit analysis revealed that RT–RP–WC followed by RT–RP–NC was the most economical treatment combination, suggesting that RT–RP–NC could be a labor-effective means of increasing teff production by smallholder farms in Ethiopia.

Highlights

Teff (Eragrostis tef ) is an important crop for smallholder farmers in Ethiopia because it contributes to both their food security and income [1]
Plant height: Figure 2 shows the effects of tillage (T), sowing (S), and soil compaction (C) on plant height
The monthly plant height increase was greater with Reduced tillage (RT) than with conventional tillage (CT), with Row planting (RP) than with broadcast planting (BP), and with compaction than without compaction

Summary

Introduction

Teff (Eragrostis tef ) is an important crop for smallholder farmers in Ethiopia because it contributes to both their food security and income [1]. In Ethiopia, more than three million hectares of land are cultivated with teff annually [2]. Teff production there is constrained by lodging, drought, reduced soil fertility, and the need for continuous cropping [3]. These problems are worsened by traditional crop cultivation practices such as plant residue removal; frequent tillage and soil compaction; and a lack of knowledge and access to inputs such as improved seed, fertilizers, and irrigation technologies [4]. Smallholder farmers have their own reasons for using this approach, these practices are considered to be the inherent cause of low

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Discussion

Conclusion