Abstract
Crop residues' inappropriate management is the main constraint causing the decline in soil fertility and crop yields in Burkina Faso. This study was conducted at the Farako-Bâ Research Station from 2014 to 2019 to assess the effects of crop residue management to improve the sustainability of the cotton-cereal based production systems. The experimental design was complete randomized blocks of Fischer with four replications. Three different crop residue management practices were investigated: (i) Crop residue exportation and conventional tillage (T1); ii) Composted crop residues and conventional tillage (T2); and (iii) Crop residues used for soil mulching and no-tillage (T3). Soil chemical characteristics and crop yields were assessed as parameters in this study. Crop yields were improved by 17 to 34% on maize, from 18 to 38% on cotton and from 6 to 14% on sorghum, respectively, with residues recycled into compost (T2) and residues used for soil mulching (T3) compared to residues exported (T1). Crop residue management and soil tillage technics significantly increased the yields of maize, sorghum, and cotton after the first three years of experimentation. Soil chemical properties were not statistically influenced, except for SOM, nitrogen, and available K content. The highest decrease in soil carbon content induced by crop residue exportation (T1) should not be recommended to farmers. Key words: Crop residues, tillage, soil fertility, cotton-cereals, yield, Burkina Faso.
Highlights
The new technologies' adoption in agriculture is based on their agronomic, socio-economic, and ecological advantages for farmers
Soil organic matter content was below 1%, while nitrogen values ranged between 0.04% and 0.05%
These low contents in this soil confirm the deficiencies of C and N highlighted by previous studies in most soils of Burkina Faso
Summary
The new technologies' adoption in agriculture is based on their agronomic, socio-economic, and ecological advantages for farmers. In sub-Saharan Africa, the principles of conservation agriculture (CA) (minimum tillage, permanent soil cover, and crop rotation) have been adopted for many years. Following these general principles, specific locally relevant practices have been developed on smallholder farms around the world to achieve sustainable intensification (Giller et al, 2015). Minimum or zero tillage has evolved considerably in sub-
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