Evaluation of Conservation Tillage Methods for Soil Moisture Conservation and Maize Grain Yield in Low Moisture Areas of SNNPR, Ethiopia

Abstract

Conservation tillage is a promising tillage practice for enhancing soil moisture conservation. The objective of the study is to evaluate conservation tillage methods on soil moisture and maize grain yield in Silte and Gurage zone of Ethiopia. No tillage, one-time tillage, two times tillage, and conventional tillage methods were evaluated. The treatments were laid out in randomized complete block design with three replications for three consecutive years (2018–2020). Besides soil moisture data, selected physical and chemical soil properties were collected. Economic analysis was also computed for each tillage method to select cost effective conservation tillage methods. The result reveals, conservation tillage methods had better soil infiltration and soil moisture content relative to conventional tillage. There was no significant difference between treatments in soil organic carbon, total nitrogen, and phosphorus in the top 10 cm in the Mareko site. However, except for phosphorus, significant differences (p < 0.05) between treatments in soil organic carbon and nitrogen were detected in the 10–20 cm depth. The maize yield and yield components are significantly affected by treatments at the Mareko site and not significant at Mito. The results support that conservation tillage tested in this study could contribute to the improvement of soil properties and maize yield in study sites.