Intensification of Sorghum Production in Flood Recession Agriculture in Yelimane, Western Mali

Kalifa Traore,Bouya Traore,Jens B Aune,Gry Synnevåg

doi:10.3390/agronomy10050726

Kalifa Traore, Bouya Traore + Show 2 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy10050726

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Abstract

Flood recession farming is as an important supplement to rainfed agriculture in West Africa. Every year, large areas are flooded along riverbanks and temporary lakes. When water recedes from the flooded areas, farmers plant crops. This study describes the flood recession farming in the Yelimane district of Kayes region in Mali and assesses different ways to intensify the system. The use of external inputs in this system is minimal. Field experiments were undertaken over two years to test crop establishment methods, soil tillage, increasing plant density, use of organic and mineral fertilizer, and improved varieties. These technologies increased sorghum yield as compared to the control in the following descending order: Seed priming + fertilizer (77.1%), NPK + organic fertilizer (74%), seedling transplantation + micro fertilization (61.3%), improved varieties (49%), mounding (34%), and urea application (24.9%). The technology seed priming in combination with mineral fertilizers was promising because of the high yield and the low labor demand. Nitrogen fertilizer is needed in flood recession agriculture as the soils and the deposited sediments are low in nitrogen. Farmers’ choice of technology will depend on the yield level, net return per hectare, labor use, and access to inputs.

Highlights

Crops grown in flood recession agriculture use residual soil moisture that is stored in the soil profile after water recedes from annually inundated floods plain, temporary lakes, or seasonal wetlands.Cultivation in the Nile delta in Egypt is the classical example of flood recession farming [1]
Nitrogen fertilizer is needed in flood recession agriculture as the soils and the deposited sediments are low in nitrogen
Soils in flood recession farming are relatively rich as the yearly flooding brings sediments that are deposited in the flooded area [2]

Summary

Introduction

Crops grown in flood recession agriculture use residual soil moisture that is stored in the soil profile after water recedes from annually inundated floods plain, temporary lakes, or seasonal wetlands.Cultivation in the Nile delta in Egypt is the classical example of flood recession farming [1]. Crops grown in flood recession agriculture use residual soil moisture that is stored in the soil profile after water recedes from annually inundated floods plain, temporary lakes, or seasonal wetlands. The major area for flood recession farming in Mali is in the temporary lakes flooded by the Niger river in the districts of Goundam and Dire (Tombouctou region). There is a high year-to-year variation in land available for flood recession farming as a result of variable flooding in the watershed. In Yelimane district in northwestern Mali, flood recession farming is practiced in the temporary lakes Terekole, Kolombine, and Magui. These lakes are flooded as a result of direct precipitation on the floodplain, and runoff from areas at a higher elevation in the watershed. Flood recession farming is vital for food security in the district as rainfed farming is Agronomy 2020, 10, 726; doi:10.3390/agronomy10050726 www.mdpi.com/journal/agronomy

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