Abstract
Yield-phenology relation is a critical issue affecting rainfed maize field productivity in semiarid east African Plateau (EAP). We first introduced Chinese ridge-furrow mulching (RFM) system to EAP, using three maize cultivars with early-, mid- and late-maturing traits as test materials. A two-year field experiment was conducted in a semiarid farm of Kenya from 2012 to 2013. Three treatments were designed: alternative ridge and furrow with transparent plastic mulching (FT), with black plastic mulching (FB) and without mulching (CK). We found that FT and FB significantly increased soil moisture and accelerated crop maturity across two growing seasons. Leaf area and shoot biomass were increased by 30.2% and 67.5% in FT, 35.2% and 73.5% in FB, respectively, compared with CK. Grain yield, water use efficiency and economic output were increased by 55.6%, 57.5% and 26.7% in FT, and 50.8%, 53.3% and 19.8% in FB, respectively. Optimal yield and economic benefit were observed in late-maturing cultivar due to increased topsoil temperature in FT in 2012 (cool), and in early-maturing cultivar owing to cooling effect in FB in 2013 (warm). Our study suggested RFM system, combined with crop phenology selection, be a promising strategy to boost maize productivity and profitability in semiarid EAP.
Highlights
Arid and semiarid areas account for more than 40% of total land area of east African Plateau (EAP), and regional climate feature is characterized by low, erratic rainfall and high evaporation[1]
When the data was subjected to two-way analyses of variance (ANOVA), the combination between crop genotypes and mulching treatments significantly affected the dynamics of soil water storage (SWS) at the jointing stage
The introduced on-field rainwater harvesting practices, alternative ridge-furrow with film mulching, significantly increased maize yield, water use efficiency and economic benefits compared with conventional planting pattern
Summary
Arid and semiarid areas account for more than 40% of total land area of east African Plateau (EAP), and regional climate feature is characterized by low, erratic rainfall and high evaporation[1]. Inappropriate use of these technologies and insufficient participation by farmers further lead to failed adoption processes and weaker-than-expected effects[9, 12, 13] Facing such problems aforementioned, an innovative in situ rainwater harvesting system, i.e. ridge-furrow mulching system (RFMS), has been established and extensively used in dryland agriculture over last two decades in semiarid Loess Plateau (LP) of China[14]. The RFMS has been deemed as a useful farming practice to increase soil water availability, moderate thermal balance and prolong the duration of desired growth stage It is unclear how the coupling relationship between RFMS and phenological selection would be, in terms of crop yield output and water use efficiency in EAP
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