Abstract
Smallholder farming under rainfed low input crop production in central Mozambique is characterised by decline in soil fertility, low yields and risks of crop failure. To revert this situation, conservation agriculture (CA) based on minimum soil disturbance, crop residue retention and crop rotations has been promoted in the region since the late 1990s. This study presents the results of a CA long term trial (LTT) initiated in the year 2006 at Sussundenga Research Station (central Mozambique). The trial monitors and evaluates the effects over time of CA practices on crop yield, soil quality, weeds, pests and diseases. The LTT is designed as a completely randomized block with four replications: one conventional tilled treatment with sole maize (Zea mays L.), using the mouldboard plough and residue removal and nine CA treatments with residue retention using different seeding technologies and crop rotations of maize with sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) and beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.). Apart from mouldboard ploughing, three different seeding technologies are studied in the LTT: direct seeding with animal traction, manual planting basins and the jab planter. Local climate at Sussundenga is wet semi-arid, the soil type is a Haplic Lixisol (FAO soil classification system) with a sandy loam surface soil texture. High termite activity in the area prevented the accumulation of crop residues in CA plots. Therefore, field results did not show significant differences in maize yield and soil fauna activity. Infiltration was significantly higher (16-30% higher) on CA plots where beans were previously planted in maize-sunflower-beans rotation compared to the conventional tilled treatment. This study did not show immediate benefits of CA for quick adoption by smallholder farmers. However, field observation suggest significant labour gains when fields are direct seeded instead of traditionally cultivated with the mouldboard plough.
Abstract from the paper’s OpenAlex record, shown for indexing and research. Copyright remains with the authors or the publisher. Read at the source ↗
The text the model read, with the source record’s inline markup (italics, sub- and superscripts) rendered and its character entities decoded; quote offsets refer to the raw text.
Claims 6
Claim · model-written summary
Termite activity prevented crop residue accumulation in conservation agriculture plots.
Not reportedTaxon
Verbatim
e0“High termite activity in the area prevented the accumulation of crop residues in CA plots.”
Claim · model-written summary
Conservation agriculture did not produce a significant maize yield difference.
Zea maysNot reportedTreatmentComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Therefore, field results did not show significant differences in maize yield and soil fauna activity.”
Claim · model-written summary
Soil fauna activity did not differ significantly.
Not reportedTaxonTreatmentComparator
Verbatim
e0“Therefore, field results did not show significant differences in maize yield and soil fauna activity.”
Claim · model-written summary
Infiltration was 16-30% higher after beans in the maize-sunflower-beans rotation than under conventional tillage.
Verbatim
e0“Infiltration was significantly higher (16-30% higher) on CA plots where beans were previously planted in maize-sunflower-beans rotation compared to the conventional tilled treatment.”
Claim · model-written summary
The study found no immediate benefit of conservation agriculture for quick smallholder adoption.
- Outcome
- immediate benefits of CA for quick adoption by smallholder farmerse0
Not reportedTaxon
Verbatim
e0“This study did not show immediate benefits of CA for quick adoption by smallholder farmers.”
Claim · model-written summary
Field observations suggested labour gains from direct seeding relative to mouldboard ploughing.
- Treatment
- direct seedede0
- Outcome
- labour gainse0
- Direction
- gainse0
- Comparator
- traditionally cultivated with the mouldboard ploughe0
Not reportedTaxon
Verbatim
e0“field observation suggest significant labour gains when fields are direct seeded instead of traditionally cultivated with the mouldboard plough.”
The same questions in other papers
rotation · soil: physics · Phaseolus vulgaris (common bean)Positive and negative results
1 in the opposite direction
- negative
tillage · soil: physics · Phaseolus vulgaris (common bean)Positive and negative results
2 papers in the same direction as this paper · 1 in the opposite direction
- negative
- positive
- positive
Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.