Abstract
No-till planting basins are promoted using seed and fertiliser inputs as incentives for their widespread uptake in Zimbabwe. Notill planting basins are planting holes measuring 15 cm width x 15 cm length x 18-20 depth, spaced 60 cm within the row and 75- 90 cm between rows leaving up to 90% of the soil surface undisturbed. They are intended to conserve moisture and improve the targeting of nutrient application. We evaluated the effect of planting basins on crop yield and labour requirement in an on-farm experiment over two seasons in Murehwa district, Zimbabwe. The experiment was established in clay and sandy soils, in two fields types; degraded and better managed fields in 2009/2010 and 2010/2011 seasons. Two tillage treatments i.e mouldboard ploughing and no-till planting basins were tested. Tillage plots measured 1080 m2 (18 m x 60 m) and labour hours were derived by direct measurement in these plots. Due to grazing in the dry season, soil surface cover by crop residues in the experimental fields was less than 10% in both seasons. Previous field management, nutrient management in the experiment and season had a significant effect on crop yields (p <0.001); there was no significant effect of tillage. The largest maize grain yield of 5.6 t ha-1 was obtained with a combination of 3 t of manure and 60 kg N ha-1 under conventional tillage the equivalent treatment under planting basins yielded 4.6 t ha-1 in the 2009-2010 season. Rainfall was poorly distributed in 2010-2011 season and the same treatment gave the largest grain yield of 1.6 t ha-1 under conventional tillage and 1.2 t ha-1 under no-till planting basins. Land preparation under conventional tillage required 6 man days ha-1 while making planting basins required 27 man days' ha-1 for the clay soils and 15 man days ha-1 for the sand soils. Weeding in planting basins required 40% more labour compared with conventional tillage (12 man days ha-1) due to greater weed densities associated with no-tillage. Planting basins did not enhance moisture conservation in a the 2010-2011 season when rainfall was poorly distributed. The increased labour requirement suggests it is unlikely that farmers will abandon the plough in favour of the hand hoe especially if they own cattle. Planting basins are easier to make in sandy soils and require less labour than in clay soils. Conversely, they are easier to maintain in clay soils than in sandy soils. Although planting basins were practiced by about 98% of farmers, the maximum land size allocated to planting basins was only 0.2 ha per farm, 10% of the landholding at most. Given that planting basins increase the labour burden but not crop yield, widespread adoption by smallholder farmers seems unlikely. (Texte integral)
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Claims 16
Claim · model-written summary
Previous field management, nutrient management and season significantly affected crop yield.
Not reportedTaxonDirection
Verbatim
e0“Previous field management, nutrient management in the experiment and season had a significant effect on crop yields (p <0.001)”
Claim · model-written summary
Tillage had no significant effect on crop yield.
Not reportedTaxonComparator
Verbatim
e0“there was no significant effect of tillage”
e1“effect of planting basins on crop yield”
Claim · model-written summary
Under conventional tillage with manure and nitrogen, maize grain yield reached 5.6 t ha-1 in 2009-2010.
- Treatment
- 3 t of manure and 60 kg N ha-1 under conventional tillagee0
- Outcome
- maize grain yielde0
- Direction
- largeste0
- Value
- 5.6 t ha-1e0
Zea maysOrganisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“largest maize grain yield of 5.6 t ha-1 was obtained with a combination of 3 t of manure and 60 kg N ha-1 under conventional tillage”
Claim · model-written summary
The equivalent planting basin treatment yielded 4.6 t ha-1 in 2009-2010.
- Treatment
- planting basinse0
- Outcome
- maize grain yielde1
- Direction
- yieldede0
- Value
- 4.6 t ha-1e0
- Qualifier
- 2009-2010 seasone0
- Comparator
- conventional tillagee1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“the equivalent treatment under planting basins yielded 4.6 t ha-1 in the 2009-2010 season”
e1“largest maize grain yield of 5.6 t ha-1 was obtained with a combination of 3 t of manure and 60 kg N ha-1 under conventional tillage”
Claim · model-written summary
Conventional tillage produced 1.6 t ha-1, the largest yield in the poorly distributed rainfall season.
Not reportedTaxon
Verbatim
e0“same treatment gave the largest grain yield of 1.6 t ha-1 under conventional tillage”
Claim · model-written summary
Planting basins produced 1.2 t ha-1 in the poorly distributed rainfall season.
- Treatment
- no-till planting basinse0
- Outcome
- grain yielde1
- Value
- 1.2 t ha-1e0
- Comparator
- conventional tillagee1
Not reportedTaxonDirection
Verbatim
e0“1.2 t ha-1 under no-till planting basins”
e1“largest grain yield of 1.6 t ha-1 under conventional tillage”
Claim · model-written summary
Conventional land preparation required 6 man days ha-1.
Not reportedTaxon
Verbatim
e0“Land preparation under conventional tillage required 6 man days ha-1”
Claim · model-written summary
Making planting basins required 27 man days per hectare in clay soil.
- Treatment
- planting basinse0
- Outcome
- Land preparatione1
- Value
- 27 man days' ha-1e0
- Comparator
- conventional tillagee1
- Setting
- clay soilse0
Not reportedTaxonDirection
Verbatim
e0“making planting basins required 27 man days' ha-1 for the clay soils”
e1“Land preparation under conventional tillage required 6 man days ha-1”
Claim · model-written summary
Making planting basins required 15 man days per hectare in sandy soil.
- Treatment
- planting basinse1
- Outcome
- Land preparatione2
- Value
- 15 man days ha-1e0
- Comparator
- conventional tillagee2
- Setting
- sand soilse0
Not reportedTaxonDirection
Verbatim
e0“15 man days ha-1 for the sand soils”
e1“making planting basins required 27 man days' ha-1 for the clay soils”
e2“Land preparation under conventional tillage required 6 man days ha-1”
Claim · model-written summary
Weeding planting basins required 40% more labour than conventional tillage.
- Treatment
- planting basinse0
- Interactor
- weede0weed
- Outcome
- laboure0
- Direction
- moree0
- Value
- 40%e0
- Qualifier
- 12 man days ha-1e0
- Comparator
- conventional tillagee0
Not reportedTaxon
Verbatim
e0“Weeding in planting basins required 40% more labour compared with conventional tillage (12 man days ha-1) due to greater weed densities associated with no-tillage”
Claim · model-written summary
Planting basins did not improve moisture conservation during poorly distributed rainfall.
- Treatment
- Planting basinse0
- Outcome
- moisture conservatione0
- Direction
- did not enhancee0
- Qualifier
- when rainfall was poorly distributede0
Not reportedTaxonComparator
Verbatim
e0“Planting basins did not enhance moisture conservation in a the 2010-2011 season when rainfall was poorly distributed”
Claim · model-written summary
Planting basins were easier to make and required less labour in sandy than clay soils.
Not reportedTaxon
Verbatim
e0“Planting basins are easier to make in sandy soils and require less labour than in clay soils”
Claim · model-written summary
Planting basins were easier to maintain in clay than sandy soils.
Not reportedTaxon
Verbatim
e0“they are easier to maintain in clay soils than in sandy soils”
Claim · model-written summary
About 98% of farmers practiced planting basins.
Not reportedTaxon
Verbatim
e0“planting basins were practiced by about 98% of farmers”
Claim · model-written summary
The maximum area under planting basins was 0.2 ha per farm, at most 10% of landholding.
- Outcome
- land size allocated to planting basinse0
- Value
- 0.2 ha per farme0
- Qualifier
- 10% of the landholding at moste0
Not reportedTaxon
Verbatim
e0“maximum land size allocated to planting basins was only 0.2 ha per farm, 10% of the landholding at most”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors consider widespread adoption of planting basins unlikely because of labour burden without yield gain.
- Outcome
- widespread adoption by smallholder farmers seems unlikelye0
Not reportedTaxon
Verbatim
e0“Given that planting basins increase the labour burden but not crop yield, widespread adoption by smallholder farmers seems unlikely”
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