Abstract
Intensive tillage is a major sustainability concern in cereal dominated cropping systems in the drylands of Tigray, Ethiopia. Hence, on-farm trials were conducted to investigate the yield and economic advantage of reduced tillage and intercropping for two seasons. A factorial experiment in a complete randomized block design was carried out at Adigudom located in Hintalo-Wajirat district in South-Eastern Tigray in 2014 (rain-fed) and 2015 (irrigated). The experiment consisted of four tillage frequencies (zero, one, two and four) and three types of cropping systems (sole maize, sole soybean and maize-soybean intercropping) in three/four replications. Maize, variety “Melkassa 2”, and soybean, variety “Awassa 91” were used. Grain and biomass yields, and harvest index of both crops were analysed. Yield advantage of intercropping was evaluated using land equivalent ratio (LER) and partial budget analysis was used for the financial evaluation. The grain and biomass yields of both crops were significantly increased (p<0.05) as the tillage frequencies increased from zero to four in both seasons but the frequent tillage with sole cropping was not economically viable as the two times tillage with maize-soybean intercropping gave 126% greater net benefit compared to the four times tillage sole maize, which is practiced by farmers in the study area. The net benefit was strongly influenced by the main effects of tillage and intercropping in both seasons (p<0.001) and by their interaction in 2014 (p<0.05). Significantly higher LER (1.87-2.12) was recorded from maize-soybean intercropping over sole cropping in all the tillages and both seasons. Hence, two alternative options are suggested that farmers could apply in the drylands of Tigray: (i) keeping the sole cropping culture of maize production, and reducing number of tillages from 4 to 2 that would give 374%and 705% Marginal Rate of Return (MRR), respectively, under the rainfed and irrigated conditions compared to zero tillage sole maize; or (ii) intercropping maize with soybean and reducing tillage frequency from 4to 2 that would give 608% and 585% MRR in the respective growing seasons, compared to zero tillage maize-soybean intercropping. Taking these results into account, two times tillage combined with maize-soybean intercropping can be a good option in dryland areas of Tigray to achieve higher total intercrop yield at a low cost and larger LER. Moreover, reduced tillage can minimize soil degradation and benefit farmers with poor access to draft power or female-headed households constrained with labour for ploughing.Keywords: Tillage; Intercropping; Maize; Soybean; Tigray; Ethiopia.Please find erratum for this article here: https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/mejs.v11i1.10
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Claims 12
Claim · model-written summary
Grain and biomass yields of maize increased significantly as tillage frequency rose from zero to four in both seasons.
- Treatment
- tillage frequenciese1
- Outcome
- grain and biomass yieldse1
- Direction
- increasede1
- Qualifier
- from zero to four in both seasonse1
Zea maysOrganisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“The grain and biomass yields of both crops were significantly increased (p<0.05) as the tillage frequencies increased from zero to four in both seasons”
e2“Maize, variety “Melkassa 2”, and soybean, variety “Awassa 91” were used”
Claim · model-written summary
Grain and biomass yields of soybean increased significantly as tillage frequency rose from zero to four in both seasons.
- Taxon
- soybean
Glycine maxe2 - Treatment
- tillage frequenciese1
- Outcome
- grain and biomass yieldse1
- Direction
- increasede1
- Qualifier
- from zero to four in both seasonse1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“The grain and biomass yields of both crops were significantly increased (p<0.05) as the tillage frequencies increased from zero to four in both seasons”
e2“Maize, variety “Melkassa 2”, and soybean, variety “Awassa 91” were used”
Claim · model-written summary
Land equivalent ratio of maize-soybean intercropping was significantly higher than sole cropping in all tillage frequencies and both seasons (LER 1.87-2.12).
- Treatment
- maize-soybean intercroppinge1
- Outcome
- LERe1
- Direction
- highere1
- Value
- 1.87-2.12e1
- Qualifier
- in all the tillages and both seasonse1
- Comparator
- sole croppinge1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“Significantly higher LER (1.87-2.12) was recorded from maize-soybean intercropping over sole cropping in all the tillages and both seasons”
Claim · model-written summary
Two tillages with maize-soybean intercropping gave 126% greater net benefit than four tillages with sole maize.
- Treatment
- two times tillage with maize-soybean intercroppinge1
- Outcome
- net benefite1
- Direction
- greatere1
- Value
- 126%e1
- Comparator
- four times tillage sole maizee1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“the two times tillage with maize-soybean intercropping gave 126% greater net benefit compared to the four times tillage sole maize”
Claim · model-written summary
Net benefit of maize was strongly influenced by the main effects of tillage and intercropping and by their interaction in 2014 (p<0.05).
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“The net benefit was strongly influenced by the main effects of tillage and intercropping in both seasons (p<0.001) and by their interaction in 2014 (p<0.05)”
e2“Maize, variety “Melkassa 2”, and soybean, variety “Awassa 91” were used”
Claim · model-written summary
Reducing sole maize tillages from four to two gave a marginal rate of return of 374% under rainfed conditions relative to zero-tillage sole maize.
- Treatment
- reducing number of tillages from 4 to 2e1
- Outcome
- Marginal Rate of Return (MRR)e1
- Direction
- higherinferrede1
- Value
- 374%e1
- Comparator
- zero tillage sole maizee1
- Setting
- rainfede1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“reducing number of tillages from 4 to 2 that would give 374%and 705% Marginal Rate of Return (MRR), respectively, under the rainfed and irrigated conditions compared to zero tillage sole maize”
Claim · model-written summary
Reducing sole maize tillages from four to two gave a marginal rate of return of 705% under irrigated conditions relative to zero-tillage sole maize.
- Treatment
- reducing number of tillages from 4 to 2e1
- Outcome
- Marginal Rate of Return (MRR)e1
- Direction
- higherinferrede1
- Value
- 705%e1
- Comparator
- zero tillage sole maizee1
- Setting
- irrigatede1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“reducing number of tillages from 4 to 2 that would give 374%and 705% Marginal Rate of Return (MRR), respectively, under the rainfed and irrigated conditions compared to zero tillage sole maize”
Claim · model-written summary
Reducing tillage frequency from four to two in maize-soybean intercropping gave a marginal rate of return of 608% relative to zero-tillage intercropping.
- Treatment
- reducing tillage frequency from 4to 2e1
- Outcome
- MRRe1
- Direction
- higherinferrede1
- Value
- 608%e1
- Qualifier
- in the respective growing seasonse1
- Comparator
- zero tillage maize-soybean intercroppinge1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“intercropping maize with soybean and reducing tillage frequency from 4to 2 that would give 608% and 585% MRR in the respective growing seasons, compared to zero tillage maize-soybean intercropping”
Claim · model-written summary
Reducing tillage frequency from four to two in maize-soybean intercropping gave a marginal rate of return of 585% relative to zero-tillage intercropping.
- Treatment
- reducing tillage frequency from 4to 2e1
- Outcome
- MRRe1
- Direction
- higherinferrede1
- Value
- 585%e1
- Qualifier
- in the respective growing seasonse1
- Comparator
- zero tillage maize-soybean intercroppinge1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“intercropping maize with soybean and reducing tillage frequency from 4to 2 that would give 608% and 585% MRR in the respective growing seasons, compared to zero tillage maize-soybean intercropping”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors suggest two alternative options for farmers in the drylands of Tigray: sole maize with reduced tillage or maize-soybean intercropping with reduced tillage.
- Outcome
- two alternative optionse1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“Hence, two alternative options are suggested that farmers could apply in the drylands of Tigray”
e2“Maize, variety “Melkassa 2”, and soybean, variety “Awassa 91” were used”
Claim · model-written summary
Two tillages combined with maize-soybean intercropping can be a good option in Tigray drylands for higher total intercrop yield at low cost and larger LER.
- Treatment
- two times tillage combined with maize-soybean intercroppinge1
- Outcome
- higher total intercrop yielde1
- Qualifier
- at a low cost and larger LERe1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“two times tillage combined with maize-soybean intercropping can be a good option in dryland areas of Tigray to achieve higher total intercrop yield at a low cost and larger LER”
Claim · model-written summary
Reduced tillage can minimize soil degradation and benefit farmers with poor access to draft power or labour for ploughing.
- Outcome
- soil degradatione1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“reduced tillage can minimize soil degradation and benefit farmers with poor access to draft power or female-headed households constrained with labour for ploughing”
e2“Maize, variety “Melkassa 2”, and soybean, variety “Awassa 91” were used”
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