Abstract
Conservation agriculture, a sustainable farming practice combining no or minimum soil disturbance, crop diversification, and soil cover, can benefit humans and the biophysical environment. However, less than half of Sub-Saharan African countries implement conservation agriculture, and the majority of smallholder farmers are using unsustainable practices. Research and field trials on conservation agriculture adaptation to soil and agroecological conditions are vital for increasing adoption of conservation agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa. The objectives of this study were to (i) evaluate the change in soil chemical properties and soil biology from implementation of conservation agriculture, (ii) assess cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp.) yield and variability under conservation agriculture compared to the conventional farming practice, and (iii) evaluate differences in soil chemical properties, soil biology, and crop yields under conservation agriculture in savannah and forest ecosystems compared to conventional agriculture in smallholder farming in the province of Maniema in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Soils under conservation agriculture had 6.5 times more (p < 0.001) earthworms, 23% and 10% greater (p < 0.05) concentrations of soil phosphorus and potassium, respectively, and 100% greater (p < 0.001) cowpea yield than soils under conventional agriculture. Measured across all sites, conservation agriculture and conventional cowpea yields had coefficients of variation of 25% and 16%, respectively. This study showed for the first time that conservation agriculture implementation contributes to soil health and food security associated with smallholder farming in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
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Claims 6
Claim · model-written summary
Soils under conservation agriculture had 6.5 times more earthworms than soils under conventional agriculture.
- Taxon
- cowpea
Vigna unguiculatae0 - Treatment
- conservation agriculturee1
- Outcome
- earthwormse1
- Direction
- moree1
- Value
- 6.5 timese1
- Comparator
- conventional agriculturee3
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“(ii) assess cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp.) yield and variability under conservation agriculture compared to the conventional farming practice”
e1“Soils under conservation agriculture had 6.5 times more (p < 0.001) earthworms”
e3“100% greater (p < 0.001) cowpea yield than soils under conventional agriculture”
Claim · model-written summary
Soil phosphorus concentration was 23% greater under conservation agriculture than under conventional agriculture.
- Taxon
- cowpeaVigna unguiculatae0
- Treatment
- conservation agriculturee1
- Outcome
- concentrations of soil phosphoruse2
- Direction
- greatere2
- Value
- 23%e2
- Comparator
- conventional agriculturee3
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“(ii) assess cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp.) yield and variability under conservation agriculture compared to the conventional farming practice”
e1“Soils under conservation agriculture had 6.5 times more (p < 0.001) earthworms”
e2“23% and 10% greater (p < 0.05) concentrations of soil phosphorus and potassium, respectively”
e3“100% greater (p < 0.001) cowpea yield than soils under conventional agriculture”
Claim · model-written summary
Soil potassium concentration was 10% greater under conservation agriculture than under conventional agriculture.
- Taxon
- cowpeaVigna unguiculatae0
- Treatment
- conservation agriculturee1
- Outcome
- potassiume2
- Direction
- greatere2
- Value
- 10%e2
- Comparator
- conventional agriculturee3
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“(ii) assess cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp.) yield and variability under conservation agriculture compared to the conventional farming practice”
e1“Soils under conservation agriculture had 6.5 times more (p < 0.001) earthworms”
e2“23% and 10% greater (p < 0.05) concentrations of soil phosphorus and potassium, respectively”
e3“100% greater (p < 0.001) cowpea yield than soils under conventional agriculture”
Claim · model-written summary
Cowpea yield was 100% greater under conservation agriculture than under conventional agriculture.
- Taxon
- cowpeaVigna unguiculatae3
- Treatment
- conservation agriculturee1
- Outcome
- cowpea yielde3
- Direction
- greatere3
- Value
- 100%e3
- Comparator
- conventional agriculturee3
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“Soils under conservation agriculture had 6.5 times more (p < 0.001) earthworms”
e3“100% greater (p < 0.001) cowpea yield than soils under conventional agriculture”
Claim · model-written summary
Under conservation agriculture, cowpea yield had a coefficient of variation of 25% across all sites.
- Taxon
- cowpeaVigna unguiculatae4
- Treatment
- conservation agriculturee4
- Outcome
- coefficients of variatione4
- Value
- 25%e4
- Qualifier
- Measured across all sitese4
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e4“Measured across all sites, conservation agriculture and conventional cowpea yields had coefficients of variation of 25% and 16%, respectively”
Claim · model-written summary
Under conventional agriculture, cowpea yield had a coefficient of variation of 16% across all sites.
- Taxon
- cowpeaVigna unguiculatae4
- Outcome
- coefficients of variatione4
- Value
- 16%e4
- Qualifier
- conventional cowpea yieldse4
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e4“Measured across all sites, conservation agriculture and conventional cowpea yields had coefficients of variation of 25% and 16%, respectively”
The same questions in other papers
tillage · yield · Vigna unguiculata (cowpea)Results differ
26 papers in the same direction as this paper · 7 in the opposite direction · 1 reporting no difference from an alternative
- negative
- negative
- negative
31 papers more in this group
See all 35 papers →tillage · nutrient: content · Vigna unguiculata (cowpea)Results agree
2 papers in the same direction as this paper
- 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.