Abstract
Deficits in soil moisture and low soil fertility are the major constraints to smallholder farming systems in the SSA (sub-Saharan Africa) region. This study evaluated the effects of tied ridging and selected soil fertility inputs on; soil water content at different depths, maize yields, and economic returns. The treatments were: Tithonia diversifolia + inorganic fertilizer, manure + inorganic fertilizer, inorganic fertilizer, and control with or without tied ridging as the soil water conservation factor. Data were subjected to analysis of variance, and the means were separated using LSD at p ≤ 0.05. Treatments with Tithonia diversifolia or manure combined with inorganic fertilizer with or without tied ridging consistently affected soil water content positively. The effect of tied ridging on soil water content was greater during the short rain season compared to the long rains. In addition, there was evidence that tied ridging and organic soil inputs resulted in greater soil moisture conservation during the critical silking and tasselling maize phenological stages during the short rain season. Treatments had significant effects on grain and stover yields during the long rain 2016 season (p < 0.0001 and p = 0.0477, respectively) and the short rain 2016 season (p < 0.0001 and p = 0.0035, respectively). The highest (4.87 Mg ha−1) maize grain yield was recorded in Tithonia diversifolia plus inorganic fertilizer under tied ridging in the long rain 2016 season, while manure + inorganic fertilizer without tied ridging gave the highest yields (1.27 Mg ha−1) in the short rain 2016 season. The highest net benefits of US$ 1229.90 ha−1 and US$ 171.57 ha−1 were recorded under Tithonia diversifolia plus inorganic fertilizer with tied ridging during the long and short rain seasons, respectively. Overall, the best-performing treatments in yields and profitability were those that combined organic and inorganic fertilizers, regardless of the presence or absence of tied ridging. Climate-smart agricultural strategies combining tied ridges and organic inputs should be an integral component of farmer management if losses related to soil fertility and water stress are to be minimized under erratic rainfall regimes in the semiarid farming systems of the SSA region.
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Claims 13
Claim · model-written summary
Tithonia diversifolia or manure combined with inorganic fertilizer consistently affected soil water content positively.
- Treatment
- Tithonia diversifolia or manure combined with inorganic fertilizere3
- Outcome
- soil water contente3
- Direction
- positivelye3
Zea maysNot reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“This study evaluated the effects of tied ridging and selected soil fertility inputs on; soil water content at different depths, maize yields, and economic returns”
e3“Treatments with Tithonia diversifolia or manure combined with inorganic fertilizer with or without tied ridging consistently affected soil water content positively”
Claim · model-written summary
The effect of tied ridging on soil water content was greater in the short rain season than in the long rains.
- Treatment
- tied ridginge4
- Outcome
- soil water contente4
- Direction
- greatere4
- Comparator
- the long rainse4
- Setting
- short rain seasone4
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“This study evaluated the effects of tied ridging and selected soil fertility inputs on; soil water content at different depths, maize yields, and economic returns”
e4“The effect of tied ridging on soil water content was greater during the short rain season compared to the long rains”
Claim · model-written summary
Tied ridging and organic soil inputs resulted in greater soil moisture conservation during the silking and tasselling stages in the short rain season.
- Organ / stage
- silking and tasselling maize phenological stagese5
- Treatment
- tied ridging and organic soil inputse5
- Outcome
- soil moisture conservatione5
- Direction
- greatere5
- Setting
- short rain seasone5
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“This study evaluated the effects of tied ridging and selected soil fertility inputs on; soil water content at different depths, maize yields, and economic returns”
e5“tied ridging and organic soil inputs resulted in greater soil moisture conservation during the critical silking and tasselling maize phenological stages during the short rain season”
Claim · model-written summary
Treatments had a significant effect on grain yield in the long rain 2016 season (p < 0.0001).
Not reportedComparatorDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“This study evaluated the effects of tied ridging and selected soil fertility inputs on; soil water content at different depths, maize yields, and economic returns”
e6“Treatments had significant effects on grain and stover yields during the long rain 2016 season (p < 0.0001 and p = 0.0477, respectively) and the short rain 2016 season (p < 0.0001 and p = 0.0035, respectively)”
Claim · model-written summary
Treatments had a significant effect on stover yield in the long rain 2016 season (p = 0.0477).
Not reportedComparatorDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“This study evaluated the effects of tied ridging and selected soil fertility inputs on; soil water content at different depths, maize yields, and economic returns”
e6“Treatments had significant effects on grain and stover yields during the long rain 2016 season (p < 0.0001 and p = 0.0477, respectively) and the short rain 2016 season (p < 0.0001 and p = 0.0035, respectively)”
Claim · model-written summary
Treatments had a significant effect on grain yield in the short rain 2016 season (p < 0.0001).
Not reportedComparatorDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“This study evaluated the effects of tied ridging and selected soil fertility inputs on; soil water content at different depths, maize yields, and economic returns”
e6“Treatments had significant effects on grain and stover yields during the long rain 2016 season (p < 0.0001 and p = 0.0477, respectively) and the short rain 2016 season (p < 0.0001 and p = 0.0035, respectively)”
Claim · model-written summary
Treatments had a significant effect on stover yield in the short rain 2016 season (p = 0.0035).
Not reportedComparatorDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“This study evaluated the effects of tied ridging and selected soil fertility inputs on; soil water content at different depths, maize yields, and economic returns”
e6“Treatments had significant effects on grain and stover yields during the long rain 2016 season (p < 0.0001 and p = 0.0477, respectively) and the short rain 2016 season (p < 0.0001 and p = 0.0035, respectively)”
Claim · model-written summary
Tithonia diversifolia plus inorganic fertilizer under tied ridging gave the highest maize grain yield, 4.87 Mg ha−1, in the long rain 2016 season.
- Treatment
- Tithonia diversifolia plus inorganic fertilizer under tied ridginge7
- Outcome
- maize grain yielde7
- Direction
- higheste7
- Value
- 4.87 Mg ha−1e7
- Setting
- long rain 2016 seasone7
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e7“The highest (4.87 Mg ha−1) maize grain yield was recorded in Tithonia diversifolia plus inorganic fertilizer under tied ridging in the long rain 2016 season”
Claim · model-written summary
Manure plus inorganic fertilizer without tied ridging gave the highest yields, 1.27 Mg ha−1, in the short rain 2016 season.
- Treatment
- manure + inorganic fertilizer without tied ridginge2
- Outcome
- yieldse2
- Direction
- higheste2
- Value
- 1.27 Mg ha−1e2
- Setting
- short rain 2016 seasone2
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“This study evaluated the effects of tied ridging and selected soil fertility inputs on; soil water content at different depths, maize yields, and economic returns”
e2“while manure + inorganic fertilizer without tied ridging gave the highest yields (1.27 Mg ha−1) in the short rain 2016 season”
Claim · model-written summary
Tithonia diversifolia plus inorganic fertilizer with tied ridging gave the highest net benefit, US$ 1229.90 ha−1, in the long rain season.
- Treatment
- Tithonia diversifolia plus inorganic fertilizer with tied ridginge2
- Outcome
- net benefitse2
- Direction
- higheste2
- Value
- US$ 1229.90 ha−1e2
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“This study evaluated the effects of tied ridging and selected soil fertility inputs on; soil water content at different depths, maize yields, and economic returns”
e2“The highest net benefits of US$ 1229.90 ha−1 and US$ 171.57 ha−1 were recorded under Tithonia diversifolia plus inorganic fertilizer with tied ridging during the long and short rain seasons, respectively”
Claim · model-written summary
Tithonia diversifolia plus inorganic fertilizer with tied ridging gave the highest net benefit, US$ 171.57 ha−1, in the short rain season.
- Treatment
- Tithonia diversifolia plus inorganic fertilizer with tied ridginge2
- Outcome
- net benefitse2
- Direction
- higheste2
- Value
- US$ 171.57 ha−1e2
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“This study evaluated the effects of tied ridging and selected soil fertility inputs on; soil water content at different depths, maize yields, and economic returns”
e2“The highest net benefits of US$ 1229.90 ha−1 and US$ 171.57 ha−1 were recorded under Tithonia diversifolia plus inorganic fertilizer with tied ridging during the long and short rain seasons, respectively”
Claim · model-written summary
The best-performing treatments in yields and profitability combined organic and inorganic fertilizers, with or without tied ridging.
- Treatment
- combined organic and inorganic fertilizerse2
- Outcome
- yields and profitabilitye2
- Direction
- best-performinge2
- Qualifier
- regardless of the presence or absence of tied ridginge2
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“This study evaluated the effects of tied ridging and selected soil fertility inputs on; soil water content at different depths, maize yields, and economic returns”
e2“the best-performing treatments in yields and profitability were those that combined organic and inorganic fertilizers, regardless of the presence or absence of tied ridging”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors recommend that climate-smart strategies combining tied ridges and organic inputs be an integral component of farmer management.
- Outcome
- integral component of farmer managemente2
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“This study evaluated the effects of tied ridging and selected soil fertility inputs on; soil water content at different depths, maize yields, and economic returns”
e2“Climate-smart agricultural strategies combining tied ridges and organic inputs should be an integral component of farmer management”
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