Abstract
This paper investigates the interactive effects that tillage and mulch types have on soil and crop canopy temperature and the subsequent influence on final grain yields of a sorghum (Sorghum bicolor var rakodzi) crop stand. Two experimental sites, one farmer managed, and the other researcher managed were established in Mbire District of Mashonaland West Province in Zimbabwe during the 2020/2021 Zimbabwean farming season. A 3x4 factorial experiment laid in a Randomized Complete Block Design with three replications, was conducted to investigate the hypothesis that tillage and mulch have no effect on soil and crop canopy temperatures. Significant interactions (P<0.05) occurred between mulch and tillage types to influence canopy temperature at critical stages oflate vegetative and grain filling at 25 and 75 days after sowing, respectively. Mulch and tillage types also interacted significantly (p<0.05) at critical stages of booting and grain filling at 50 and 75 days after sowing respectively to subsequently influence final grain yield. Sorghum straw used as mulch in raised beds resulted in the highest grain yields of 2.89 tons Ha-1. Conversely, lowest grain yields were realized from raised beds with no mulch as 1.89 tons Ha-1. Thus, it was established that tillage and mulch can interact to affect both crop canopy and soil temperature at crop critical stages that will in turn impact on crop final grain yields. Farmers in the semi-arid regions of Zimbabwe are encouraged to be cognisant of this interactive effect tomaximise sorghum crop productivity.
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Claims 4
Claim · model-written summary
Mulch and tillage interacted significantly to affect canopy temperature at late vegetative and grain-filling stages.
SorghumNot reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Significant interactions (P<0.05) occurred between mulch and tillage types to influence canopy temperature at critical stages oflate vegetative and grain filling at 25 and 75 days after sowing, respectively.”
t0“Yield of Sorghum”
Claim · model-written summary
Mulch and tillage interacted significantly at booting and grain filling to influence final grain yield.
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Mulch and tillage types also interacted significantly (p<0.05) at critical stages of booting and grain filling at 50 and 75 days after sowing respectively to subsequently influence final grain yield.”
t0“Yield of Sorghum”
Claim · model-written summary
Sorghum straw mulch on raised beds gave the highest grain yield, 2.89 tons Ha-1.
- Treatment
- Sorghum straw used as mulch in raised bedse0
- Outcome
- grain yieldse0
- Direction
- higheste0
- Value
- 2.89 tons Ha-1e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Sorghum straw used as mulch in raised beds resulted in the highest grain yields of 2.89 tons Ha-1.”
Claim · model-written summary
Raised beds without mulch gave the lowest grain yield, 1.89 tons Ha-1.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“lowest grain yields were realized from raised beds with no mulch as 1.89 tons Ha-1.”
t0“Yield of Sorghum”
The same questions in other papers
mulching · yield · SorghumResults differ
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- negative
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See all 33 papers →tillage · yield · SorghumResults differ
101 papers in the same direction as this paper · 17 in the opposite direction · 4 reporting no difference from an alternative
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- negative
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See all 123 papers →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.