Abstract
Abstract This study investigated the effect of conservation agriculture (CA) practices (e.g. no-tillage (NT) and maize-soybean (MS) intercrops) on the yield and profitability of maize and cotton within the first two years of a crop rotation system. A factorial design that compared two tillage practices (conventional tillage, CT and NT) and two cropping systems (sole maize, M and MS) was implemented on an experimental station in Northern Benin. All treatments were replicated thrice in 2022 and 2023. Soybean yield, maize grain yield and yield components, and seed-cotton yield and yield components were measured. Gross margin, labour productivity, and benefit:cost ratio were calculated, and a sensitivity analysis was done on the economic indicators under five scenarios (S0: gross margin calculation based on actual costs; S1: 30% higher fertiliser price; S2: 30% lower fertiliser price; S3 and S4, respectively: considering +/−1 standard deviation to the maize grain + soybean and seed-cotton yield). Tillage options and cropping systems significantly affected maize and cotton performance, but effects tended to vary between seasons. Treatment NT+MS produced the highest grain yield (4487 kg ha –1 ) and rain use efficiency (4.12 kg mm –1 ) in 2022, while CT+M produced the highest grain yield (3195 kg ha –1 ) and rain use efficiency (2.84 kg mm –1 ) in 2023. In the case of cotton, NT produced higher seed-cotton yield (1720 kg ha –1 ), boll number (7.38 bolls/plant), and rainfall use efficiency (1.56 kg mm –1 ) compared to CT in 2022. In 2023, cotton preceded by maize-soybean intercrops (NT+MS and CT+MS) produced significantly higher yield, aboveground and belowground biomass than cotton preceded by sole maize (NT+M and CT+M). For maize plus soybean, treatment NT+MS resulted in a significant increase in the gross margin, with an average of 582 US$ ha –1 with respect to CT+M under all scenarios in 2022, whereas CT+M and NT+MS attained a significantly higher maize/soybean gross margin in 2023. In the case of cotton, NT increased gross margin by 90-314% compared to CT across the sensitivity analysis scenarios in 2022. In 2023, cotton preceded by MS intercrops (NT+MS and CT+MS) showed a higher gross margin than preceded by sole crops (NT+M and CT+M) across all scenarios. To the well-documented effects of diversification on crop productivity, this study adds evidence on its positive impact on economic performance in a West African context. On-farm research and rural extension are necessary to further fine-tune these practices to fit the reality of smallholder cotton-based cropping systems of Benin.
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Claims 13
Claim · model-written summary
NT+MS gave the highest maize grain yield in 2022.
Zea maysNot reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Treatment NT+MS produced the highest grain yield (4487 kg ha –1 ) and rain use efficiency (4.12 kg mm –1 ) in 2022”
t0“maize-cotton rotations”
Claim · model-written summary
NT+MS gave the highest maize rain use efficiency in 2022.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Treatment NT+MS produced the highest grain yield (4487 kg ha –1 ) and rain use efficiency (4.12 kg mm –1 ) in 2022”
t0“maize-cotton rotations”
Claim · model-written summary
CT+M gave the highest maize grain yield in 2023.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“CT+M produced the highest grain yield (3195 kg ha –1 ) and rain use efficiency (2.84 kg mm –1 ) in 2023”
t0“maize-cotton rotations”
Claim · model-written summary
CT+M gave the highest maize rain use efficiency in 2023.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“CT+M produced the highest grain yield (3195 kg ha –1 ) and rain use efficiency (2.84 kg mm –1 ) in 2023”
t0“maize-cotton rotations”
Claim · model-written summary
NT raised cotton yield relative to CT in 2022.
- Taxon
- cotton
Gossypium hirsutume0 - Treatment
- NTe0
- Outcome
- seed-cotton yielde0
- Direction
- highere0
- Value
- 1720 kg ha –1e0
- Comparator
- CTe0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“NT produced higher seed-cotton yield (1720 kg ha –1 ), boll number (7.38 bolls/plant), and rainfall use efficiency (1.56 kg mm –1 ) compared to CT in 2022”
Claim · model-written summary
NT raised cotton boll number relative to CT in 2022.
- Taxon
- cottonGossypium hirsutume0
- Treatment
- NTe0
- Outcome
- boll numbere0
- Direction
- highere0
- Value
- 7.38 bolls/plante0
- Comparator
- CTe0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“NT produced higher seed-cotton yield (1720 kg ha –1 ), boll number (7.38 bolls/plant), and rainfall use efficiency (1.56 kg mm –1 ) compared to CT in 2022”
Claim · model-written summary
NT raised cotton rainfall use efficiency relative to CT in 2022.
- Taxon
- cottonGossypium hirsutume0
- Treatment
- NTe0
- Outcome
- rainfall use efficiencye0
- Direction
- highere0
- Value
- 1.56 kg mm –1e0
- Comparator
- CTe0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“NT produced higher seed-cotton yield (1720 kg ha –1 ), boll number (7.38 bolls/plant), and rainfall use efficiency (1.56 kg mm –1 ) compared to CT in 2022”
Claim · model-written summary
Cotton following maize-soybean intercrops had higher yield and biomass than cotton following sole maize in 2023.
- Taxon
- cottonGossypium hirsutume0
- Treatment
- maize-soybean intercropse0
- Outcome
- yield, aboveground and belowground biomasse0
- Direction
- highere0
- Comparator
- sole maizee0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“cotton preceded by maize-soybean intercrops (NT+MS and CT+MS) produced significantly higher yield, aboveground and belowground biomass than cotton preceded by sole maize (NT+M and CT+M)”
Claim · model-written summary
NT+MS increased maize-soybean gross margin relative to CT+M in 2022 across scenarios.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“treatment NT+MS resulted in a significant increase in the gross margin, with an average of 582 US$ ha –1 with respect to CT+M under all scenarios in 2022”
t0“maize-cotton rotations”
Claim · model-written summary
CT+M and NT+MS had higher maize-soybean gross margin in 2023.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“CT+M and NT+MS attained a significantly higher maize/soybean gross margin in 2023”
Claim · model-written summary
NT increased cotton gross margin relative to CT in 2022.
- Taxon
- cottonGossypium hirsutumt0
- Treatment
- NTe0
- Outcome
- gross margine0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Value
- 90-314%e0
- Comparator
- CTe0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“NT increased gross margin by 90-314% compared to CT across the sensitivity analysis scenarios in 2022”
t0“cotton”
Claim · model-written summary
Cotton following intercropped maize-soybean had higher gross margin than following sole crops in 2023.
- Taxon
- cottonGossypium hirsutume0
- Treatment
- MS intercropse0
- Outcome
- gross margine0
- Direction
- highere0
- Comparator
- sole cropse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“cotton preceded by MS intercrops (NT+MS and CT+MS) showed a higher gross margin than preceded by sole crops (NT+M and CT+M) across all scenarios”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors recommend on-farm research and extension to adapt these practices to smallholder cotton systems.
- Taxon
- cottonGossypium hirsutume0
- Outcome
- On-farm research and rural extensione0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“On-farm research and rural extension are necessary to further fine-tune these practices to fit the reality of smallholder cotton-based cropping systems of Benin.”
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