Journal of Agricultural Science and Food Technology

Research Paper|Published January 2020|Vol.6 (1):19-27

https://doi.org/10.36630/jasft_20001

 

Sorghum and Cowpea Yields as Influenced by Tillage, Soil Amendment and Cropping System in the Sudano-Sahelian Agroecological Zone of Burkina Faso

 

Pale S^1*,Taonda SJB¹,Serme I¹,Ouattara K¹,Mason SC² and Sohoro A¹

¹Intitut de l’Environnement et de Recherches Agricoles, 04 B.P.8645 Ouagadougou 04, Burkina Faso.

²University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, 279 Plant Science, P.O. Box 830915, Lincoln, NE 68583-0915, USA.

ABSTRACT

Grain sorghum and cowpea yields are decreasing in the Sudano-Sahelian agroecological zone of Burkina Faso due to soil nutrient levels declination. Sole cropped grain sorghum (Exp. 1) and sorghum intercropped with cowpea (Exp. 2) were conducted in a randomized complete block design with split plot arrangement of treatments and three replications. The main plot was tillage method in both studies and the sub-plot was soil amendment (compost, crop residues and mineral fertilizer) in Exp. 1 and cropping system with soil amendment (compost and mineral fertilizer) in Exp. 2. The objective was to identify the best combination of tillage method, soil amendment type and cropping system to optimize sorghum and cowpea yields. For both experiments, averaged across years, yields were greater with scarifying and zaï, particularly in the higher rainfall season. Yields were lower in the lower rainfall year. In Exp. 1, zaï and scarifying produced greater grain yields. In Exp. 1 greater yield was obtained with compost + fertilizer + crop residues (C + F + CR) than no soil amendment. Yield increases ranged from 74 to 170% according to year. In Exp. 2, greater sorghum grain yields occurred with the use of zaï. Lower cowpea yields occurred in 2014 with grain yield of 424 ha^-1 and stover yield of 644 kg ha^-1. Averaged across tillage methods, soil amendments showed higher grain yield in all tillage methods with C + F. In conclusion, zaï technique with C + F can be recommended for the Sudano-Sahelian Burkina Faso.

 

Keywords: Compost, Mineral fertilizer, Crop residues, Sole and intercrop, Scarifying, Zaï.

 

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