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Critical analysis of tillage practices with fertility levels in maize and populations in beans as adaptation measures to climate change to enhance food security at Kabete

OAR@ICRISAT

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Relation http://oar.icrisat.org/10186/
http://library.wur.nl/isric/fulltext/isricu_i34330_001.pdf
 
Title Critical analysis of tillage practices with fertility levels in maize and populations in beans as adaptation measures to climate change to enhance food security at Kabete
 
Creator Onyango, J W
Esilaba, A O
Rao, K P C
 
Subject Maize
Climate Change
Food Security
African Agriculture
Legume Crops
 
Description Trials were carried out in 2012/2013 short and 2013 long seasons at Kabete site representing a warm
and wet environment in Kenya to determine, the appropriateness of combining fertilizer levels for
maize and population levels with tied ridges for beans, as adaptation measures under changing
climate. The maize experiment consisted of three fertilizer levels of 0, 20 and 40 kg/ha N while the
bean experiment had three spacings of 12, 15 and 20 cm in a split plot design. The experiments were
replicated thrice and consisted of conventional tillage and tied ridges as main plots representing the
two soil water management practices while the three soil fertility levels (in maize N0, N20 and N40) or
spacing options (12, 15 and 20cm) were sub plots in a Completely Randomized Block Design. The
ridges were tied at intervals of 1 m and spaced at recommended crop spacings (i.e. 75cm for maize and
45cm for beans) and the crop planted on the slope of the ridge in 6 by 5 m plots. Basal phosphate (P205)
fertilizer in the form of Triple Superphosphate was applied at planting time at the rate of 40kg/ha.
Nitrogen in the form of Calcium Ammonium Nitrate was applied at 20 Kg/ha in the 20 and 40 N
treatments at planting and further 20kg/ha N top dressed in the 40 treatment level. Harvesting was
done at physiological maturity of grain which was air dried. Statistical analysis was done of the
treatments and comparisons done of the adaptation advantages of the treatments. Tied ridging
increased maize yields at the medium fertilizer level of 20 (+5.22%) but were negative under both zero
(-15.56%) and 40 kg/ha application of fertilizers (-5.42%). In the short season, increased bean spacing
from 12 to 20 decreased yields under normal (-13.6%) and tied ridges (-37.3%) but remained higher at
populations of 12 and 15. In the long season increasing bean population from spacing of 12 cm to 20 had
no advantage and under tied ridging compared to normal tillage. Tied ridging as a climate change
adaptive measure should not be instituted as a blanket recommendation across rainfall regimes, crops,
fertilization levels or plant populations and is more advantageous in drier seasons.
 
Date 2013
 
Type Conference or Workshop Item
PeerReviewed
 
Format application/pdf
 
Language en
 
Rights —
 
Identifier http://oar.icrisat.org/10186/1/isricu_i34330_001.pdf
Onyango, J W and Esilaba, A O and Rao, K P C (2013) Critical analysis of tillage practices with fertility levels in maize and populations in beans as adaptation measures to climate change to enhance food security at Kabete. In: Joint proceedings of the 27th Soil Science Society of East Africa and the 6th African Soil Science Society, October 20 – 25, 2013, Nakuru, Kenya.