Record Details

Effects of management practices on legume productivity in smallholder farming systems in sub-Saharan Africa

CGSpace

View Archive Info
 
 
Field Value
 
Title Effects of management practices on legume productivity in smallholder farming systems in sub-Saharan Africa
 
Creator Muoni, Tarirai
Jonsson, M.
Duncan, Alan J.
Watson, C.A.
Bergkvist, G.
Barnes, A.P.
Öborn, Ingrid
 
Subject legumes
animal feeding
farming systems
cropping systems
food science
forestry
 
Description Legumes play a key role in food and nutrition security, providing livestock feed and contributing to soil fertility, in mixed smallholder farms in sub‐Saharan Africa (SSA). The environmental conditions under which smallholder farming is practiced are highly heterogeneous with large differences in management practices among farms resulting in variable legume productivity. A meta‐analysis based on 128 publications was conducted to quantify the effects of intercropping, inoculation with rhizobia, minimum tillage and phosphorus application on legume grain and biomass yield and the amount of biological nitrogen fixation in a range of SSA contexts. To further explain the heterogeneity in the results, legume species, type of inoculant, P‐application rate, altitude, rainfall, soil characteristics and non‐legume companion crops were used as moderators. Intercropping as compared to sole cropping reduced legume biomass and grain yields to varying extents, although the total land equivalent ratio for the sum of the intercrops was higher than 1 (1.2–1.9) in all cases. Expressed as the relative land equivalent ratio (rLER) intercropping affected pigeonpea grain yield the least (rLER 0.9) and faba bean the most (rLER 0.3). The non‐legume companion crops explained some of the heterogeneity where maize and sorghum significantly reduced the legume yields. Inoculation and P application increased legume grain and biomass yield and moderators such as legume species, type of inoculant, soil organic carbon and soil pH further explained the different effects of the management practices on legume productivity. Minimum tillage had no effect on legume productivity, although less data were available than for the other practices. We conclude that intercropping with legumes improves overall productivity and that application of P fertilizer and inoculants increase legume grain and biomass yield. The effect varies with crop species, soil type and other environmental conditions, and this needs to be factored into tailored recommendations supporting decision making in smallholder farming.
 
Date 2022-05
2022-12-21T08:48:45Z
2022-12-21T08:48:45Z
 
Type Journal Article
 
Identifier Muoni, T., Jonsson, M., Duncan, A.J., Watson, C.A., Bergkvist, G., Barnes, A.P. and Öborn, I. 2022. Effects of management practices on legume productivity in smallholder farming systems in sub-Saharan Africa. Food and Energy Security 11(2):e366
2048-3694
https://hdl.handle.net/10568/126156
https://doi.org/10.1002/fes3.366
 
Language en
 
Rights CC-BY-4.0
Open Access
 
Publisher Wiley
 
Source Food and Energy Security