GRAIN LEGUMES IN PEARL MILLET SYSTEMS IN NORTHERN NAMIBIA: AN ASSESSMENT OF POTENTIAL NITROGEN CONTRIBUTIONS

2003 ◽  
Vol 39 (4) ◽  
pp. 349-362 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. F. McDONAGH ◽  
A. E. M. HILLYER
Keyword(s):  
Nitrogen Fixation ◽  
Soil Fertility ◽  
Pearl Millet ◽  
Pennisetum Glaucum ◽  
Nutrient Balance ◽  
Grain Legumes ◽  
Residue Management ◽  
Grain Legume ◽  
Management Options ◽  
Nitrogen Inputs

A nutrient-balance model was used to investigate the nitrogen contributions of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) to pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum) intercropping systems in semi-arid northern Namibia. Data on nitrogen fixation, production, crop nitrogen off-take and competition effects came from two seasons of fieldwork. Supplementary data were taken from secondary sources. The model was used as a tool to attempt to identify grain legume management options with the potential to make significant contributions to soil fertility. The crop parameters pearl millet grain yield, nitrogen fixation rates, nitrogen harvest index and biomass production were found to be critical in determining system nitrogen inputs and outputs as was the form of residue management. The model indicated that it is extremely difficult to manage grain legumes in dryland environments in ways that lead to consistent increases in pearl millet grain yields, measurable against season-to-season variation due to other factors. Several of the options for improved legume management conflict strongly with farmers' risk-avoidance strategies and their tendency to invest preferentially in off-farm activities in an environment where livelihoods have diversified considerably away from agriculture. Potential routes for increasing grain legume contributions to soil fertility in dryland areas are discussed.

scholarly journals Constraints to Pearl Millet (Pennisetum glaucum) Production and Farmers’ Approaches to Striga hermonthica Management in Burkina Faso

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (15) ◽  
pp. 8460
Author(s):  
Armel Rouamba ◽  
Hussein Shimelis ◽  
Inoussa Drabo ◽  
Mark Laing ◽  
Prakash Gangashetty ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Burkina Faso ◽  
Pearl Millet ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Pennisetum Glaucum ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Striga Hermonthica ◽  
Soil Conditions ◽  
Management Options ◽  
Central Plateau ◽  
South Central

Pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum) is a staple food crop in Burkina Faso that is widely grown in the Sahelian and Sudano-Sahelian zones, characterised by poor soil conditions and erratic rainfall, and high temperatures. The objective of this study was to document farmers’ perceptions of the prevailing constraints affecting pearl millet production and related approaches to manage the parasitic weeds S. hermonthica. The study was conducted in the Sahel, Sudano-Sahelian zones in the North, North Central, West Central, Central Plateau, and South Central of Burkina Faso. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire and focus group discussions involving 492 participant farmers. Recurrent drought, S. hermonthica infestation, shortage of labour, lack of fertilisers, lack of cash, and the use of low-yielding varieties were the main challenges hindering pearl millet production in the study areas. The majority of the respondents (40%) ranked S. hermonthica infestation as the primary constraint affecting pearl millet production. Respondent farmers reported yield losses of up to 80% due to S. hermonthica infestation. 61.4% of the respondents in the study areas had achieved a mean pearl millet yields of <1 t/ha. Poor access and the high cost of introduced seed, and a lack of farmers preferred traits in the existing introduced pearl millet varieties were the main reasons for their low adoption, as reported by 32% of respondents. S. hermonthica management options in pearl millet production fields included moisture conservation using terraces, manual hoeing, hand weeding, use of microplots locally referred to as ‘zaï’, crop rotation and mulching. These management techniques were ineffective because they do not suppress the below ground S. hermonthica seed, and they are difficult to implement. Integrated management practices employing breeding for S. hermonthica resistant varieties with the aforementioned control measures could offer a sustainable solution for S. hermonthica management and improved pearl millet productivity in Burkina Faso.

Rotation and tillage effects on yield of pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum) and cowpea (Vigna unguiculata), and aspects of crop water balance and soil fertility in a semi-arid tropical environment

1995 ◽  
Vol 124 (1) ◽  
pp. 39-44 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. C. Klaij ◽  
B. R. Ntare
Keyword(s):  
Soil Fertility ◽  
Pearl Millet ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Vigna Unguiculata ◽  
Pennisetum Glaucum ◽  
No Tillage ◽  
Crop Water ◽  
Total N ◽  
Post Harvest ◽  
Crop Water Use

SUMMARYA 4-year field experiment was conducted from 1986 to 1989 in Niger to determine the effects of pre- and post-harvest tillage and rotation of pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum (L). R. Br.) and cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.) on crop yield, crop water use and soil fertility on a sandy soil. Presowing tillage increased grain and crop residue yields over the traditional system of no tillage. Post-harvest tillage resulted in lower yields than pre-sowing tillage during the last 2 years of the experiment. Millet-cowpea rotation increased yield and there were no important tillage × rotation interactions. Crop water use was similar for a dry and a wet year, but less water was held in the profile after the harvest of cowpea. Compared to pre-sowing tillage and no tillage, post-harvest tillage increased the amount of water conserved until the next season. In all treatment combinations, soil organic matter and total N content both declined on average by 62%, and soil pH (KCI) decreased from 4·6 to 4·3.

Farming systems’ productivity and soil organic carbon stocks following fertilisers, no-tillage or legumes on a fertility-depleted soil in a semi-arid subtropical region

Soil Research ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 56 (4) ◽  
pp. 429 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. C. Dalal ◽  
W. M. Strong ◽  
E. J. Weston ◽  
J. E. Cooper ◽  
K. J. Lehane ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Fertility ◽  
Grain Legume ◽  
No Tillage ◽  
Soil Organic C ◽  
Management Options ◽  
N Application ◽  
Organic C ◽  
Grain Yields ◽  
C Stocks

Depleted soil nitrogen supplies in long-term continuously cultivated soil for cereal grain cropping have resulted in reduced cereal yields, low grain proteins and hence low economic returns. This has necessitated the development of alternative management practices to sustain crop yields, as well as to restore and maintain soil fertility. In the present study we examined the comparative performance of several management options over a 12-year period, including: a 4-year rotation of grass + legume pasture followed by wheat (GL–wheat); 2-year rotations of lucerne–wheat, annual medic–wheat and chickpea–wheat; and continuous conventional tillage (CT) or no-tillage (NT), without or with fertiliser N application (0, 25 and 75 kg N ha–1 for each crop). Average wheat grain yields were highest in the chickpea–wheat rotation, followed by the NT wheat with 75 kg N ha–1; the lowest grain yields were in the CT or NT wheat treatment without fertiliser N application. Crop water use and gross margin were strongly correlated. However, there was an increasing potential for the deep leaching of nitrate-N at 75 kg N ha–1 application, as well as from the GL pasture initiated in 1987, but not from that initiated in 1986, emphasising the effect of variability in growing seasons. Soil organic C stocks increased under the 4-year GL pasture in the 0–0.1 m depth only, then decreased steadily following the cropping phase. The rotation of 4-year GL pasture followed by wheat cropping for 4–6 years may maintain initial soil organic C stock, but a shorter cropping phase is required to increase soil organic C and N stocks and soil fertility in the long term. Partial economic analysis of the treatments suggested that restoring or maintaining soil N fertility, either through legume-based pastures, grain legume and/or N fertiliser, provides long-term positive economic return.

scholarly journals Implications of farmer perceived production constraints and varietal preferences to pearl millet breeding in Senegal.

1970 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 411-420
Author(s):  
G. Kanfany ◽  
O. Diack ◽  
N.A. Kane ◽  
P. I. Gangashetty ◽  
O. Sy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Soil Fertility ◽  
Pearl Millet ◽  
Insect Pests ◽  
Pennisetum Glaucum ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Plant Diseases ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Production Constraints ◽  
Varietal Preference

Pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum L.) plays a critical role in smallholder food security in sub-Saharan Africa. The production of pearl millet has, however, stagnated or even declined due to several factors. The objective of this study was to assess farmer perceptions on production constraints and varietal preferences in Senegal. A survey was conducted involving 150 randomly selected farmers from 15 villages, in five representative rural communities of Senegal. A semi-structured questionnaire was used, supplemented by focus group discussions. Results revealed that parasitic Striga weed was the most constraining factor to pearl millet production across the rural communes. This was followed by low soil fertility and insect pests in that order. Other constraints included lack of machinery for sowing, plant diseases, drought, seed-eating birds, limited access to land for pearl millet cultivation and limited seed availability. Among the traits for varietal preference, farmers unanimously considered grain yield as the most important trait. Other important traits mentioned were adaptation to drought, adaptation to low soil fertility and earliness. These production constraints and varietal preference should be integrated in the profile of the national pearl millet breeding programmes in order to improve the productivity and adoption of bred-cultivars.

Potential for increasing nitrogen fixation in grain legumes

1992 ◽  
Vol 72 (2) ◽  
pp. 323-349 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. R. Buttery ◽  
S. J. Park ◽  
D. J. Hume
Keyword(s):  
Nitrogen Fixation ◽  
Plant Breeding ◽  
Cultural Practices ◽  
Strain Improvement ◽  
Pigeon Pea ◽  
Grain Legumes ◽  
Growth And Yield ◽  
Grain Legume ◽  
Inoculation Techniques ◽  
Grain Nitrogen

This review considers the main factors determining the level of nitrogen fixation in the major grain-legume crops (chickpea, common bean, cowpea, faba bean, lentil, pea, peanut, pigeon pea and soybean) and discusses the possibilities and means for improving symbiotic nitrogen fixation. Methods of determining whether nitrogen is limiting growth and yield are discussed, and responses of the various crops to both the addition of nitrogen fertilizer and inoculation with effective strains of rhizobia are described. The present situation and future prospects for increasing nitrogen fixation through plant breeding, development of superior strains, superior host–strain combinations, improved inoculation techniques, bioengineering and other non-traditional methods are discussed. The general conclusions are that increases in nitrogen-fixation potential should be possible in all grain legumes through both plant breeding and strain improvement. Major increases in the quantity of nitrogen fixed could be achieved simply by improving general cultural practices; however, in developing countries, where the gap between actual and potential crop yield is so large, such improvements are likely to occur very slowly.Key words: legumes (grain), nitrogen fixation, nodulation, Rhizobium, Bradyrhizobium, breeding, strain selection

NITROGEN FIXATION OF GRAIN LEGUMES DIFFERS IN RESPONSE TO NITROGEN FERTILISATION

2016 ◽  
Vol 54 (1) ◽  
pp. 66-82 ◽  
Author(s):  
SILVIA PAMPANA ◽  
ALESSANDRO MASONI ◽  
MARCO MARIOTTI ◽  
LAURA ERCOLI ◽  
IDUNA ARDUINI
Keyword(s):  
Nitrogen Fixation ◽  
Grain Legumes ◽  
White Lupin ◽  
Grain Legume ◽  
Field Bean ◽  
Nitrogen Fertilisation ◽  
N Supply ◽  
Nodule Biomass ◽  
Legume Crops ◽  
The Impact

SUMMARYLegume crops are not usually fertilised with mineral N. However, there are at least two agronomic cases when it would be advantageous to distribute N fertiliser to legume crops: at sowing, before the onset of nodule functioning, and when a legume is intercropped with a cereal. We highlight the impact of various levels of fertiliser nitrogen on grain yield, nodulation capacity and biological nitrogen fixation in the four most common grain legume crops grown in central Italy. Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.), field bean (Vicia faba L. var. minor), pea (Pisum sativum L.) and white lupin (Lupinus albus L.) were grown in soil inside growth boxes for two cropping seasons with five nitrogen fertilisation rates: 0, 40, 80, 120 and 160 kg ha−1. In both years, experimental treatments (five crops and five levels of N) were arranged in a randomised block design. We found that unfertilised plants overall yielded grain, total biomass and nitrogen at a similar level to plants supplied with 80–120 kg ha−1 of mineral nitrogen. However, above those N rates, the production of chickpea, pea and white lupin decreased, thus indicating that the high supply of N fertiliser decreased the level of N2 fixed to such an extent that the full N2-fixing potential might not be achieved. In all four grain legumes, the amount of N2 fixed was positively related to nodule biomass, which was inversely related to the rate of the N fertiliser applied. The four grain legumes studied responded differently to N fertilisation: in white lupin and chickpea, the amount of nitrogen derived from N2 fixation linearly decreased with increasing N supply as a result of a reduction in nodulation and N2 fixed per unit mass of nodules. Conversely, in field bean and pea, the decrease in N2 fixation was only due to a reduction in nodule biomass since nodule fixation activity increased with N supply. Our results suggest that the legume species and the N rate are critical factors in determining symbiotic N2-fixation responses to N fertilisation.

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