Economics of Maize and Bean Production: Why Farmers need to Shift to Conservation Agriculture for Sustainable Production

Maize and dry bean are the most important food crops that feed over 85% of Kenyan households. However, the productivity of these crops is low due to the high costs of land preparation and weed control, soil infertility and limited soil moisture under the current conventional tillage system of production. A study was carried in Embu County and Kirinyaga County to determine the economic returns of a maize-bean rotation system under different tillage systems and fertilizer regimes. Maize was produced during the long rains under no-till with crop residue retention (NT+CR) and conventional tillage with no crop residue retention (CT-CR) and inorganic fertilizer regimes (NK, NP, PK, NPK, and NPK+CaMgZnBS). Dry bean was planted in the short rains in the same plots where maize under different nutrient management regimes and tillage systems had been grown and harvested. The trial was laid out in a split-plot design with the tillage method as the main plot and fertilizer as sub-plot. Economic performance was assessed using partial budget analysis based on labor data and prices of all inputs used during the production period. Grain yields were reduced by 10% to reflect farmers’ yield levels. Maize and dry bean grains were sold at the prevailing farm gate prices. Results showed that maize-bean rotation was KE 22,718 cheaper under no-till with crop residue retention (NT+CR) than under conventional tillage with no crop residue retention (CT-CR). On average, NT+CR recorded KE 29,569 higher net benefit than CT-CR. The NT+CR tillage recorded a benefit to cost ratio of 3.7 compared to 2.7 recorded under CT-CR tillage system. The NT+CR with NK combined was the most profitable treatment with a benefit to cost ratio of 4.92 for maize and 4.33 for maize-bean rotation system. Based on this research, combination of no-till with crop residue retention has the potential to improve economic status and alleviate poverty among resource-constrained farmers.

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EFFECT OF REDUCED TILLAGE AND MINERAL FERTILIZER APPLICATION ON MAIZE AND SOYBEAN PRODUCTIVITY

Experimental Agriculture ◽

10.1017/s0014479711000895 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 48 (2) ◽

pp. 159-175 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

J. KIHARA ◽

A. BATIONO ◽

B. WASWA ◽

J. M. KIMETU ◽

B. VANLAUWE ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Crop Residue ◽

Cropping Systems ◽

Cropping System ◽

Conventional Tillage ◽

Economic Benefits ◽

Residue Management ◽

Reduced Tillage ◽

Tillage Systems ◽

Tillage System ◽

Continuous Maize

SUMMARYReduced tillage is said to be one of the potential ways to reverse land degradation and ultimately increase the productivity of degrading soils of Africa. We hypothesised that crop yield following a modest application of 2 t ha−1 of crop residue in a reduced tillage system is similar to the yield obtained from a conventional tillage system, and that incorporation of legumes in a cropping system leads to greater economic benefits as opposed to a cropping system involving continuous maize. Three cropping systems (continuous maize monocropping, legume/maize intercropping and rotation) under different tillage and residue management systems were tested in sub-humid western Kenya over 10 seasons. While soybean performed equally well in both tillage systems throughout, maize yield was lower in reduced than conventional tillage during the first five seasons but no significant differences were observed after season 6. Likewise, with crop residue application, yields in conventional and reduced tillage systems are comparable after season 6. Nitrogen and phosphorus increased yield by up to 100% compared with control. Gross margins were not significantly different among the cropping systems being only 6 to 39% more in the legume–cereal systems relative to similar treatments in continuous cereal monocropping system. After 10 seasons of reduced tillage production, the economic benefits for our cropping systems are still not attractive for a switch from the conventional to reduced tillage.

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Different Tillage Options and Residue Management for Improvingcrop Productivity and Soil Fertility in Wheat-Maize-Rice Cropping Pattern

Bangladesh Agronomy Journal ◽

10.3329/baj.v22i2.47620 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 22 (2) ◽

pp. 55-66

Author(s):

MI Hossain ◽

MA Ohab ◽

MHR Sheikh ◽

BL Nag

Keyword(s):

Soil Fertility ◽

Crop Residue ◽

Conventional Tillage ◽

Residue Management ◽

Research Centre ◽

Cropping Pattern ◽

Tillage Systems ◽

Strip Tillage ◽

Planting System ◽

Residue Retention

A three yearsfield experiment was conducted at Regional Wheat Research Centre, Shyampur, Rajshahiduring 2014-15 to 2017-18 with an objective to observe the effects on soil fertility and performance of the crops under different tillage and residue management for rice-wheat (RW) systems by adding a third pre-rice crop of maize. The experiment was conducted in split plot design with three replication. The tillage options viz. (i) Strip tillage (ST) (ii) Permanent bed (PB) and (iii) conventional (CT) tillage; two crop residue management, viz. (i) 0%=no residue and (ii) 30% residue retention were studied. The results indicated that keeping 30% crop residue in the field with minimum disturbance of soil had significant contribution on grain yield of wheat-maize-rice sequence compare to conventional practice of well-till without crop residue retention.The permanent bed planting system gave the highest yields of wheat (4.37 tha-1), maize (7.31 tha-1) and rice (4.40 tha-1) and followed by strip tillage and lowest in conventional tillage. Among the residue management, 30% residue retention showed the highest yields of wheat (4.46tha- 1), maize (7.39 tha-1) and rice (4.69 tha-1). Considering economic performance of all tillage systems, the permanent bed planting system performed the best among all other tillage options and followed by strip tillage. Contrarily, 30% residue retention gave the highest yield and increased 0.12-0.14% organic matter into the soil with more productive.The results indicates that, both tillage systems coupled with 30% residue retention might be a good option for higher yield as well as soil fertility for Wheat-Maize- Taman rice cropping pattern in drought prone areas of Bangladesh. Bangladesh Agron. J. 2019, 22(2): 55-66

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Effect of Tillage Systems on the Emergence Depth of Giant (Setaria faberi) and Green Foxtail (Setaria viridis)

Weed Science ◽

10.1017/s0043174500071472 ◽

1991 ◽

Vol 39 (2) ◽

pp. 200-203 ◽

Cited By ~ 50

Author(s):

Douglas D. Buhler ◽

Thomas C. Mester

Keyword(s):

Conventional Tillage ◽

Setaria Viridis ◽

Tillage Systems ◽

Setaria Faberi ◽

No Till ◽

Giant Foxtail ◽

Green Foxtail ◽

Tillage System ◽

Loam Soil ◽

Chisel Plow

The effect of tillage systems on depth of emergence and densities of giant and green foxtail under different environmental and cropping conditions were evaluated from 1985 to 1987 at Arlington, Hancock, and Janesville, WI. Mean emergence depths in no-till were the shallowest, followed by chisel plow and conventional tillage at each location. At least 40% of the giant and green foxtail plants emerged from the upper 1 cm of soil in no-till compared to about 25% in chisel plow and less than 15% in conventional tillage. As many as 25% of the plants emerged from greater than 4 cm in conventional tillage compared to about 10% in chisel plow and less than 5% in no-till. Seedlings emerged from greater depths in a loamy sand than in a silt loam soil regardless of tillage system. At Arlington, green foxtail was the dominant species in conventional tillage, while giant foxtail dominated in chisel plow and no-till. Foxtail densities were greater in chisel plow and no-till than in conventional tillage at all three locations.

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Impact of Tillage and Crop Residue Management on the Weed Community and Wheat Yield in a Wheat–Maize Double Cropping System

Agriculture ◽

10.3390/agriculture11030265 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (3) ◽

pp. 265

Author(s):

Jin Zhang ◽

Lan-Fang Wu

Keyword(s):

Crop Residue ◽

Soil Seed Bank ◽

Wheat Yield ◽

Conventional Tillage ◽

Residue Management ◽

Weed Density ◽

Residue Removal ◽

No Till ◽

Crop Residue Removal ◽

Residue Retention

Weeds are often harmful to crop growth due to the competition for space and resources. A field experiment containing four treatments with three replications in a complete randomized design was conducted at Yucheng Comprehensive Experiment Station, Chinese Academy of Sciences since 2008 to assess the impact of shifting from conventional tillage to no-till with crop residue management on weeds and wheat production at the North China Plain. We found that both aboveground weed density and species richness were higher under continuous no-till (NT) than conventional tillage (CT) in the regrowth and stem elongation stage of wheat growth. On the other hand, aboveground weed density in the stage of flowering and filling decreased with crop residue mulching. The density of the soil seed bank in crop residue removal treatments was significantly higher than that of crop residue retention. Besides, either crop residue mulching or incorporating into the soil significantly increased the wheat yield compared with crop residue removal regardless of tillage management. In conclusion, crop residue retention could decrease the weed density and species richness both aboveground and in the soil seed bank and inhibit the growth of broadleaf weeds by the residue layer. Moreover, crop residue retention could improve the wheat yield.

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Influence of Tillage Systems and Selective Herbicides on Weed Management and Productivity of Direct-Seeded Rice (Oryza sativa)

Planta Daninha ◽

10.1590/s0100-83582019370100083 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 37 ◽

Author(s):

A. ABBAS ◽

A. KHALIQ ◽

M. SAQIB ◽

M.Z. MAJEED ◽

S. ULLAH ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Sodium Fluoride ◽

Weed Management ◽

Management Practices ◽

Conventional Tillage ◽

Cost Ratio ◽

Zero Tillage ◽

Tillage Systems ◽

Weed Density ◽

Dry Biomass ◽

Tillage System

ABSTRACT: Weeds cause considerable damage to rice crop. To ascertain the influence of different weed management practices under different tillage systems, a field experiment was conducted during 2014-15. Experimental design was RCB with split-plot arrangement and with a net plot size of 6 x 2 m. Three tillage systems viz; zero tillage with glyphosate application and conventional tillage with and without stale seed bed, and seven weed management treatments viz; weedy check, manual weeding, oxadiargyl as pre-emergence, pyrazosulfuron as pre-emergence, pyrazosulfuron as post-emergence, fenoxaprop-ethyle + sodium fluoride as post-emergence and fenoxaprop-ethyle + sodium fluoride as post-emergence. Results revealed that all treatments including tillage systems and herbicides significantly (p<0.05) affected weed density and weed dry biomass. Minimum weed density (229.22, 159.22 and 127.77 m-2) and weed dry biomass (68.01, 49.29 and 41.08 g m-2) at 30, 45 and 60 DAS (days after sowing) were recorded for pyrazosulfuron (as pre-emergence), respectively, followed by fenoxaprop-ethyle + sodium fluoride (as post-emergence). Maximum 1000-kernel weight and kernel yield (19.15 g and 3.45 ton ha-1) were recorded for weed free treatments and it was 12 and 57% higher than weedy check. Maximum net benefit and benefit to cost ratio (USD$ 817 ha-1 and 1.76, respectively) were recorded for pyrazosulfuron applied at either pre- or post-emergence stage under zero tillage system. Conclusively, pyrazosulfuron (as pre-emergence) and fenoxaprop-ethyle + sodium fluoride (as post-emergence) gave the best weed control under conventional tillage with stale seed bed system, while pyrazosulfuron exhibited maximum benefit-cost ratio under zero tillage system.

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Effects of Tillage on Chlorimuron Persistence

Weed Science ◽

10.1017/s0043174500093711 ◽

1996 ◽

Vol 44 (1) ◽

pp. 162-165 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Todd A. Baughman ◽

David R. Shaw ◽

G. Neil Rhodes ◽

Thomas C. Mueller

Keyword(s):

Soil Moisture ◽

Soil Ph ◽

Half Life ◽

Field Studies ◽

Conventional Tillage ◽

Soil Tillage ◽

Tillage Systems ◽

No Till ◽

Tillage System ◽

Determine Effect

Field studies were conducted in Mississippi on a Marietta loam during 1988, 1989, and 1990, and in Tennessee on a Statler loam during 1988 and 1989, to determine effect of tillage on chlorimuron persistence. A corn shoot bioassay was conducted to determine bioavailable chlorimuron in the soil. Tillage system affected chlorimuron persistence only in 1989 at Tennessee. Chlorimuron half-life was 10 to 31 d longer in both tillage systems in Mississippi in 1988 compared to 1989 and 1990, probably due to low soil moisture immediately after application in 1988. In Tennessee, chlorimuron half-life was 71 d shorter in the no-till system in 1988 compared to 1989. Differences did not occur between locations in the conventional tillage system in 1989. Differences in chlorimuron persistence between years and locations were most often attributed to soil water and temperature. Soil pH differences between the two locations did not consistently affect chlorimuron persistence.

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Effect of Tillage Systems on Soil Organic Carbon and Soil Quality in a Purple Paddy Soil

Advanced Materials Research ◽

10.4028/www.scientific.net/amr.183-185.1190 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 183-185 ◽

pp. 1190-1194

Author(s):

Jun Ke Zhang ◽

Qing Ju Hao ◽

Chang Sheng Jiang ◽

Yan Wu

Keyword(s):

Organic Carbon ◽

Soil Quality ◽

Paddy Soil ◽

Conventional Tillage ◽

Water Infiltration ◽

Purple Soil ◽

Tillage Systems ◽

Field Station ◽

No Till ◽

The Impact

The impact of conservation tillage practices on carbon sequestration has been of great interest in recent years. This experiment analyzed the organic carbon status of soils sampled at depth increments from 0 to 60 cm after 20 years in a purple paddy soil. The tillage experiment was established in the Key Field Station for Monitoring of Eco-Environment of Purple Soil of the Ministry of Agriculture of China, located in the farm of Southwest University (30°26′N, 106°26′E), Chongqing. In this paper, five tillage treatments including conventional tillage with rice only system (DP), conventional tillage with rotation of rice and rape system (SL), no-till and ridge culture with rotation of rice and rape system (LM), no-till and plain culture with rotation of rice and rape system (XM) and tillage and ridge culture with rotation of rice and rape system (LF) were selected as research objectives to measure SOC storage and stratification ratio of SOC (CSR). The SOC storage under different tillage systems was calculated based on an equivalent soil mass. The CSR can be used as an indicator of soil quality because surface organic matter is essential to erosion control, water infiltration, and the conservation of nutrients. Results showed that in soil under no-till SOC was concentrated near the surface, while in tilled soil SOC decreased equably with the increase of soil depth. The difference of SOC contents between the five tillage systems was the largest in the top soil and the lowest in the bottom soil. The order of SOC storage was LM (158.52 Mg C•ha-1) >DP (106.74 Mg C•ha-1) >XM (100.11 Mg C•ha-1) >LF (93.11 Mg C•ha-1) >SL (88.59 Mg C•ha-1), LM treatment was significantly higher than the other treatments. The CSR of 0-10/50-60 cm was 2.65, 2.70 and 2.14 under LM, XM and LF treatments, while 1.54 and 1.92 under DP and SL treatments. We considered CSR>2 indicate an improvement in soil quality produced by changing from tillage to no-tillage, as well as changing from plane to ridge. Overall, long-term LM treatment is a valid strategy for increasing SOC storage and improving soil quality in a purple paddy soil in Southwest China.

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Intercepted solar radiation by maize crops subjected to different tillage systems and water availability levels

Pesquisa Agropecuária Brasileira ◽

10.1590/s0100-204x2010001200001 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 45 (12) ◽

pp. 1331-1341 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Homero Bergamaschi ◽

Genei Antonio Dalmago ◽

João Ito Bergonci ◽

Cleusa Adriane Menegassi Bianchi Krüger ◽

Bruna Maria Machado Heckler ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Solar Radiation ◽

Leaf Area Index ◽

Extinction Coefficient ◽

Water Availability ◽

Conventional Tillage ◽

No Tillage ◽

Tillage Systems ◽

Area Index ◽

Tillage System ◽

Crop Cycle

The objective of this work was to evaluate changes in the photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD) interception efficiency and PPFD extinction coefficient for maize crop subjected to different soil tillage systems and water availability levels. Crops were subjected to no-tillage and conventional tillage systems combined with full irrigation and non-irrigation treatments. Continuous measurements of transmitted PPFD on the soil surface and incoming PPFD over the canopy were taken throughout the crop cycle. Leaf area index and soil water potential were also measured during the whole period. Considering a mean value over the maize cycle, intercepted PPFD was higher in the conventional tillage than in the no-tillage system. During the initial stages of plants, intercepted PPFD in the conventional tillage was double the PPFD interception in the no-tillage treatment. However, those differences were reduced up to the maximum leaf area index, close to tasseling stage. The lowest interception of PPFD occurred in the conventional tillage during the reproductive period, as leaf senescence progressed. Over the entire crop cycle, the interception of PPFD by the non-irrigated plants was about 20% lower than by the irrigated plants. The no-tillage system reduced the extinction coefficient for PPFD, which may have allowed a higher penetration of solar radiation into the canopy

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Effects of the components of conservation agriculture on the profitability of rice (Oryza sativa L.) in the Eastern Gangetic Plain of Bangladesh

International Journal of Agricultural and Life sciences ◽

10.22573/spg.ijals.021.s122000103 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

pp. 333-337

Author(s):

Hossain M ◽

◽

Begum M ◽

Rahman M ◽

Hashem A ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Oryza Sativa L ◽

Block Design ◽

Rice Variety ◽

Conservation Agriculture ◽

Conventional Tillage ◽

Cost Ratio ◽

Gangetic Plain ◽

Benefit Cost Ratio ◽

On Farm ◽

Residue Retention

A two year longer on-farm research on conservation agriculture was conducted at Bhangnamari area of Bangladesh during November-June in 2014-15 and 2015-16 to evaluate the performance of non-puddled rice cultivation under increased crop residue retention. The rice variety BRRI dhan28 was transplanted under puddled conventional tillage (CT) vs. non-puddled strip tillage (ST) with 50% standing residue (R50) vs. conventional no-residue (R0) practice. The treatments were arranged in a randomized complete block design with four replications. There were no significant yield differences between tillage practices and residue levels in 2014-15. But in the following year, ST yielded 9% more grain compared to CT leading to 22% higher BCR. Retention of 50% residue increased yield by 3% over no-residue, which contributed to 10% higher benefit-cost ratio (BCR). Results of this two year on-farm study confirmed that the ST combined with 50% residue retention yielded the highest grain yield (5.81 t ha-1) which contributed to produce the highest BCR (1.06).

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Distribution and vertical stratification of carbon and nitrogen in soil under different managements in the pampean region of Argentina

Revista Brasileira de Ciência do Solo ◽

10.1590/s0100-06832011000600015 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 35 (6) ◽

pp. 1985-1994 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Carina Rosa Álvarez ◽

Alejandro Oscar Costantini ◽

Alfredo Bono ◽

Miguel Ángel Taboada ◽

Flavio Hernán Gutiérrez Boem ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Soil Layer ◽

Conventional Tillage ◽

No Tillage ◽

Tillage Systems ◽

Total N ◽

Organic C ◽

C Storage ◽

C Pools ◽

No Till ◽

Total Organic C

One of the expected benefits of no-tillage systems is a higher rate of soil C sequestration. However, higher C retention in soil is not always apparent when no-tillage is applied, due e.g., to substantial differences in soil type and initial C content. The main purpose of this study was to evaluate the potential of no-tillage management to increase the stock of total organic C in soils of the Pampas region in Argentina. Forty crop fields under no-tillage and conventional tillage systems and seven undisturbed soils were sampled. Total organic C, total N, their fractions and stratification ratios and the C storage capacity of the soils under different managements were assessed in samples to a depth of 30 cm, in three layers (0-5, 5-15 and 15-30 cm). The differences between the C pools of the undisturbed and cultivated soils were significant (p < 0.05) and most pronounced in the top (0-5 cm) soil layer, with more active C near the soil surface (undisturbed > no-tillage > conventional tillage). Based on the stratification ratio of the labile C pool (0-5/5-15 cm), the untilled were separated from conventionally tilled areas. Much of the variation in potentially mineralizable C was explained by this active C fraction (R² = 0.61) and by total organic C (R² = 0.67). No-till soils did not accumulate more organic C than conventionally tilled soils in the 0-30 cm layer, but there was substantial stratification of total and active C pools at no till sites. If the C stratification ratio is really an indicator of soil quality, then the C storage potential of no-tillage would be greater than in conventional tillage, at least in the surface layers. Particulate organic C and potentially mineralizable C may be useful to evaluate variations in topsoil organic matter.

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