Effect of Ploughing Techniques on Water Use and Yield of Rice in Maugo Small-Holder Irrigation Scheme, Kenya

The objective of this study was to determine the effect of paddy rice ploughing techniques on water use and the yield of rice crop, as well as water use efficiency for rice growing in small-holder irrigation schemes. The study was conducted at a farmer’s field in Powo B sub-block of Maugo Irrigation Scheme. The period of study was from July 2019 to January 2020, which is the rice season. The experimental site was located in the vicinity of Olare Shopping Centre, Kamenya Sub-location, Kochia East Location, Kochia Ward, Rangwe Sub-County, Homa Bay County, Nyanza Region, Kenya in Maugo rice scheme in Kenya. In the study, four irrigation tillage practices were applied: ox-plough, conventional ox-plough, hand hoe and tractor ploughing. The results showed that conventional ox-ploughing consumed the highest amount of water at 1240 mm. The highest water use efficiency of 0.49 kg/m3 and highest yield of 5.7 tons/ha were observed for hand hoe ploughing. Use of the hand hoe ploughing technique increased yields by 20 percent, as compared to the conventional ox-ploughing. Therefore, the use of water for ploughing is not necessary in the study area. Future research will be needed to see how farmers are adopting the technology before scaling up to full mechanization, as partial mechanization was not profitable.

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Multidisciplinary teams to conduct integrated research on farming systems - a challenge

Soil Research ◽

10.1071/sr9950659 ◽

1995 ◽

Vol 33 (4) ◽

pp. 659 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

RJ French

Keyword(s):

Water Use Efficiency ◽

Water Use ◽

Systems Approach ◽

Farming Systems ◽

Future Research ◽

Multidisciplinary Teams ◽

Cooperative Effort ◽

Soil Organic Nitrogen ◽

Use Efficiency ◽

Groups And Teams

This paper reviews changes in farming practices that helped farmers to reduce soil erosion, and increase water-use efficiency and yield on their specific soils and climate. The program initially involved working with Soil Conservation Boards and conducting research on farmers' properties and on research stations. This work then extended from evaluating single factor effects to assessing the combined factors limiting yield in specific crop and pasture rotations. Benchmarks were established for different soils and climates as guides for farmers to measure their success. These included yield and water use efficiency, adequate and lower limit levels of soil organic nitrogen, and the need to maintain a nutrient input-output balance to provide a sustainable agriculture. The paper highlights the need for future research to adopt an integrated systems approach to overcome the major limitations to growth. This will require a cooperative effort between farmer groups and teams of soil scientists and agronomists to conduct multifactor research in farmers' paddocks.

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Irrigated sugarbeet yield, water use and water use efficiency responses to tillage practices

10.5194/egusphere-egu2020-1259 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Jay Jabro ◽

Bart Stevens ◽

bill Iversen ◽

brett Allen ◽

Upendra Sainju

Keyword(s):

Water Use Efficiency ◽

Water Use ◽

Management Practices ◽

Block Design ◽

Soil Water Storage ◽

Irrigated Agriculture ◽

Promising Alternative ◽

Tillage Practices ◽

Growing Seasons ◽

Use Efficiency

Better management practices have been used to increase soil water storage and reduce evaporation from the soil surface to optimize crop water use efficiency (WUE) in irrigated agriculture. A field study was conducted to evaluate the effect of &#160;conventional tillage (CT), No-till (NT) and strip tillage (ST) practices on yield, water use (WU) and WUE of sugarbeet (Beta vulgaris L.) on a clay loam soil under over-head sprinkler irrigation system in the northern Great Plains. Tillage treatments were replicated five times in a randomized block design. Seasonal WU and WUE for sugarbeet root and sucrose yield were determined for the 2018 and 2019 growing seasons according to the water balance and WUE equations under three tillage practices. Results showed that no significant differences due to tillage treatment were found for crop WU, root yield, sucrose yield, and WUE for sugarbeet root and sucrose in 2018 and 2019 growing seasons. In 2019, the average value of WU across three tillage systems (616 mm) was significantly greater relative to 2018 (468 mm) due to atypical large rainfalls (218mm) occurred in September of 2019. Consequently, WUE values for both root and sucrose yield in 2019 under CT, NT, and ST were significantly greater than those in 2018. While NT and ST practices are promising alternative to CT for agricultural production in this region, further research is needed prior to making any recommendation.

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Effects of Tillage Practices on Water Consumption, Water Use Efficiency and Grain Yield in Wheat Field

Journal of Integrative Agriculture ◽

10.1016/s2095-3119(13)60733-9 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 13 (11) ◽

pp. 2378-2388 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Cheng-yan ZHENG ◽

Zhen-wen YU ◽

Yu SHI ◽

Shi-ming CUI ◽

Dong WANG ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Grain Yield ◽

Water Use Efficiency ◽

Water Use ◽

Water Consumption ◽

Wheat Field ◽

Tillage Practices ◽

Use Efficiency

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Dryland Maize Yield and Water-Use Efficiency Responses to Mulching and Tillage Practices

Agronomy Journal ◽

10.2134/agronj2016.10.0593 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 109 (4) ◽

pp. 1196-1209 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Qingping Zhang ◽

Zhennan Wang ◽

Fuhong Miao ◽

Guoliang Wang

Keyword(s):

Water Use Efficiency ◽

Water Use ◽

Maize Yield ◽

Tillage Practices ◽

Use Efficiency

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Eucalyptusand Water Use in South Africa

International Journal of Forestry Research ◽

10.1155/2013/852540 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 2013 ◽

pp. 1-11 ◽

Cited By ~ 24

Author(s):

Janine M. Albaugh ◽

Peter J. Dye ◽

John S. King

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

Water Use Efficiency ◽

Water Use ◽

Canopy Structure ◽

Wood Products ◽

Future Research ◽

Physiological Processes ◽

Wide Range ◽

Use Efficiency ◽

Use Studies

TheEucalyptusgenus yields high rates of productivity and can be grown across a wide range of site types and climates for products such as pulp, fuelwood, or construction lumber. In addition, many eucalypts have the ability to coppice, making this genus an ideal candidate for use as a biofuel feedstock. However, the water use ofEucalyptusis a controversial issue, and the impacts of these fast-growing trees on water resources are well documented. Regardless, the demand for wood products and water continues to rise, providing a challenge to increase the productivity of forest plantations within water constraints. This is of particular relevance for water-limited countries such as South Africa which relies on exotic plantations to meet its timber needs. Research results from water use studies in South Africa are well documented and legislation restrictions limit further afforestation. This paper outlines techniques used to quantify the water use of eucalypt plantations and provides recommendations on where to focus future research efforts. Greater insights into the water use efficiency of clonal material are needed, as certain eucalypt clones show fast growth and low water use. To better understand water use efficiency, estimates should be combined with monitoring of stand canopy structure and measurements of physiological processes.

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Effects of conservation tillage practices on winter wheat water-use efficiency and crop yield on the Loess Plateau, China

Agricultural Water Management ◽

10.1016/j.agwat.2006.08.005 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 87 (3) ◽

pp. 307-314 ◽

Cited By ~ 127

Author(s):

Ziyou Su ◽

Jinsong Zhang ◽

Wenliang Wu ◽

Dianxiong Cai ◽

Junjie Lv ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Winter Wheat ◽

Water Use Efficiency ◽

Water Use ◽

Loess Plateau ◽

Crop Yield ◽

Conservation Tillage ◽

The Loess Plateau ◽

Tillage Practices ◽

Use Efficiency

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Tillage practices effect on root distribution and water use efficiency of winter wheat under rain-fed condition in the North China Plain

Soil and Tillage Research ◽

10.1016/j.still.2014.09.016 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 146 ◽

pp. 286-295 ◽

Cited By ~ 70

Author(s):

Dahai Guan ◽

Yushi Zhang ◽

Mahdi M. Al-Kaisi ◽

Qingyan Wang ◽

Mingcai Zhang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Winter Wheat ◽

Water Use Efficiency ◽

Water Use ◽

Root Distribution ◽

North China Plain ◽

North China ◽

Tillage Practices ◽

The North ◽

The North China Plain ◽

Use Efficiency

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Exploiting Cropping Management to Improve Agricultural Water Use Efficiency in the Drylands of Eastern Uganda

Sustainable Agriculture Research ◽

10.5539/sar.v4n2p57 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 4 (2) ◽

pp. 57 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Robert Mulebeke ◽

Geoffrey Kironchi ◽

Moses M. Tenywa

Keyword(s):

Water Use Efficiency ◽

Water Use ◽

Cropping Systems ◽

Block Design ◽

Water Productivity ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Agricultural Water ◽

Tillage Practices ◽

Use Efficiency ◽

Eastern Uganda

A remarkable challenge lies in maximizing agricultural water productivity, particularly in the drought prone regions of sub Saharan Africa. It is hypothesized that water use efficiency (WUE) can be increased by selection of appropriate cropping management systems. This study seeks to establish the effects of cropping management on water use efficiency in cassava-sorghum cropping systems in the drylands of eastern Uganda. A randomised complete block design (RCBD) consisting of six treatments: sole cassava, sole sorghum, sole cowpea, cassava + sorghum, cassava + cowpea, and sorghum + cowpea, replicated three times were used. Two tillage practices; mouldboard ploughing (Mb) and, ripping (Rp) were used to assess the effect of tillage. WUE (kg ha-1 mm-1) was calculated as a ratio of yield (kg ha-1) to evapotranspiration (ET) (mm). ET was estimated using the soil water balance. WUE varied significantly (?= 0.05) between cropping systems with the highest observed in cassava (34.38 kg ha-1 mm-1) while the lowest was 3.76 kg ha-1 mm-1 for sorghum. WUE did not differ appreciably in both Mb and Rp tillage practices. Farmers growing sole cassava could use either of the tillage practices. The best yield was recorded in cassava + cowpea cropping system under Mb ploughing and sole sorghum under Rp gave the poorest combined yield (1,676 kg ha-1).

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