IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/agiwat/v98y2011i9p1364-1372.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Integration of legume trees in maize-based cropping systems improves rain use efficiency and yield stability under rain-fed agriculture

Author

Listed:
  • Sileshi, Gudeta W.
  • Akinnifesi, Festus K.
  • Ajayi, Oluyede C.
  • Muys, Bart

Abstract

Water availability is a major constraint to crop production in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) where agriculture is predominantly rain-fed. This study aimed to investigate the effect of the nitrogen-fixing legume tree Leucaena (Leucaena leucocephala) and inorganic fertilizer on rain use efficiency (RUE), a robust measure of productivity and land degradation, in three long-term (11-12 years) experiments conducted in Zambia and Nigeria. On the two Zambian sites, sole maize (Zea mays) grown continuously (for 11-12 years) with the recommended fertilizer achieved the highest RUE (3.9-4.6 kg ha-1 mm-1) followed by maize intercropped with Leucaena (2.5-3.4 kg ha-1 mm-1). This translated to 192-383% increase in RUE over the control (maize grown without nutrient inputs), which is the de facto resource-poor farmers' practice. RUE was more stable in fully fertilized sole maize on the first Zambian site and not statistically different from the maize-Leucaena associations on the second site. On the Nigerian site, RUE was higher in maize planted between Leucaena hedgerows supplemented with 50% of the recommended fertilizer (3.9 kg ha-1 mm-1), maize grown between Leucaena hedgerows without fertilizer (3.0 kg ha-1 mm-1) and sole maize receiving the recommended fertilizer (2.8 kg ha-1 mm-1), which translated to increases in RUE of 202%, 139% and 85%, respectively, over the control. RUE was more stable in the maize grown between Leucaena hedgerows than in the fully fertilized maize. On all sites RUE was least stable in the control. Yield stability in the maize-Leucaena association was not significantly different from the fully fertilized maize on the Zambian sites. On the Nigerian site, maize yields were more stable in maize grown in Leucaena hedgerows than in fully fertilized sole maize. Supplementation of maize grown in Leucaena hedgerows with 50% of the recommended fertilizers resulted in greater yield stability. It is concluded that intercropping cereals with legume trees and supplementation with inorganic fertilizer can increase rain use efficiency and yield stability in rain-fed agriculture in SSA.

Suggested Citation

  • Sileshi, Gudeta W. & Akinnifesi, Festus K. & Ajayi, Oluyede C. & Muys, Bart, 2011. "Integration of legume trees in maize-based cropping systems improves rain use efficiency and yield stability under rain-fed agriculture," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 98(9), pages 1364-1372, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:agiwat:v:98:y:2011:i:9:p:1364-1372
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378377411000916
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. N. Fauchereau & S. Trzaska & M. Rouault & Y. Richard, 2003. "Rainfall Variability and Changes in Southern Africa during the 20th Century in the Global Warming Context," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 29(2), pages 139-154, June.
    2. Travis E. Huxman & Melinda D. Smith & Philip A. Fay & Alan K. Knapp & M. Rebecca Shaw & Michael E. Loik & Stanley D. Smith & David T. Tissue & John C. Zak & Jake F. Weltzin & William T. Pockman & Osva, 2004. "Convergence across biomes to a common rain-use efficiency," Nature, Nature, vol. 429(6992), pages 651-654, June.
    3. Drechsel, Pay & Giordano, Mark & Gyiele, Lucy, 2004. "Valuing nutrients in soil and water: concepts and techniques with examples from IWMI studies in the developing world," IWMI Research Reports H035856, International Water Management Institute.
    4. Bossio, Deborah & Geheb, Kim & Critchley, William, 2010. "Managing water by managing land: Addressing land degradation to improve water productivity and rural livelihoods," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 97(4), pages 536-542, April.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Venkatesh, G. & Gopinath, K.A. & Ramana, D.B.V. & Kumari, V. Visha & Srinivas, I. & Shanker, Arun K. & Rao, K.V. & Prasad, J.V.N.S. & Reddy, K. Sammi & Sridhar, K.B. & Sarkar, B. & Raju, B.M.K. & Rajk, 2024. "Agrosilvopastoral systems for improved crop and fodder productivity and soil health in the rainfed environments of South India," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 214(C).
    2. Benjamin Kipkemboi Kogo & Lalit Kumar & Richard Koech & Md Kamrul Hasan, 2022. "Response to climate change in a rain-fed crop production system: insights from maize farmers of western Kenya," Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, Springer, vol. 27(8), pages 1-17, December.
    3. Hansen, James & Hellin, Jon & Rosenstock, Todd & Fisher, Eleanor & Cairns, Jill & Stirling, Clare & Lamanna, Christine & van Etten, Jacob & Rose, Alison & Campbell, Bruce, 2019. "Climate risk management and rural poverty reduction," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 172(C), pages 28-46.
    4. Jithitikulchai, Theepakorn, 2023. "The effect of climate change and agricultural diversification on the total value of agricultural output of farm households in Sub-Saharan Africa," African Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, African Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 18(2), October.
    5. repec:ags:ijag24:346816 is not listed on IDEAS
    6. Jayne, T.S. & Chamberlin, Jordan & Headey, Derek D., 2014. "Land pressures, the evolution of farming systems, and development strategies in Africa: A synthesis," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 1-17.
    7. Mathieu Ouédraogo & Prosper Houessionon & Robert B. Zougmoré & Samuel Tetteh Partey, 2019. "Uptake of Climate-Smart Agricultural Technologies and Practices: Actual and Potential Adoption Rates in the Climate-Smart Village Site of Mali," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(17), pages 1-19, August.
    8. TRAORE Lamine & DICKO Mohamed & KONE Mama & DIONI Lassana & DIAKITE Cheick Hamalla, 2018. "Optimizing Inorganic Fertilizers Use for Sustainable Intensification of Rain-Fed Maize in Three Agro-Ecological Zones of Mali," International Journal of Sciences, Office ijSciences, vol. 7(04), pages 20-32, April.
    9. Eric A. Davidson & Rachel L. Nifong & Richard B. Ferguson & Cheryl Palm & Deanna L. Osmond & Jill S. Baron, 2016. "Nutrients in the nexus," Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences, Springer;Association of Environmental Studies and Sciences, vol. 6(1), pages 25-38, March.
    10. Bhargava, Anil K. & Vagen, Tor & Gassner, Anja, 2018. "Breaking Ground: Unearthing the Potential of High-resolution, Remote-sensing Soil Data in Understanding Agricultural Profits and Technology Use in Sub-Saharan Africa," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 105(C), pages 352-366.
    11. Jayne, T.S., 2014. "Land dynamics and future trajectories of structural transformation in Africa," Agrekon, Agricultural Economics Association of South Africa (AEASA), vol. 53(3), October.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Diriba Shiferaw G., 2017. "Water-Nutrients Interaction: Exploring the Effects of Water as a Central Role for Availability & Use Efficiency of Nutrients by Shallow Rooted Vegetable Crops - A Review," Journal of Agriculture and Crops, Academic Research Publishing Group, vol. 3(10), pages 78-93, 10-2017.
    2. Eric Britt Moore, 2023. "Challenges and Opportunities for Cover Crop Mediated Soil Water Use Efficiency Enhancements in Temperate Rain-Fed Cropping Systems: A Review," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(5), pages 1-14, April.
    3. Maik Veste & Thomas Littmann & Anton Kunneke & Ben du Toit & Thomas Seifert, 2020. "Windbreaks as part of climate-smart landscapes reduce evapotranspiration in vineyards, Western Cape Province, South Africa," Plant, Soil and Environment, Czech Academy of Agricultural Sciences, vol. 66(3), pages 119-127.
    4. Xiumei Wang & Jianjun Dong & Taogetao Baoyin & Yuhai Bao, 2019. "Estimation and Climate Factor Contribution of Aboveground Biomass in Inner Mongolia’s Typical/Desert Steppes," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(23), pages 1-15, November.
    5. Jónsson, Jón Örvar G. & Davíðsdóttir, Brynhildur & Nikolaidis, Nikolaos P. & Giannakis, Georgios V., 2019. "Tools for Sustainable Soil Management: Soil Ecosystem Services, EROI and Economic Analysis," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 157(C), pages 109-119.
    6. Bossio, Deborah & Geheb, Kim & Critchley, William, 2010. "Managing water by managing land: Addressing land degradation to improve water productivity and rural livelihoods," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 97(4), pages 536-542, April.
    7. Hanjra, Munir A. & Qureshi, M. Ejaz, 2010. "Global water crisis and future food security in an era of climate change," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 35(5), pages 365-377, October.
    8. Sinare, Hanna & Gordon, Line J. & Enfors Kautsky, Elin, 2016. "Assessment of ecosystem services and benefits in village landscapes – A case study from Burkina Faso," Ecosystem Services, Elsevier, vol. 21(PA), pages 141-152.
    9. Sandra Ricart & Anna Ribas & David Pavón, 2016. "Qualifying irrigation system sustainability by means of stakeholder perceptions and concerns: lessons from the Segarra‐Garrigues Canal, Spain," Natural Resources Forum, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 40(1-2), pages 77-90, February.
    10. Shulin Chen & Zhenghao Zhu & Xiaotong Liu & Li Yang, 2022. "Variation in Vegetation and Its Driving Force in the Pearl River Delta Region of China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(16), pages 1-15, August.
    11. Krauß, Michael & Kraatz, Simone & Drastig, Katrin & Prochnow, Annette, 2015. "The influence of dairy management strategies on water productivity of milk production," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 147(C), pages 175-186.
    12. Bunting, Erin L. & Fullman, Timothy & Kiker, Gregory & Southworth, Jane, 2016. "Utilization of the SAVANNA model to analyze future patterns of vegetation cover in Kruger National Park under changing climate," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 342(C), pages 147-160.
    13. Rosanna Salvia & Valentina Quaranta & Adele Sateriano & Giovanni Quaranta, 2022. "Land Resource Depletion, Regional Disparities, and the Claim for a Renewed ‘Sustainability Thinking’ under Early Desertification Conditions," Resources, MDPI, vol. 11(3), pages 1-14, March.
    14. Yao Zhang & Pierre Gentine & Xiangzhong Luo & Xu Lian & Yanlan Liu & Sha Zhou & Anna M. Michalak & Wu Sun & Joshua B. Fisher & Shilong Piao & Trevor F. Keenan, 2022. "Increasing sensitivity of dryland vegetation greenness to precipitation due to rising atmospheric CO2," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-9, December.
    15. Elke Noellemeyer & Romina Fernández & Alberto Quiroga, 2013. "Crop and Tillage Effects on Water Productivity of Dryland Agriculture in Argentina," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 3(1), pages 1-11, January.
    16. Madhav L Khandekar, 2005. "Extreme Weather Trends Vs. Dangerous Climate Change: A Need for Critical Reassessment," Energy & Environment, , vol. 16(2), pages 327-331, March.
    17. Flatø, Martin & Muttarak, Raya & Pelser, André, 2017. "Women, Weather, and Woes: The Triangular Dynamics of Female-Headed Households, Economic Vulnerability, and Climate Variability in South Africa," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 90(C), pages 41-62.
    18. Batanai Sammie & Elvis Mupfiga & Liboster Mwadzingeni & Tavengwa Chitata & Raymond Mugandani, 2021. "A gendered lens to self-evaluated and actual climate change knowledge," Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences, Springer;Association of Environmental Studies and Sciences, vol. 11(1), pages 65-75, March.
    19. Sharma, Bharat & Molden, D. & Cook, Simon, 2015. "Water use efficiency in agriculture: measurement, current situation and trends," Book Chapters,, International Water Management Institute.
    20. Cliff Zinyemba & Emma Archer & Hanna-Andrea Rother, 2020. "Climate Change, Pesticides and Health: Considering the Risks and Opportunities of Adaptation for Zimbabwean Smallholder Cotton Growers," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(1), pages 1-11, December.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:agiwat:v:98:y:2011:i:9:p:1364-1372. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/agwat .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.