IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v12y2020i15p5989-d389634.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The Response of Water and Nutrient Dynamics and of Crop Yield to Conservation Agriculture in the Ethiopian Highlands

Author

Listed:
  • Sisay A. Belay

    (Faculty of Civil and Water Resources Engineering, Bahir Dar Institute of Technology, Bahir Dar University, Bahir Dar 26, Ethiopia)

  • Tewodros T. Assefa

    (Faculty of Civil and Water Resources Engineering, Bahir Dar Institute of Technology, Bahir Dar University, Bahir Dar 26, Ethiopia)

  • P. V. Vara Prasad

    (Sustainable Intensification Innovation Lab, Department of Agronomy, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas, KS 66506, USA)

  • Petra Schmitter

    (International Water Management Institute, Yangon 11081, Myanmar)

  • Abeyou W. Worqlul

    (Blackland Research Center, Texas A&M AgriLife Research, Temple, TX 76502, USA)

  • Tammo S. Steenhuis

    (Faculty of Civil and Water Resources Engineering, Bahir Dar Institute of Technology, Bahir Dar University, Bahir Dar 26, Ethiopia
    Department of Biological and Environmental Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA)

  • Manuel R. Reyes

    (Sustainable Intensification Innovation Lab, Department of Agronomy, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas, KS 66506, USA)

  • Seifu A. Tilahun

    (Faculty of Civil and Water Resources Engineering, Bahir Dar Institute of Technology, Bahir Dar University, Bahir Dar 26, Ethiopia)

Abstract

Smallholder agriculture constitutes the main source of livelihood for the Ethiopian rural community. However, soil degradation and uneven distribution of rainfall have threatened agriculture at present. This study is aimed at investigating the impacts of conservation agriculture on irrigation water use, nutrient availability in the root zone, and crop yield under supplementary irrigation. In this study, conservation agriculture (CA), which includes minimum soil disturbance, grass mulch cover, and crop rotation, was practiced and compared with conventional tillage (CT). We used two years’ (2018 and 2019) experimental data under paired-t design in the production of a local variety green pepper ( Capsicum annuum L.). The results showed that CA practices significantly (α = 0.05) reduced irrigation water use (13% to 29%) and runoff (29% to 51%) while it increased percolated water in the root zone (27% to 50%) when compared with CT practices under the supplementary irrigation phase. In addition, CA significantly decreased NO 3 -N in the leachate (14% to 44%) and in the runoff (about 100%), while PO 4 -P significantly decreased in the leachate (33% to 50%) and in the runoff (16%) when compared with CT. Similarly, CA decreased the NO 3 -N load in the leachate and in the runoff, while the PO 4 -P load increased in the leachate but decreased in the runoff. The yield return that was achieved under CA treatment was 30% higher in 2018 and 10% higher in 2019 when compared with the CT. This research improves our understanding of water and nutrient dynamics in green pepper grown under CA and CT. Use of CA provides opportunities to optimize water use by decreasing irrigation water requirements and optimize nutrient use by decreasing nutrient losses through the runoff and leaching.

Suggested Citation

  • Sisay A. Belay & Tewodros T. Assefa & P. V. Vara Prasad & Petra Schmitter & Abeyou W. Worqlul & Tammo S. Steenhuis & Manuel R. Reyes & Seifu A. Tilahun, 2020. "The Response of Water and Nutrient Dynamics and of Crop Yield to Conservation Agriculture in the Ethiopian Highlands," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(15), pages 1-15, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:15:p:5989-:d:389634
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/15/5989/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/15/5989/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Romic, D. & Romic, M. & Borosic, J. & Poljak, M., 2003. "Mulching decreases nitrate leaching in bell pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) cultivation," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 60(2), pages 87-97, May.
    2. Diaz, F. & Jimenez, C.C. & Tejedor, M., 2005. "Influence of the thickness and grain size of tephra mulch on soil water evaporation," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 74(1), pages 47-55, May.
    3. Belay, S. A. & Schmitter, Petra & Worqlul, A. W. & Steenhuis, T. S. & Reyes, M. R. & Tilahun, S. A., 2019. "Conservation agriculture saves irrigation water in the dry monsoon phase in the Ethiopian highlands," Papers published in Journals (Open Access), International Water Management Institute, pages 11(10):1-16.
    4. Bekele, Samson & Tilahun, Ketema, 2007. "Regulated deficit irrigation scheduling of onion in a semiarid region of Ethiopia," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 89(1-2), pages 148-152, April.
    5. Jarque, Carlos M. & Bera, Anil K., 1980. "Efficient tests for normality, homoscedasticity and serial independence of regression residuals," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 6(3), pages 255-259.
    6. Tomer, M.D. & Moorman, T.B. & Kovar, J.L. & Cole, K.J. & Nichols, D.J., 2016. "Eleven years of runoff and phosphorus losses from two fields with and without manure application, Iowa, USA," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 168(C), pages 104-111.
    7. Kresović, Branka & Tapanarova, Angelina & Tomić, Zorica & Životić, Ljubomir & Vujović, Dragan & Sredojević, Zorica & Gajić, Boško, 2016. "Grain yield and water use efficiency of maize as influenced by different irrigation regimes through sprinkler irrigation under temperate climate," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 169(C), pages 34-43.
    8. Tewodros Assefa & Manoj Jha & Manuel Reyes & Abeyou W. Worqlul, 2018. "Modeling the Impacts of Conservation Agriculture with a Drip Irrigation System on the Hydrology and Water Management in Sub-Saharan Africa," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(12), pages 1-19, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    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. Worqlul, Abeyou W. & Dile, Yihun T. & Schmitter, Petra & Bezabih, Melkamu & Adie, Aberra & Bizimana, Jean-Claude & Srinivasan, R. & Lefore, Nicole & Clarke, Neville, 2021. "Constraints of small-scale irrigated fodder production and nutrition assessment for livestock feed, a case study in Ethiopia," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 254(C).
    2. Belay, S. A. & Schmitter, Petra & Worqlul, A. W. & Steenhuis, T. S. & Reyes, M. R. & Tilahun, S. A., 2019. "Conservation agriculture saves irrigation water in the dry monsoon phase in the Ethiopian highlands," Papers published in Journals (Open Access), International Water Management Institute, pages 11(10):1-16.
    3. Abd El-Mageed, Taia A. & Semida, Wael M. & Abd El-Wahed, Mohamed H., 2016. "Effect of mulching on plant water status, soil salinity and yield of squash under summer-fall deficit irrigation in salt affected soil," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 173(C), pages 1-12.
    4. Bierens, H.J. & Broersma, L., 1991. "The relation between unemployment and interest rate : some international evidence," Serie Research Memoranda 0112, VU University Amsterdam, Faculty of Economics, Business Administration and Econometrics.
    5. Juncal Cunado & David Gabauer & Rangan Gupta, 2024. "Realized volatility spillovers between energy and metal markets: a time-varying connectedness approach," Financial Innovation, Springer;Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, vol. 10(1), pages 1-17, December.
    6. Elie Bouri & Georges Azzi, 2014. "On the Dynamic Transmission of Mean and Volatility across the Arab Stock Markets," Journal of Emerging Market Finance, Institute for Financial Management and Research, vol. 13(3), pages 279-304, December.
    7. Eric Fur, 2023. "Risk and return of classic car market prices: passion or financial investment?," Journal of Asset Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 24(1), pages 59-68, February.
    8. Georgiev, Iliyan, 2010. "Model-based asymptotic inference on the effect of infrequent large shocks on cointegrated variables," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 158(1), pages 37-50, September.
    9. Ericsson, Neil R., 2016. "Eliciting GDP forecasts from the FOMC’s minutes around the financial crisis," International Journal of Forecasting, Elsevier, vol. 32(2), pages 571-583.
    10. Jin, Xiaoye, 2015. "Volatility transmission and volatility impulse response functions among the Greater China stock markets," Journal of Asian Economics, Elsevier, vol. 39(C), pages 43-58.
    11. G. D. Gettinby & C. D. Sinclair & D. M. Power & R. A. Brown, 2004. "An Analysis of the Distribution of Extreme Share Returns in the UK from 1975 to 2000," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(5‐6), pages 607-646, June.
    12. Damian Jelito & Marcin Pitera, 2018. "New fat-tail normality test based on conditional second moments with applications to finance," Papers 1811.05464, arXiv.org, revised Apr 2020.
    13. Ilham Haouas & Naceur Kheraief & Arusha Cooray & Syed Jawad Hussain Shahzad, 2019. "Time-Varying Casual Nexuses Between Remittances and Financial Development in Some MENA Countries," Working Papers 1294, Economic Research Forum, revised 2019.
    14. Lenten, Liam J.A. & Geerling, Wayne & Kónya, László, 2012. "A hedonic model of player wage determination from the Indian Premier League auction: Further evidence," Sport Management Review, Elsevier, vol. 15(1), pages 60-71.
    15. Stephen Keef & Melvin Roush, 2005. "Day-of-the-week effects in the pre-holiday returns of the Standard & Poor's 500 stock index," Applied Financial Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 15(2), pages 107-119.
    16. Martha Misas A. & Carlos Esteban Posada P & Diego Mauricio Vásquez E, 2003. "¿Está determinado el nivel de precios por las expectativas de dinero y producto en Colombia?," Revista ESPE - Ensayos Sobre Política Económica, Banco de la República, vol. 21(43), pages 8-31, June.
    17. Yuan, Di & Li, Sufang & Li, Rong & Zhang, Feipeng, 2022. "Economic policy uncertainty, oil and stock markets in BRIC: Evidence from quantiles analysis," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 110(C).
    18. Benedikt Gasser & Joel Stouder, 2022. "Rescue Emergencies Due to High-Altitude Illnesses Are Rare in Switzerland," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(2), pages 1-7, January.
    19. Bouri, Elie & Gabauer, David & Gupta, Rangan & Tiwari, Aviral Kumar, 2021. "Volatility connectedness of major cryptocurrencies: The role of investor happiness," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Finance, Elsevier, vol. 30(C).
    20. Evrim Mandacı, Pınar & Cagli, Efe Çaglar & Taşkın, Dilvin, 2020. "Dynamic connectedness and portfolio strategies: Energy and metal markets," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).

    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:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:15:p:5989-:d:389634. 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: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    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.