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Effect of rooting depth, plant density and planting date on maize (Zea mays L.) yield and water use efficiency in semi-arid Zimbabwe: Modelling with AquaCrop

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  • Nyakudya, Innocent Wadzanayi
  • Stroosnijder, Leo

Abstract

Under low and poorly distributed rainfall higher food production can be achieved by increasing crop water use efficiency (WUE) through optimum soil fertility management and selection of deep-rooting cultivars, appropriate plant density and planting dates. We explored AquaCrop's applicability in selecting adaptive practices for improving maize yield and WUE under rainfed smallholder farming in semi-arid Zimbabwe. AquaCrop was first tested using field measurements without calibration. The model was subsequently applied to estimate the effect of effective rooting depth (ERD), plant density and planting date on maize yield. Simulations were done with daily rainfall data for 25 seasons. During model testing AquaCrop simulated canopy cover development well and simulated biomass accumulation showed good agreement with measured values. The model overestimated soil water, and observed final biomass and grain yield were 96 and 92% of simulated values, respectively. Model application showed that increasing ERD from 0.40m at 32,500plantsha−1 to 0.60m at 44,400plantsha−1 increased grain yield from 6.0 to 7.8tha−1, biomass water use efficiency by 20.5%, grain water use efficiency by 23.6% and transpiration water use efficiency by 26.8%. At 0.60 and 0.80m ERD and 44,400plantsha−1, biomass and grain yield, and WUE, were similar. Drainage below the rootzone was ≥40% of non-productive water losses in normal and wet seasons whilst soil evaporation contributed 47% in dry seasons at 0.80m ERD. To improve yield and WUE, we recommend: incorporation of deep-rooting legumes, deeper-rooting cultivars (≥0.60m effective rooting depth) and practices that improve ERD, a plant density of 44,400plantsha−1; and practices that reduce soil evaporation e.g. mulching and addition of organic fertilisers to improve soils’ available water capacity and enhance response to mineral fertilisers. Further research should include field testing of results from this study with farmers.

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  • Nyakudya, Innocent Wadzanayi & Stroosnijder, Leo, 2014. "Effect of rooting depth, plant density and planting date on maize (Zea mays L.) yield and water use efficiency in semi-arid Zimbabwe: Modelling with AquaCrop," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 146(C), pages 280-296.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:agiwat:v:146:y:2014:i:c:p:280-296
    DOI: 10.1016/j.agwat.2014.08.024
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    1. Nyakudya, Innocent Wadzanayi & Stroosnijder, Leo & Nyagumbo, Isaiah, 2014. "Infiltration and planting pits for improved water management and maize yield in semi-arid Zimbabwe," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 141(C), pages 30-46.
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    2. Cheng, Minghui & Wang, Haidong & Fan, Junliang & Xiang, Youzhen & Liu, Xiaoqiang & Liao, Zhenqi & Abdelghany, Ahmed Elsayed & Zhang, Fucang & Li, Zhijun, 2022. "Evaluation of AquaCrop model for greenhouse cherry tomato with plastic film mulch under various water and nitrogen supplies," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 274(C).
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    4. Festo Richard Silungwe & Frieder Graef & Sonoko Dorothea Bellingrath-Kimura & Emmanuel A Chilagane & Siza Donald Tumbo & Fredrick Cassian Kahimba & Marcos Alberto Lana, 2019. "Modelling Rainfed Pearl Millet Yield Sensitivity to Abiotic Stresses in Semi-Arid Central Tanzania, Eastern Africa," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(16), pages 1-18, August.
    5. Ran, Hui & Kang, Shaozhong & Li, Fusheng & Du, Taisheng & Tong, Ling & Li, Sien & Ding, Risheng & Zhang, Xiaotao, 2018. "Parameterization of the AquaCrop model for full and deficit irrigated maize for seed production in arid Northwest China," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 203(C), pages 438-450.
    6. Jia, Qianmin & Sun, Lefeng & Ali, Shahzad & Zhang, Yan & Liu, Donghua & Kamran, Muhammad & Zhang, Peng & Jia, Zhikuan & Ren, Xiaolong, 2018. "Effect of planting density and pattern on maize yield and rainwater use efficiency in the Loess Plateau in China," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 202(C), pages 19-32.
    7. Sandhu, Rupinder & Irmak, Suat, 2019. "Assessment of AquaCrop model in simulating maize canopy cover, soil-water, evapotranspiration, yield, and water productivity for different planting dates and densities under irrigated and rainfed cond," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 224(C), pages 1-1.
    8. Wang, Zhuangji & Timlin, Dennis & Li, Sanai & Fleisher, David & Dathe, Annette & Luo, Chenyi & Dong, Lixin & Reddy, Vangimalla R. & Tully, Katherine, 2021. "A diffusive model of maize root growth in MAIZSIM and its applications in Ridge-Furrow Rainfall Harvesting," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 254(C).
    9. Ćosić, Marija & Stričević, Ružica & Djurović, Nevenka & Moravčević, Djordje & Pavlović, Miloš & Todorović, Mladen, 2017. "Predicting biomass and yield of sweet pepper grown with and without plastic film mulching under different water supply and weather conditions," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 188(C), pages 91-100.
    10. Jiang, Shouzheng & Liang, Chuan & Cui, Ningbo & Zhao, Lu & Du, Taisheng & Hu, Xiaotao & Feng, Yu & Guan, Jing & Feng, Yi, 2019. "Impacts of climatic variables on reference evapotranspiration during growing season in Southwest China," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 216(C), pages 365-378.
    11. Wu, Yang & Wang, Lichun & Bian, Shaofeng & Liu, Zhiming & Wang, Yongjun & Lv, Yanjie & Cao, Yujun & Yao, Fanyun & Li, Chunxia & Wei, Wenwen, 2019. "Evolution of roots to improve water and nitrogen use efficiency in maize elite inbred lines released during different decades in China," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 216(C), pages 44-59.
    12. Seyed Ahmadi & Elnaz Mosallaeepour & Ali Kamgar-Haghighi & Ali Sepaskhah, 2015. "Modeling Maize Yield and Soil Water Content with AquaCrop Under Full and Deficit Irrigation Managements," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 29(8), pages 2837-2853, June.
    13. Dhouib, M. & Zitouna-Chebbi, R. & Prévot, L. & Molénat, J. & Mekki, I. & Jacob, F., 2022. "Multicriteria evaluation of the AquaCrop crop model in a hilly rainfed Mediterranean agrosystem," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 273(C).
    14. Sandhu, Rupinder & Irmak, Suat, 2019. "Performance of AquaCrop model in simulating maize growth, yield, and evapotranspiration under rainfed, limited and full irrigation," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 223(C), pages 1-1.
    15. Feng, Dingrui & Li, Guangyong & Wang, Dan & Wulazibieke, Mierguli & Cai, Mingkun & Kang, Jing & Yuan, Zicheng & Xu, Houcheng, 2022. "Evaluation of AquaCrop model performance under mulched drip irrigation for maize in Northeast China," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 261(C).
    16. Ren, Xinmao & Sun, Dongbao & Wang, Qingsuo, 2016. "Modeling the effects of plant density on maize productivity and water balance in the Loess Plateau of China," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 171(C), pages 40-48.
    17. T. Cai & C. Zhang & Y. Huang & H. Huang & B. Yang & Z. Zhao & J. Zhang & Z. Jia, 2015. "Effects of different straw mulch modes on soil water storage and water use efficiency of spring maize (Zea mays L.) in the Loess Plateau of China," Plant, Soil and Environment, Czech Academy of Agricultural Sciences, vol. 61(6), pages 253-259.
    18. Liu, Ziqiang & Jia, Guodong & Yu, Xinxiao, 2020. "Water uptake and WUE of Apple tree-Corn Agroforestry in the Loess hilly region of China," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 234(C).
    19. Chen, Zhijun & Sun, Shijun & Zhu, Zhenchuang & Jiang, Hao & Zhang, Xudong, 2019. "Assessing the effects of plant density and plastic film mulch on maize evaporation and transpiration using dual crop coefficient approach," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 225(C).
    20. Tafadzwanashe Mabhaudhi & Tendai Chibarabada & Albert Modi, 2016. "Water-Food-Nutrition-Health Nexus: Linking Water to Improving Food, Nutrition and Health in Sub-Saharan Africa," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 13(1), pages 1-19, January.

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