IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/caa/jnlpse/v69y2023i2id160-2022-pse.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Short-term effects of tillage and leaf mulch on soil properties and sunflower yield under semi-arid conditions

Author

Listed:
  • Koena Rivonia Selolo

    (Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, Faculty of Science, Engineering and Agriculture, University of Venda, Thohoyandou, South Africa)

  • Jestinos Mzezewa

    (Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, Faculty of Science, Engineering and Agriculture, University of Venda, Thohoyandou, South Africa)

  • Jude Julius Odhiambo

    (Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, Faculty of Science, Engineering and Agriculture, University of Venda, Thohoyandou, South Africa)

Abstract

A study was conducted at the University of Venda Experimental Farm, Limpopo province, South Africa to determine the effects of tillage and mulching on selected soil properties, and yield of sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.). The experiment was laid out in a split plot design with three replications during the 2018/19 and 2019/20 cropping seasons. Treatments consisted of conventional tillage (CT) and minimum tillage (MT) and three levels of avocado leaf mulch (0, 6 and 12 t/ha). Bulk density (BD), aggregate stability (AS), infiltration rate (IR), soil water content (SWC) and grain yield were determined. Tillage had no significant effect on BD in either season but influenced SWC and sunflower grain yield. CT recorded a significantly higher AS than MT during 2018/19 cropping season. Tillage × mulch interaction was significant during 2018/19 season with CT at 12 t/ha mulch recording higher AS than the MT. IR was significantly influenced by tillage × mulch interaction in both seasons with MT recording higher IR than the CT during 2018/19. Avocado mulch had no significant effect on sunflower grain yield in either season but influenced SWC in 2019/20 season. It was concluded that avocado mulch could be a relevant component of conservation agriculture but long-term studies are needed to validate the benefits observed in this study.

Suggested Citation

  • Koena Rivonia Selolo & Jestinos Mzezewa & Jude Julius Odhiambo, 2023. "Short-term effects of tillage and leaf mulch on soil properties and sunflower yield under semi-arid conditions," Plant, Soil and Environment, Czech Academy of Agricultural Sciences, vol. 69(2), pages 55-61.
  • Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlpse:v:69:y:2023:i:2:id:160-2022-pse
    DOI: 10.17221/160/2022-PSE
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://pse.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/160/2022-PSE.html
    Download Restriction: free of charge

    File URL: http://pse.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/160/2022-PSE.pdf
    Download Restriction: free of charge

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.17221/160/2022-PSE?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    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. Mzezewa, J. & Gwata, E.T. & van Rensburg, L.D., 2011. "Yield and seasonal water productivity of sunflower as affected by tillage and cropping systems under dryland conditions in the Limpopo Province of South Africa," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 98(10), pages 1641-1648, August.
    2. Mazvimavi, Kizito & Twomlow, Steve, 2009. "Socioeconomic and institutional factors influencing adoption of conservation farming by vulnerable households in Zimbabwe," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 101(1-2), pages 20-29, June.
    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. Nkomoki, William & Bavorová, Miroslava & Banout, Jan, 2018. "Adoption of sustainable agricultural practices and food security threats: Effects of land tenure in Zambia," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 78(C), pages 532-538.
    2. Jaleta, Moti & Kassie, Menale & Shiferaw, Bekele A., 2012. "Tradeoffs in Crop Residue Utilization in Mixed Crop-Livestock Systems and Implications for Conservation Agriculture and Sustainable Land Management," 2012 Conference, August 18-24, 2012, Foz do Iguacu, Brazil 126282, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    3. Abadi, Bijan & Yadollahi, Arash & Bybordi, Ahmad & Rahmati, Mehdi, 2020. "The discrimination of adopters and non-adopters of conservation agricultural initiatives in northwest Iran: Attitudinal, soil testing, and topographical modules," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 95(C).
    4. Pedzisa, Tarisayi & Rugube, Lovemore & Winter-Nelson, Alex & Baylis, Kathy & Mazvimavi, Kizito, 2016. "The Intensity of adoption of Conservation agriculture by smallholder farmers in Zimbabwe," Agrekon, Agricultural Economics Association of South Africa (AEASA), vol. 54(3), January.
    5. Descheemaeker, K. & Bunting, S. W. & Bindraban, P. & Muthuri, C. & Molden, D. & Beveridge, M. & van Brakel, Martin & Herrero, M. & Clement, Floriane & Boelee, Eline & Jarvis, D. I., 2013. "Increasing water productivity in Agriculture," Book Chapters,, International Water Management Institute.
    6. Clifton Makate & Marshall Makate & Nelson Mango, 2019. "Wealth-related inequalities in adoption of drought-tolerant maize and conservation agriculture in Zimbabwe," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 11(4), pages 881-896, August.
    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. Wondwossen Tsegaye & Roberto LaRovere & Germano Mwabu & Girma T. Kassie, 2017. "Adoption and farm-level impact of conservation agriculture in Central Ethiopia," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 19(6), pages 2517-2533, December.
    9. Harris, David & Orr, Alastair, 2014. "Is rainfed agriculture really a pathway from poverty?," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 123(C), pages 84-96.
    10. Petan Hamazakaza & Gillian Kabwe & Elias Kuntashula & Anthony Egeru & Robert Asiimwe, 2022. "Adoption of Sustainable Agriculture Intensification in Maize-Based Farming Systems of Katete District in Zambia," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(6), pages 1-15, June.
    11. Nurakhmet Nugymanov & Baglan Muratbek & Xianhui Geng, 2024. "Influence of Biophysical Factors on the Adoption of Soil Conserving Practices among Wheat Farmers in Kazakhstan," International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS), vol. 8(8), pages 1983-1995, August.
    12. Kaliba, Aloyce R. & Mushi, Richard J. & Gongwe, Anne G. & Mazvimavi, Kizito, 2020. "A typology of adopters and nonadopters of improved sorghum seeds in Tanzania: A deep learning neural network approach," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 127(C).
    13. Thi Quynh Anh Le & Yasuharu Shimamura & Hiroyuki Yamada & Minh Duc Le, 2025. "Gender, social networks, and the use of organic fertilizers toward sustainable agriculture in suburban villages of Central Vietnam," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 33(1), pages 1401-1416, February.
    14. Hazarika, Bhabesh & Bezbaruah, Madhurjya Prashad & Goswami, Kishor, 2016. "Adoption of modern weaving technology in the handloom micro-enterprises in Assam: A Double Hurdle approach," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 102(C), pages 344-356.
    15. Obedy Eric, Gido, 2012. "Factors Affecting Adoption and Intensity of Use of Organic Soil Management Practices in Maize Production in Bungoma County, Kenya," Research Theses 243445, Collaborative Masters Program in Agricultural and Applied Economics.
    16. Collins C. Okolie & Gideon Danso-Abbeam & Okechukwu Groupson-Paul & Abiodun A. Ogundeji, 2022. "Climate-Smart Agriculture Amidst Climate Change to Enhance Agricultural Production: A Bibliometric Analysis," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(1), pages 1-23, December.
    17. Bravo-Monroy, L. & Potts, S.G. & Tzanopoulos, J., 2016. "Drivers influencing farmer decisions for adopting organic or conventional coffee management practices," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 58(C), pages 49-61.
    18. Saroj & Kirtti Ranjan Paltasingh, 2024. "What promotes production contract in Indian agriculture? Managing market risk versus profit orientation," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 55(1), pages 140-153, January.
    19. Pannell, David J. & Llewellyn, Rick S. & Corbeels, Marc, 2013. "The farm-level economics of conservation agriculture for resource-poor farmers," Working Papers 166526, University of Western Australia, School of Agricultural and Resource Economics.
    20. Vengai Mbanyele & Florence Mtambanengwe & Hatirarami Nezomba & Jairos Rurinda & Paul Mapfumo, 2022. "Conservation Agriculture in Semi-Arid Zimbabwe: A Promising Practice to Improve Finger Millet ( Eleusine coracana Gaertn.) Productivity and Soil Water Availability in the Short Term," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 12(5), pages 1-17, April.

    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:caa:jnlpse:v:69:y:2023:i:2:id:160-2022-pse. 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: Ivo Andrle (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.cazv.cz/en/home/ .

    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.