No rain but bumper harvest: the magic of pigeonpea in semi-arid Kenya

Q4 Agricultural and Biological Sciences

International Journal of Agricultural Resources, Governance and Ecology Pub Date : 2018-08-11 DOI:10.1504/IJARGE.2018.10015157

K. Kwena, F. Ayuke, G. Karuku, A. Esilaba

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引用次数: 4

Abstract

Land degradation and low rainfall seriously constrain agricultural production in arid and semi-arid areas. A study was conducted at Katumani Research Centre between 2009 and 2013 to investigate the effect of pigeonpea and crop residues on soil physical properties and maize yields. Sole- and inter-crops of maize and pigeonpea varieties drawn from three maturity groups and three crop residue application rates were evaluated in a split-split plot design with pigeonpea varieties, cropping systems and crop residue application rates as the main plot, sub-plot and sub-sub-plot, respectively. Results showed that maize-pigeonpea intercrops accumulated very low soil organic matter and hence, did not improve soil physical properties. Instead, they increased soil bulk density and reduced soil aggregation. Intercropping maize with pigeonpea requires more water compared to maize and pigeonpea sole crops. Mbaazi II-maize intercrop offers the best option since it gave the highest maize and pigeonpea grain yields and produced sufficient stover and stalks.

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不下雨却收获丰收:半干旱的肯尼亚，鸽子豆的魔力

土地退化和少雨严重制约了干旱半干旱地区的农业生产。2009年至2013年期间，卡图马尼研究中心开展了一项研究，调查鸽豆和作物残留物对土壤物理性质和玉米产量的影响。采用以鸽豆品种、种植制度和作物残渣施用量分别为主、次、次小区的分块设计，对玉米和鸽豆3个成熟组的单作和间作及3种作物残渣施用量进行评价。结果表明，玉米-鸽-豌豆间作对土壤有机质积累极低，对土壤物理性质没有改善作用。相反，它们增加了土壤容重，减少了土壤团聚。玉米与鸽豆间作比玉米和鸽豆单作需要更多的水。Mbaazi ii -玉米间作是最佳选择，因为它能提供最高的玉米和鸽豆产量，并产生足够的秸秆。

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来源期刊

International Journal of Agricultural Resources, Governance and Ecology Agricultural and Biological Sciences-Agronomy and Crop Science

CiteScore

0.90

自引率

0.00%

发文量

期刊介绍： IJARGE proposes and fosters discussion on the evolution and governance of agricultural resources, with emphasis on the implications that policy choices have on both the welfare of humans and the ecology of the planet. This perspective acknowledges the complexity of the agricultural sector as an interface between ecological and socio-economic processes operating in parallel over different space-time scales, as well as the reflexive characteristic of human systems.