Knowledge Center Catalog

Integrating pigeonpeas into smallholder farming systems to improve soil fertility and crop yields in Malawi

By: Contributor(s): Material type: TextTextPublication details: Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) CIMMYT|EARO : 1999Description: p. 218-222ISBN:
  • 92-9146-065-6
Subject(s): DDC classification:
  • 633.15 EAS No. 6
Summary: A field experiment was conducted at forty-four smallholder farmers' fields in Malawi during the 1995/96 and 1996/97 crop growing seasons with the main objective of promoting country-wide integration of pigeonpeas into smallholder farming systems. Specifically, the study aimed at: (i) promoting crop diversification, (ii) improving soil fertility and crop yields, and (iii) evaluating other agroforestry technologies besides alley cropping. There were five treatments (or technologies): T1, strip cropping maize with pigeonpeas; T2, improved fallows using pigeonpeas; T3, intercropping maize witb pigeonpeas; T4, sole maize with an application of 30 kg N ha-1 and 15 kg P2O5 ha-1; and T5, sole maize without fertilizer application (control). These were laid out in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) in two or three replications. Pigeonpeas were well established at all the trial sites indicating that these can be grown at many sites in Malawi. An application of N and P significantly (P=O.O5) increased maize grain yields at all the trial sites, indicating that low soil fertility is an important factor constraining maize grain yields in Malawi. The performance of the technologies across sites was as follows: T4>T2>T1>T5>T3; indicating that fertilised monocrop maize (T4) had the greatest potential to increase crop yields relative to the control (T5), followed by the one-year improved fallow (T2), and strip cropping (T1). The performance of the technologies varied from farmer to farmer, and from site to site. These variations were attributed to: (i) low inherent soil fertility, (ii) high and/or low rainfall that was poorly distributed, and (iii) farmer differences in carrying out crop husbandry practices. Our findings suggest that future research should focus on testing the improved fallow technology in several agro-ecological zones, soil types and climatic conditions, and testing other low-input soll- fertility-improving technologies where organic manures are augmented with inorganic fertilizers.
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A field experiment was conducted at forty-four smallholder farmers' fields in Malawi during the 1995/96 and 1996/97 crop growing seasons with the main objective of promoting country-wide integration of pigeonpeas into smallholder farming systems. Specifically, the study aimed at: (i) promoting crop diversification, (ii) improving soil fertility and crop yields, and (iii) evaluating other agroforestry technologies besides alley cropping. There were five treatments (or technologies): T1, strip cropping maize with pigeonpeas; T2, improved fallows using pigeonpeas; T3, intercropping maize witb pigeonpeas; T4, sole maize with an application of 30 kg N ha-1 and 15 kg P2O5 ha-1; and T5, sole maize without fertilizer application (control). These were laid out in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) in two or three replications. Pigeonpeas were well established at all the trial sites indicating that these can be grown at many sites in Malawi. An application of N and P significantly (P=O.O5) increased maize grain yields at all the trial sites, indicating that low soil fertility is an important factor constraining maize grain yields in Malawi. The performance of the technologies across sites was as follows: T4>T2>T1>T5>T3; indicating that fertilised monocrop maize (T4) had the greatest potential to increase crop yields relative to the control (T5), followed by the one-year improved fallow (T2), and strip cropping (T1). The performance of the technologies varied from farmer to farmer, and from site to site. These variations were attributed to: (i) low inherent soil fertility, (ii) high and/or low rainfall that was poorly distributed, and (iii) farmer differences in carrying out crop husbandry practices. Our findings suggest that future research should focus on testing the improved fallow technology in several agro-ecological zones, soil types and climatic conditions, and testing other low-input soll- fertility-improving technologies where organic manures are augmented with inorganic fertilizers.

English

0103|AL-Maize Program|AGRIS 0102|AJ

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