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Conservation Agriculture Effects on Crop and Moisture in Central Rift Valley of Ethiopia

Received: 12 November 2024     Accepted: 4 December 2024     Published: 23 December 2024
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Abstract

Cropping systems of maize-legume crops which mostly practiced under conventional practice has resulted in soil degradation and loss of crop yield in Ethiopia. This practice may be inversed by Conservation Agriculture. Optical sensor techniques particularly normalized difference vegetative index is immediate, non-devastative and quantitative assessment method; which opposes conventional plant tissue sampling analysis which is devastating and needs more time. CA practice may enhance soil water and crop yield. CA can improve soil health and crop productivity. It was suggested that CA should be studied by considering both crop and soil parameters in Ethiopia. By considering this field experiment was done at Melkassa agricultural research center during the rainy season of 2018 and 2019 to study the impacts of conventional practice and conservational practice under different cropping systems. Split plot treatment design with 3 replication was used. Two tillage levels were assigned to the main plots and four maize-legume systems were assigned to the sub plots. Results implied that conservation agriculture plot was early in maize emergence and late in maize tasseling, silking and physiological maturity than conventional practice. Maize bean intercropping under conservational was better in maize yield, biomass and harvest index than maize bean intercropping under conventional practice. High normalized difference vegetative index value was recorded under conventional practice for the earlier periods and low value was recorded under conservational practice during earlier periods of maize growing periods. However, Normal difference vegetative index was become higher for conservational practice during grain filling maize grain filling stage. Better soil moisture content at various soil depth was obtained from maize rotation system under conservational practice than cropping system under conventional practice.

Published in American Journal of Biological and Environmental Statistics (Volume 10, Issue 4)
DOI 10.11648/j.ajbes.20241004.12
Page(s) 105-113
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Soil Moisture, Conservation Practice, Tillage, Maize-legume Cropping System

References
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  • APA Style

    Tesfa, Y., Abdulahi, J. (2024). Conservation Agriculture Effects on Crop and Moisture in Central Rift Valley of Ethiopia. American Journal of Biological and Environmental Statistics, 10(4), 105-113. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajbes.20241004.12

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    ACS Style

    Tesfa, Y.; Abdulahi, J. Conservation Agriculture Effects on Crop and Moisture in Central Rift Valley of Ethiopia. Am. J. Biol. Environ. Stat. 2024, 10(4), 105-113. doi: 10.11648/j.ajbes.20241004.12

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    AMA Style

    Tesfa Y, Abdulahi J. Conservation Agriculture Effects on Crop and Moisture in Central Rift Valley of Ethiopia. Am J Biol Environ Stat. 2024;10(4):105-113. doi: 10.11648/j.ajbes.20241004.12

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  • @article{10.11648/j.ajbes.20241004.12,
      author = {Yaya Tesfa and Jemal Abdulahi},
      title = {Conservation Agriculture Effects on Crop and Moisture in Central Rift Valley of Ethiopia
    },
      journal = {American Journal of Biological and Environmental Statistics},
      volume = {10},
      number = {4},
      pages = {105-113},
      doi = {10.11648/j.ajbes.20241004.12},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajbes.20241004.12},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajbes.20241004.12},
      abstract = {Cropping systems of maize-legume crops which mostly practiced under conventional practice has resulted in soil degradation and loss of crop yield in Ethiopia. This practice may be inversed by Conservation Agriculture. Optical sensor techniques particularly normalized difference vegetative index is immediate, non-devastative and quantitative assessment method; which opposes conventional plant tissue sampling analysis which is devastating and needs more time. CA practice may enhance soil water and crop yield. CA can improve soil health and crop productivity. It was suggested that CA should be studied by considering both crop and soil parameters in Ethiopia. By considering this field experiment was done at Melkassa agricultural research center during the rainy season of 2018 and 2019 to study the impacts of conventional practice and conservational practice under different cropping systems. Split plot treatment design with 3 replication was used. Two tillage levels were assigned to the main plots and four maize-legume systems were assigned to the sub plots. Results implied that conservation agriculture plot was early in maize emergence and late in maize tasseling, silking and physiological maturity than conventional practice. Maize bean intercropping under conservational was better in maize yield, biomass and harvest index than maize bean intercropping under conventional practice. High normalized difference vegetative index value was recorded under conventional practice for the earlier periods and low value was recorded under conservational practice during earlier periods of maize growing periods. However, Normal difference vegetative index was become higher for conservational practice during grain filling maize grain filling stage. Better soil moisture content at various soil depth was obtained from maize rotation system under conservational practice than cropping system under conventional practice.
    },
     year = {2024}
    }
    

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    T1  - Conservation Agriculture Effects on Crop and Moisture in Central Rift Valley of Ethiopia
    
    AU  - Yaya Tesfa
    AU  - Jemal Abdulahi
    Y1  - 2024/12/23
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    JF  - American Journal of Biological and Environmental Statistics
    JO  - American Journal of Biological and Environmental Statistics
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    PB  - Science Publishing Group
    SN  - 2471-979X
    UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajbes.20241004.12
    AB  - Cropping systems of maize-legume crops which mostly practiced under conventional practice has resulted in soil degradation and loss of crop yield in Ethiopia. This practice may be inversed by Conservation Agriculture. Optical sensor techniques particularly normalized difference vegetative index is immediate, non-devastative and quantitative assessment method; which opposes conventional plant tissue sampling analysis which is devastating and needs more time. CA practice may enhance soil water and crop yield. CA can improve soil health and crop productivity. It was suggested that CA should be studied by considering both crop and soil parameters in Ethiopia. By considering this field experiment was done at Melkassa agricultural research center during the rainy season of 2018 and 2019 to study the impacts of conventional practice and conservational practice under different cropping systems. Split plot treatment design with 3 replication was used. Two tillage levels were assigned to the main plots and four maize-legume systems were assigned to the sub plots. Results implied that conservation agriculture plot was early in maize emergence and late in maize tasseling, silking and physiological maturity than conventional practice. Maize bean intercropping under conservational was better in maize yield, biomass and harvest index than maize bean intercropping under conventional practice. High normalized difference vegetative index value was recorded under conventional practice for the earlier periods and low value was recorded under conservational practice during earlier periods of maize growing periods. However, Normal difference vegetative index was become higher for conservational practice during grain filling maize grain filling stage. Better soil moisture content at various soil depth was obtained from maize rotation system under conservational practice than cropping system under conventional practice.
    
    VL  - 10
    IS  - 4
    ER  - 

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Author Information
  • Melkassa Agricultural Research Center, Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

  • School of Plant Sciences, Haramaya University, Dire Dawa, Ethiopia

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