Abstract
Maize (Zea mays) is among the major cereals grown in the high rainfall areas of the subSaharan Africa’s (SSA) such as the Ethiopian part of the Blue Nile basin. However, its productivity is severely constrained by poor soil, water and crop management practices. This study simulated the water productivity of the crop under varying soil fertility scenarios (poor, near optimal and none limiting) using hybrid seeds under rainfed conditions using the FAO AquaCrop model. The result indicated that grain yield of maize increased from 2.5 tons.ha–1 under poor to 6.4 and 9.2 tons.ha–1 with near optimal and non-limiting soil fertility conditions. Correspondingly, soil evaporation decreased from 446 mm to 285 and 204 mm, while transpiration increased from 146 to 268 and 355 mm. Consequently, grain water productivity was increased by 48% and 54%, respectively, with the near optimal and non-limiting soil fertility conditions. The water productivity gain mainly comes from reduced evaporation and increased transpiration without significantly affecting water left for downstream ecosystem services. This has a huge implication for a basin scale water management planning for various purposes.
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Claims 10
Claim · model-written summary
Near-optimal soil fertility increased simulated maize grain yield from 2.5 to 6.4 tons per hectare.
- Treatment
- near optimale0
- Outcome
- grain yield of maizee0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Value
- 6.4 and 9.2 tons.ha–1e0
- Qualifier
- 2.5 tons.ha–1e0
- Comparator
- poore0
Zea maysOrganisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“grain yield of maize increased from 2.5 tons.ha–1 under poor to 6.4 and 9.2 tons.ha–1 with near optimal and non-limiting soil fertility conditions”
Claim · model-written summary
Non-limiting soil fertility increased simulated maize grain yield from 2.5 to 9.2 tons per hectare.
- Treatment
- non-limiting soil fertility conditionse0
- Outcome
- grain yield of maizee0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Value
- 9.2 tons.ha–1e0
- Qualifier
- 2.5 tons.ha–1e0
- Comparator
- poore0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“grain yield of maize increased from 2.5 tons.ha–1 under poor to 6.4 and 9.2 tons.ha–1 with near optimal and non-limiting soil fertility conditions”
Claim · model-written summary
Near-optimal fertility reduced simulated soil evaporation from 446 to 285 mm.
- Treatment
- near optimale1
- Outcome
- soil evaporatione0
- Direction
- decreasede0
- Value
- 285 and 204 mme0
- Qualifier
- 446 mme0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“soil evaporation decreased from 446 mm to 285 and 204 mm”
e1“with near optimal and non-limiting soil fertility conditions”
e2“grain yield of maize increased”
Claim · model-written summary
Non-limiting fertility reduced simulated soil evaporation from 446 to 204 mm.
- Treatment
- non-limiting soil fertility conditionse1
- Outcome
- soil evaporatione0
- Direction
- decreasede0
- Value
- 204 mme0
- Qualifier
- 446 mme0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“soil evaporation decreased from 446 mm to 285 and 204 mm”
e1“with near optimal and non-limiting soil fertility conditions”
e2“grain yield of maize increased”
Claim · model-written summary
Near-optimal fertility increased simulated transpiration from 146 to 268 mm.
- Treatment
- near optimale1
- Outcome
- transpiratione0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Value
- 268 and 355 mme0
- Qualifier
- 146e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“transpiration increased from 146 to 268 and 355 mm”
e1“with near optimal and non-limiting soil fertility conditions”
e2“grain yield of maize increased”
Claim · model-written summary
Non-limiting fertility increased simulated transpiration from 146 to 355 mm.
- Treatment
- non-limiting soil fertility conditionse1
- Outcome
- transpiratione0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Value
- 355 mme0
- Qualifier
- 146e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“transpiration increased from 146 to 268 and 355 mm”
e1“with near optimal and non-limiting soil fertility conditions”
e2“grain yield of maize increased”
Claim · model-written summary
Near-optimal fertility increased simulated grain water productivity by 48%.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“grain water productivity was increased by 48% and 54%, respectively, with the near optimal and non-limiting soil fertility conditions”
e1“grain yield of maize increased”
Claim · model-written summary
Non-limiting fertility increased simulated grain water productivity by 54%.
- Treatment
- non-limiting soil fertility conditionse0
- Outcome
- grain water productivitye0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Value
- 54%e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“grain water productivity was increased by 48% and 54%, respectively, with the near optimal and non-limiting soil fertility conditions”
e1“grain yield of maize increased”
Claim · model-written summary
The modeled productivity gain came mainly from reduced evaporation and increased transpiration.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The water productivity gain mainly comes from reduced evaporation and increased transpiration”
e1“grain yield of maize increased”
Claim · model-written summary
The modeled fertility scenarios did not significantly affect water left for downstream ecosystem services.
- Treatment
- near optimal and non-limiting soil fertility conditionse1
- Outcome
- water left for downstream ecosystem servicese0
Not reportedComparatorDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“without significantly affecting water left for downstream ecosystem services”
e1“with the near optimal and non-limiting soil fertility conditions”
e2“grain yield of maize increased”
The same questions in other papers
soil · yield · Zea mays (maize)Positive and negative results
18 papers in the same direction as this paper · 5 in the opposite direction · 1 reporting no difference from an alternative
- negative
- no effect
- no effect
21 papers more in this group
See all 25 papers →Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.