Abstract
Soil management can significantly influence crop production under rainfed farming systems in semiarid areas.The central highlands of Kenya, which produces about 20% of the country's maize, cover both areas with high and low potential for crop production because of rainfall amounts and reliability.To increase crop yields, and reduce production risks, better use of available rainfall is required.The objective of the study was to evaluate the effect of soil surface management strategies with or without subsoiling and their interaction on maize productivity under erratic rainfall conditions.The trial followed a 2 3 split-plot design replicated thrice in randomized complete blocks.The main factors were; subsoiling and no-subsoiling while the sub factors were three soil surface modification methods; mulching, cover crop (cowpeas) and bare (control).Seasonal soil-moisture, phenological stages' durations, grain and biomass yields were key parameters.Analysis of Variance was used for data analysis and the differences between treatment means were examined using least square difference at 5% level of significance.The trial results showed that, relative to cover crop without subsoiling treatment interaction, subsoiling led to 200 and 228% increase in maize grain yields during the short rains season of 2009 (SR09) and long rains season of 2010 (LR10) respectively (significance p=0.05).The grain performance was inversely related to the soil moisture content at 30 cm depth.Subsoiling in interaction with cover crop treatment showed consistently low soil moisture content throughout the two seasons while mulching, irrespective of with or without subsoiling, was consistently high throughout the two seasons.The low soil moisture content in the No-subsoiling treatment was probably due to inaccessibility of roots to the deeper horizons of the soil profile.The inverse relationship especially after subsoiling was due to enhanced root penetration and soil water uptake that led to healthier and leafier crops hence higher water uptake through transpiration leading to depressed soil moisture content.The study highlighted the importance of subsoiling and soil surface modification as key farm management practices that have direct impact on maize productivity under erratic rainfall conditions.
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Claims 8
Claim · model-written summary
Subsoiling increased maize grain yield by 200% in the short rains of 2009 relative to cover crop without subsoiling.
- Treatment
- subsoilinge0
- Outcome
- maize grain yieldse0
- Direction
- increasee0
- Value
- 200e0
- Qualifier
- short rains season of 2009 (SR09)e0
- Comparator
- cover crop without subsoiling treatment interactione0
- Setting
- central highlands of Kenyat0
Zea maysOrganisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“relative to cover crop without subsoiling treatment interaction, subsoiling led to 200 and 228% increase in maize grain yields during the short rains season of 2009 (SR09) and long rains season of 2010 (LR10) respectively (significance p=0.05)”
t0“central highlands of Kenya”
Claim · model-written summary
Subsoiling increased maize grain yield by 228% in the long rains of 2010 relative to cover crop without subsoiling.
- Treatment
- subsoilinge0
- Outcome
- maize grain yieldse0
- Direction
- increasee0
- Value
- 228%e0
- Qualifier
- long rains season of 2010 (LR10)e0
- Comparator
- cover crop without subsoiling treatment interactione0
- Setting
- central highlands of Kenyat0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“relative to cover crop without subsoiling treatment interaction, subsoiling led to 200 and 228% increase in maize grain yields during the short rains season of 2009 (SR09) and long rains season of 2010 (LR10) respectively (significance p=0.05)”
t0“central highlands of Kenya”
Claim · model-written summary
Grain performance was inversely related to soil moisture at 30 cm depth.
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The grain performance was inversely related to the soil moisture content at 30 cm depth.”
t0“maize”
Claim · model-written summary
Subsoiling with cover crop had consistently low soil moisture across both seasons.
- Treatment
- Subsoiling in interaction with cover crop treatmente0
- Interactor
- cowpeas
Vigna unguiculatae1other - Outcome
- soil moisture contente0
- Direction
- lowe0
- Qualifier
- throughout the two seasonse0
Not reportedTaxonComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Subsoiling in interaction with cover crop treatment showed consistently low soil moisture content throughout the two seasons”
e1“cover crop (cowpeas)”
Claim · model-written summary
Mulching had consistently high soil moisture across both seasons with or without subsoiling.
- Treatment
- mulchinge0
- Outcome
- soil moisture contente1
- Direction
- highe0
- Qualifier
- irrespective of with or without subsoilinge0
Not reportedTaxonComparator
Verbatim
e0“mulching, irrespective of with or without subsoiling, was consistently high throughout the two seasons”
e1“Subsoiling in interaction with cover crop treatment showed consistently low soil moisture content throughout the two seasons while mulching”
Claim · model-written summary
Low soil moisture without subsoiling was probably due to roots being unable to access deeper soil horizons.
- Treatment
- No-subsoilinge0
- Outcome
- low soil moisture contente0
- Qualifier
- probably due to inaccessibility of roots to the deeper horizons of the soil profilee0
Not reportedTaxon
Verbatim
e0“The low soil moisture content in the No-subsoiling treatment was probably due to inaccessibility of roots to the deeper horizons of the soil profile.”
Claim · model-written summary
Enhanced root penetration and water uptake after subsoiling were interpreted to produce healthier, leafier crops and depress soil moisture through greater transpiration.
- Treatment
- subsoilinge0
- Outcome
- healthier and leafier cropse0
- Qualifier
- enhanced root penetration and soil water uptakee0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The inverse relationship especially after subsoiling was due to enhanced root penetration and soil water uptake that led to healthier and leafier crops hence higher water uptake through transpiration leading to depressed soil moisture content.”
t0“maize”
Claim · model-written summary
The study highlights subsoiling and soil surface modification as important management practices for maize productivity under erratic rainfall.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The study highlighted the importance of subsoiling and soil surface modification as key farm management practices that have direct impact on maize productivity under erratic rainfall conditions.”
The same questions in other papers
tillage · yield · Zea mays (maize)Positive and negative results
811 papers in the same direction as this paper · 230 in the opposite direction · 57 reporting no difference from an alternative
- no effect
- negative
- no effect
1,095 papers more in this group
See all 1,099 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.