Abstract
Although high-density cropping and fertilizer application are plausible techniques to improve crop production, there are difficulties in the growth environment that may undermine the positive effects. This study focused on soil types as a major environmental factor of the heterogeneity effects of plant density and fertilizer on grain yield. The objectives were to clarify the responses of grain yield to high plant density and fertilization under soil types with different physicochemical characteristics. Three cowpea genotypes (KVx61-1, KVx421-2J, and Dja) were grown in three dominant soil types in the Sudan Savanna: Ferric Lixisols (LXfr), Petric Plinthisols (PTpt), and Pisoplinthic Petric Plinthosols (PTpt.px). The experiment was conducted two consecutive years in 2018 and 2019. The effect of plant density (31,250 and 62,500 plants ha−1) and fertilizer application (non-fertilizer and fertilizer application at N:P2O5:K2O = 14:23:14 kg ha−1) on grain yields were evaluated. The fertilizer was applied with two different methods: basal dose and split dose. A larger yield increase by high plant density and fertilization was observed for PTpt and PTpt.px than for LXfr. Split dose of fertilizer drastically increased yield when combined with high plant density. However, fertilizer leaching was occurred for split dose applied during the peak of rainy season, which was larger in PTpt and PTpt.px because of higher topsoil permeability. The differences in grain yield among the cowpea varieties were attributed to the shoot growth and flowering date that were differently affected by plant density and fertilization. Excessive moisture stress depressing shoot growth and delaying flowering was a cause of the heterogeneity effects of high plant density and fertilization on grain yield. The stress was more severe in soil of lower topsoil permeability. In contrast, soil types with higher topsoil permeability caused late-season drought for the plants with delayed flowering. Split dose of fertilizer was a strong option for yield increase but the risk of fertilizer leaching should be considered. Genotypic differences in the yield in response to plant density and fertilizer application were presumably influenced by the ability to adapt to excessive soil moisture and drought conditions. Plant density and fertilizer application should be optimized according to the soil type of the target region. Its optimization would help to achieve food security and better economic income of small households of the region.
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Claims 11
Claim · model-written summary
High plant density and fertilization increased cowpea yield more on PTpt and PTpt.px soils than on LXfr soil.
- Taxon
- cowpea
Vigna unguiculatat0 - Treatment
- high plant density and fertilizatione1
- Outcome
- yield increasee1
- Direction
- largere1
- Comparator
- LXfre1
- Setting
- PTpt and PTpt.pxe1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“A larger yield increase by high plant density and fertilization was observed for PTpt and PTpt.px than for LXfr”
t0“cowpea grain yield”
Claim · model-written summary
Split dose fertilizer drastically increased cowpea yield when combined with high plant density.
- Taxon
- cowpeaVigna unguiculatat0
- Treatment
- Split dose of fertilizere2
- Outcome
- yielde2
- Direction
- increasede2
- Qualifier
- when combined with high plant densitye2
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e2“Split dose of fertilizer drastically increased yield when combined with high plant density”
t0“cowpea grain yield”
Claim · model-written summary
Fertilizer leaching was larger for split dose applied during the peak of the rainy season on PTpt and PTpt.px soils.
- Taxon
- cowpeaVigna unguiculatat0
- Treatment
- split dose applied during the peak of rainy seasone3
- Outcome
- fertilizer leachinge3
- Direction
- largere3
- Qualifier
- because of higher topsoil permeabilitye3
- Setting
- PTpt and PTpt.pxe3
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e3“However, fertilizer leaching was occurred for split dose applied during the peak of rainy season, which was larger in PTpt and PTpt.px because of higher topsoil permeability”
t0“cowpea grain yield”
Claim · model-written summary
Differences in cowpea grain yield among varieties were attributed to shoot growth and flowering date.
- Taxon
- cowpeaVigna unguiculatae4
- Outcome
- differences in grain yielde4
- Qualifier
- shoot growth and flowering datee4
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e4“The differences in grain yield among the cowpea varieties were attributed to the shoot growth and flowering date that were differently affected by plant density and fertilization”
Claim · model-written summary
Excessive moisture stress that depressed shoot growth and delayed flowering caused the heterogeneity effects of plant density and fertilization on cowpea grain yield.
- Taxon
- cowpeaVigna unguiculatat0
- Treatment
- Excessive moisture stresse5
- Outcome
- heterogeneity effects of high plant density and fertilization on grain yielde5
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e5“Excessive moisture stress depressing shoot growth and delaying flowering was a cause of the heterogeneity effects of high plant density and fertilization on grain yield”
t0“cowpea grain yield”
Claim · model-written summary
The moisture stress was more severe in soil of lower topsoil permeability.
- Taxon
- cowpeaVigna unguiculatat0
- Outcome
- stresse6
- Direction
- more severee6
- Setting
- soil of lower topsoil permeabilitye6
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e6“The stress was more severe in soil of lower topsoil permeability”
t0“cowpea grain yield”
Claim · model-written summary
Soil types with higher topsoil permeability caused late-season drought for cowpea plants with delayed flowering.
- Taxon
- cowpeaVigna unguiculatat0
- Outcome
- late-season droughte7
- Qualifier
- for the plants with delayed floweringe7
- Setting
- soil types with higher topsoil permeabilitye7
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e7“In contrast, soil types with higher topsoil permeability caused late-season drought for the plants with delayed flowering”
t0“cowpea grain yield”
Claim · model-written summary
Split dose fertilizer is a strong option for cowpea yield increase.
- Taxon
- cowpeaVigna unguiculatat0
- Treatment
- Split dose of fertilizere0
- Outcome
- yield increasee0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Split dose of fertilizer was a strong option for yield increase but the risk of fertilizer leaching should be considered”
t0“cowpea grain yield”
Claim · model-written summary
The risk of fertilizer leaching should be considered when applying split-dose fertilizer to cowpea.
- Taxon
- cowpeaVigna unguiculatat0
- Outcome
- risk of fertilizer leachinge0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Split dose of fertilizer was a strong option for yield increase but the risk of fertilizer leaching should be considered”
t0“cowpea grain yield”
Claim · model-written summary
Plant density and fertilizer application should be optimized according to the soil type of the target region.
- Taxon
- cowpeaVigna unguiculatat0
- Treatment
- Plant density and fertilizer applicatione1
- Outcome
- optimized according to the soil typee1
- Setting
- soil type of the target regione1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“Plant density and fertilizer application should be optimized according to the soil type of the target region”
t0“cowpea grain yield”
Claim · model-written summary
Genotypic differences in cowpea yield response to density and fertilizer are presumably due to the ability to adapt to excessive soil moisture and drought.
- Taxon
- cowpeaVigna unguiculatat0
- Outcome
- Genotypic differences in the yielde2
- Qualifier
- ability to adapt to excessive soil moisture and drought conditionse2
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e2“Genotypic differences in the yield in response to plant density and fertilizer application were presumably influenced by the ability to adapt to excessive soil moisture and drought conditions”
t0“cowpea grain yield”
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See all 292 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.