Pearl Millet (<i>Pennisetum glaucum</i>) Seedlings Transplanting as Climate Adaptation Option for Smallholder Farmers in Niger
Pearl millet is the most widely grown cereal crop in the arid and semi-arid regions of Africa, and in Niger in particular. To determine an optimized management strategy for smallholder farmers in southern Niger to cope with crop production failure and improve cropping performance in the context of c...
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| Format: | Article |
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MDPI AG
2022-06-01
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| Series: | Atmosphere |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/13/7/997 |
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| author | Bouba Traore Abdourazak Alio Moussa Amadou Traore Yahaya Seydou Abdel Nassirou Malick N. Ba Ramadjita Tabo |
| author_facet | Bouba Traore Abdourazak Alio Moussa Amadou Traore Yahaya Seydou Abdel Nassirou Malick N. Ba Ramadjita Tabo |
| author_sort | Bouba Traore |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Pearl millet is the most widely grown cereal crop in the arid and semi-arid regions of Africa, and in Niger in particular. To determine an optimized management strategy for smallholder farmers in southern Niger to cope with crop production failure and improve cropping performance in the context of climate change and variability, multi-site trials were conducted to evaluate the impacts of transplanting on pearl millet growth and productivity. Eight treatments viz. T1-0NPK (100% transplanting without NPK), T1-NPK (100% transplanting + NPK), T2-0NPK (100% transplanting of empty hills without NPK), T2-NPK (100% transplanting of empty hills + NPK), T3-0NPK (50% transplanting of empty hills without NPK), T3-NPK (50% transplanting of empty hills + NPK), T4-0NPK (farmer practice without NPK), and T4-NPK (farmer practice + NPK) were included in the experiment. Compared to farmer practice, transplanting significantly reduced time to tillering, flowering, and maturity stages by 15%, 27%, and 11%, respectively. The results also revealed that T1-NPK significantly increased panicle weight, total biomass, grain yield, and plant height by 40%, 38%, 27%, and 23%, respectively. Farmers’ evaluations of the experiments supported these findings, indicating three substantial advantages of transplanting, including higher yield (37.50% of responses), larger, more vigorous and more panicles (34.17% of responses), and good tillering (28.33% of responses). An economic profitability analysis of the system revealed that biomass gain (XOF 359,387/ha) and grain gain (XOF 324,388/ha) increased by 34% and 22%, respectively, with T1-NPK. Therefore, it can be inferred that transplanting is a promising strategy for adapting millet cultivation to climate change and variability in southern Niger. |
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| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-5200137d564846279ce1a4737bea7534 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-4433 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T10:23:07Z |
| publishDate | 2022-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Atmosphere |
| spelling | doaj.art-5200137d564846279ce1a4737bea75342023-12-01T21:52:43ZengMDPI AGAtmosphere2073-44332022-06-0113799710.3390/atmos13070997Pearl Millet (<i>Pennisetum glaucum</i>) Seedlings Transplanting as Climate Adaptation Option for Smallholder Farmers in NigerBouba Traore0Abdourazak Alio Moussa1Amadou Traore2Yahaya Seydou Abdel Nassirou3Malick N. Ba4Ramadjita Tabo5International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Niamey BP 12404, NigerInternational Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Niamey BP 12404, NigerInstitut D’Economie Rurale (IER-Mali), Koutiala BP 28, MaliInternational Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Niamey BP 12404, NigerInternational Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Niamey BP 12404, NigerInternational Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Niamey BP 12404, NigerPearl millet is the most widely grown cereal crop in the arid and semi-arid regions of Africa, and in Niger in particular. To determine an optimized management strategy for smallholder farmers in southern Niger to cope with crop production failure and improve cropping performance in the context of climate change and variability, multi-site trials were conducted to evaluate the impacts of transplanting on pearl millet growth and productivity. Eight treatments viz. T1-0NPK (100% transplanting without NPK), T1-NPK (100% transplanting + NPK), T2-0NPK (100% transplanting of empty hills without NPK), T2-NPK (100% transplanting of empty hills + NPK), T3-0NPK (50% transplanting of empty hills without NPK), T3-NPK (50% transplanting of empty hills + NPK), T4-0NPK (farmer practice without NPK), and T4-NPK (farmer practice + NPK) were included in the experiment. Compared to farmer practice, transplanting significantly reduced time to tillering, flowering, and maturity stages by 15%, 27%, and 11%, respectively. The results also revealed that T1-NPK significantly increased panicle weight, total biomass, grain yield, and plant height by 40%, 38%, 27%, and 23%, respectively. Farmers’ evaluations of the experiments supported these findings, indicating three substantial advantages of transplanting, including higher yield (37.50% of responses), larger, more vigorous and more panicles (34.17% of responses), and good tillering (28.33% of responses). An economic profitability analysis of the system revealed that biomass gain (XOF 359,387/ha) and grain gain (XOF 324,388/ha) increased by 34% and 22%, respectively, with T1-NPK. Therefore, it can be inferred that transplanting is a promising strategy for adapting millet cultivation to climate change and variability in southern Niger.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/13/7/997food securitycrop failuremineral fertilizationcrop managementSahel |
| spellingShingle | Bouba Traore Abdourazak Alio Moussa Amadou Traore Yahaya Seydou Abdel Nassirou Malick N. Ba Ramadjita Tabo Pearl Millet (<i>Pennisetum glaucum</i>) Seedlings Transplanting as Climate Adaptation Option for Smallholder Farmers in Niger Atmosphere food security crop failure mineral fertilization crop management Sahel |
| title | Pearl Millet (<i>Pennisetum glaucum</i>) Seedlings Transplanting as Climate Adaptation Option for Smallholder Farmers in Niger |
| title_full | Pearl Millet (<i>Pennisetum glaucum</i>) Seedlings Transplanting as Climate Adaptation Option for Smallholder Farmers in Niger |
| title_fullStr | Pearl Millet (<i>Pennisetum glaucum</i>) Seedlings Transplanting as Climate Adaptation Option for Smallholder Farmers in Niger |
| title_full_unstemmed | Pearl Millet (<i>Pennisetum glaucum</i>) Seedlings Transplanting as Climate Adaptation Option for Smallholder Farmers in Niger |
| title_short | Pearl Millet (<i>Pennisetum glaucum</i>) Seedlings Transplanting as Climate Adaptation Option for Smallholder Farmers in Niger |
| title_sort | pearl millet i pennisetum glaucum i seedlings transplanting as climate adaptation option for smallholder farmers in niger |
| topic | food security crop failure mineral fertilization crop management Sahel |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/13/7/997 |
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