Effects of Tillage Systems and Cropping Patterns on Soil Physical Properties in Mozambique
Conservation agriculture (CA) practices are advocated to reduce soil degradation, resulting in more sustainable food production as compared to conventional tillage (CT). In this study, the short-term effects of two tillage systems in combination with cropping patterns on selected soil physical param...
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MDPI AG
2020-09-01
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| Series: | Agriculture |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/10/10/448 |
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| author | Oscar Chichongue Johan van Tol Gert Ceronio Chris Du Preez |
| author_facet | Oscar Chichongue Johan van Tol Gert Ceronio Chris Du Preez |
| author_sort | Oscar Chichongue |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Conservation agriculture (CA) practices are advocated to reduce soil degradation, resulting in more sustainable food production as compared to conventional tillage (CT). In this study, the short-term effects of two tillage systems in combination with cropping patterns on selected soil physical parameters on four experimental sites in Mozambique were studied. The study sites differ according to their climatic conditions, soil types, and crop adaptation. Tillage systems evaluated were CA and CT, while the cropping pattern had four levels of sole cropping and three levels of intercropping. In general, soil physical properties showed significant changes due to the tillage systems, but the cropping pattern and their interaction with tillage systems did not yield significant impacts on the soil physical properties. CA increased bulk density, penetration resistance, and saturated hydraulic conductivity as compared to CT. A significant difference due to the tillage system was observed across the four sites, and in general, evaporation was higher in CT compared to CA. The presence of crop residues in CA contributed to lower evaporation. Thus, in the short term, CA practices could be a sustainable option to conserve soil water through higher infiltration and less evaporation. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T15:56:24Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-f2a27691fa9d49cd8c9351d6038d3be7 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2077-0472 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T15:56:24Z |
| publishDate | 2020-09-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Agriculture |
| spelling | doaj.art-f2a27691fa9d49cd8c9351d6038d3be72023-11-20T15:39:54ZengMDPI AGAgriculture2077-04722020-09-01101044810.3390/agriculture10100448Effects of Tillage Systems and Cropping Patterns on Soil Physical Properties in MozambiqueOscar Chichongue0Johan van Tol1Gert Ceronio2Chris Du Preez3Mozambique Agricultural Research Institute (IIAM), Maputo 3658, MozambiqueDepartment of Soil, Crop, and Climate Sciences, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein 9300, South AfricaDepartment of Soil, Crop, and Climate Sciences, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein 9300, South AfricaDepartment of Soil, Crop, and Climate Sciences, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein 9300, South AfricaConservation agriculture (CA) practices are advocated to reduce soil degradation, resulting in more sustainable food production as compared to conventional tillage (CT). In this study, the short-term effects of two tillage systems in combination with cropping patterns on selected soil physical parameters on four experimental sites in Mozambique were studied. The study sites differ according to their climatic conditions, soil types, and crop adaptation. Tillage systems evaluated were CA and CT, while the cropping pattern had four levels of sole cropping and three levels of intercropping. In general, soil physical properties showed significant changes due to the tillage systems, but the cropping pattern and their interaction with tillage systems did not yield significant impacts on the soil physical properties. CA increased bulk density, penetration resistance, and saturated hydraulic conductivity as compared to CT. A significant difference due to the tillage system was observed across the four sites, and in general, evaporation was higher in CT compared to CA. The presence of crop residues in CA contributed to lower evaporation. Thus, in the short term, CA practices could be a sustainable option to conserve soil water through higher infiltration and less evaporation.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/10/10/448Bulk densitycropping patternevaporationhydraulic conductivitypenetration resistancetillage system |
| spellingShingle | Oscar Chichongue Johan van Tol Gert Ceronio Chris Du Preez Effects of Tillage Systems and Cropping Patterns on Soil Physical Properties in Mozambique Agriculture Bulk density cropping pattern evaporation hydraulic conductivity penetration resistance tillage system |
| title | Effects of Tillage Systems and Cropping Patterns on Soil Physical Properties in Mozambique |
| title_full | Effects of Tillage Systems and Cropping Patterns on Soil Physical Properties in Mozambique |
| title_fullStr | Effects of Tillage Systems and Cropping Patterns on Soil Physical Properties in Mozambique |
| title_full_unstemmed | Effects of Tillage Systems and Cropping Patterns on Soil Physical Properties in Mozambique |
| title_short | Effects of Tillage Systems and Cropping Patterns on Soil Physical Properties in Mozambique |
| title_sort | effects of tillage systems and cropping patterns on soil physical properties in mozambique |
| topic | Bulk density cropping pattern evaporation hydraulic conductivity penetration resistance tillage system |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/10/10/448 |
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