CROPS AND PRODUCTION SYSTEMS IN THE TROPICS

CROPS AND PRODUCTION SYSTEMS IN THE TROPICS

Georg-August-University GöttingenFaculty of Agricultural SciencesDepartment for Crop SciencesWorking Group - Crop Production Systems in the TropicsGrisebachstr. 6, 37077 Göttingen, Germany

Intensification options for resource constrained, smallholder farmers

Co-ordinatorProf. Dr. Anthony Whitbread; awhitbr@gwdg.de

+ Lectures delivered byDr. Ronald Kühne rkuehne@gwdg.dePD. Dr. Martin Worbes; mworbes@dwdg.de

Departmental Secretary:Frau. Francoli hfranco@gwdg.de0551 39 3752

Lectures will be found at:

http://www.uni-goettingen.de/en/306465.html

Lectures in WS 2012/13 Crops and production systems in the tropicsDate Topic Lecturer Venue

22/10/12 10:15 Free – Orientation day, Central Campus L31823/10/12 14:15 Introduction Whit/Kü/Wo L31829/10/12 10:15 Crop production systems in the tropics Whitbread L31830/10/12 14:15 Intensification options for resource poor farmers Whitbread L31805/11/12 10:15 Introduction to Agroforestry Systems Worbes L31806/11/12 14:15 Pulses Whitbread L31812/11/12 10:15 Maize 1 Kühne L31813/11/12 14:15 Maize 2 Kühne L31819/11/12 10:15 Tropical climates Worbes L31820/11/12 14:15 Climate change Worbes L31826/11/12 10:15 Biofuels Worbes L31827/11/12 14:15 Mixed crop-livestock production systems-semi arid tropics Whitbread L31803/12/12 10:15 Ecosystem services in agroecosystems Clough/Whit L31804/12/12 14:15 Intercropping Kühne L31810/12/12 10:15 Wheat production systems in semi-arid tropics Whitbread L31811/12/12 14:15 Analysing yield gaps in cereal production systems Hoffman/Whit L31817/12/12 10:15 Tuber crops Cassava 1 Kühne L31818/12/12 14:15 Tuber crops Cassava 2 Kühne L31824/12/12 10:15 Christmas holiday - -25/12/12 14:15 Christmas holiday - -31/12/12 10:15 New Year holiday - -01/01/13 14:15 New Year holiday - -07/01/13 10:15 Sheltered crop production (exotic vegetables & fruits) Kühne L31808/01/13 14:15 Nutrient management in oil palm Gerendas/Wh L31814/01/13 10:15 Flooded soils Kühne L31815/01/13 14:15 Rice Kühne L31821/01/13 10:15 Rice Kühne L31822/01/13 14:15 GMO (golden rice, soybean zero tillage) Kühne L31828/01/13 10:15 Fruit production citrus Kühne L31829/01/13 14:15 Fruit production citrus Kühne L31804/02/13 10:15 Questions/consulting Wo/Kü/Whit L31805/02/13 14:15 Written exam Wo/Kü/Whit L07

Kü=Kühne; Whit=Witbread; Wo= Worbes; 11/04/13 13:00 Thursday; oral exam and resit written exam16/05/13 13:00 Thursday; oral exam resit

A day in the life of an Odisha rice farmer

Bhuan

Sam Mohanty with Gagan and other farmers

• 30 years farming• 0.7 ha (two patches) = 0.4 ha shared• rice, gram, mushrooms, potato, gourd• 1 cow, 2 calves, 1 bullock• >90 d labourer for others

Source: Doberman 2012Tropentag presentation.Reproduced with permission

Example 1: Odisha , Orissa State, India

A day in the life of an Odisha rice farmer

• 06:00-07:00: collect cow dung; tea and puffed rice; feed cows, house chores

• 07:00-09:00: carry manure to the field, 200 m away; 10 trips with basket, total of 200 kg

• 09:00-10:00 bowl of rice, fried potatoes, and onions• 10:00-12:30 field work: clean bunds, weeding• 12:30-15:00 bath in river, lunch at home, 1-hour nap• 15:00-18:00 field work: land preparation for irrigation• 18:00-23:00: go to village market, feed cattle, jobs around the

house, play some cards with friends

Contrast of poor and rich farmer

Source: PhD thesis of Dr Shamie Zingore, 2003, WageningenReproduced with permission

Example 2: Zimbabwe,

Martha (3 people)

Labour: 1 person

Owns 2.3 ac

~550kg Maize

+ other grains

No implements

No cattle

Little outside income

Zingore, 2003 Ph.D student WUR

Thomas (4 people)

Labour 2+ hired

8 ac.

11 Cattle

2 goats

11 Chickens

Implements

Fertiliser use

Zingore, 2003 Ph.D student WUR

Crops and Production Systems in the Tropics

Classification of Tropical Farming Systems*

-where annual crops are a dominant/important component

1. Shifting cultivation systems2. Semi-intensive rainfed systems3. Intensive rainfed systems

Examples of possible intensification in the context of resource poor farming in dry areas (examples from semi-arid sub-Saharan systems):

a. Micro-dosing (top-dressing small amounts of N)b. Conservation agriculture (CA), including Direct seeded Direct

Seeded Mulch Based Cropping Systems (DMC)c. Cash crops (covered in Pulses lecture, 6/11/12)

Others: water harvesting, micro-irrigation, integrated soil fertility management (ISFM)

Cropping frequency increases

A: Low doses of N fertiliser (micro-dosing)

Maize yield

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

7000

0 20 40 60 80 100

N rate (kgN/ha)

Yiel

d

Experiments give different results in different seasons

N response in different seasons

Experiments give different results in different seasons

Chisepo seasonal rainfall variation

565

159285

586

865

366493

786

558

57

648629

811853

525647

827

634

842

613642577

719575

402

707580

429

858722717

461570

666

510

1361

619

0

200

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1600

1966

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2003 Avg

Season of harvest

Oct

ober

to M

ay ra

infa

ll (m

m)

Why do researchers use models ?Experiments give different results in different locations

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140

N applied (kg/ha)

Gra

in y

ield

(kg/

ha)

RushingaZvimbaNdabazindunaGutu

How much fertiliser should we advise farmers to apply?

Are we asking the right question?

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

0 50 100 150 200 250

Gra

in y

ield

(kg/

ha)

Fertilier N rate (kg/ha)

Low rainfallHigh rainfall

How much

Are we asking the right question?

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

0 50 100 150 200 250

Gra

in y

ield

(kg/

ha)

Fertilier N rate (kg/ha)

Low rainfallHigh rainfall

The current use and capacity

Recommendation from research and/or advisor

Problem: Adoption of broadcast fertilizer use is low due to high costs

Micro-dosing

Inorganic % of farmers using

Application rate

Recommended rate

Inorganic 5 50 kg/ha 250-350 kg/ha

Manure 40 4 t/ha 20-40 t/ha

Typical fertiliser use in sub-Saharan Africa

Source: Dimes et.al. (2005) Omanya GO and Pasternak D. (eds.) 2005. Sustainable Agriculture Systems for the Drylands. Proceedings of the International Symposium for Sustainable DrylandAgriculture Systems, 2–5 December 2003, Niamey, Niger. Niamey BP 12404, Niger: International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT). 336 pp. ISBN 92-9066-477-0.

Problem: Adoption of broadcast fertilizer use is low due to high costs

Solution: Under some circumstances, micro dosing may enable resource poor farmers utilise small amounts of fertiliser:• reduced investment costs• plants show more rapid early growth• plants have larger root systems and therefore more tolerant

against droughts• fertilization is very targeted

But: micro-dosing is part of a package – access to fertiliser, information and good agronomy are all required

Micro-dosinghttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amPurPQv98w

618472

914734

1109

751

Mali Burkina Faso

Millet grain yield(kg/ha)

Controlrecommended ratesmicro dosing

683503

1061

787

1250

823

Mali Burkina Faso

Sorghum grain yield(kg/ha)

Controlrecommended ratesmicro dosing

Source: Tabo et al. (2008). In: Proceedings of the Workshop on Increasing the Productivity and Sustainability of RainfedCropping Systems of Poor, Smallholder Farmers, Tamale, Ghana, 22‐25 September 2008

Effects of micro-dosing on grain yield of millet and sorghum

Source: Twomlow et al. 2008. Micro-dosing as a pathway to Africa’s green revolution: evidence from broad-scale on-farm trials. Nutrient Cycing in Agroecosystems , DOI 10.1007/s10705-008-9200-4.

Effects of micro-dosing on grain yield of maize millet and sorghum- Zimbabwe

Modelled Fertiliser response – units are additional bags of grain for one bag of nitrogen fertiliser (15 kg N/ha)

Sowing window from 1 Nova 1 Decb Plant population (/m2) 2.0d 3.5c 2.0 3.5

Weed control good poore good poor good poor good poor Soil Depth Soil fertility

Shallow (50 cm) low 10 1 3 0 8 1 2 0 mod 9 3 9 1 7 3 6 1 high 7 4 8 2 5 3 5 1

Medium (100 cm) low 17 5 14 1 15 4 11 0 mod 11 6 16 5 11 7 15 5 high 9 6 14 6 8 7 13 6

Deep (>150 cm) low 16 6 17 2 15 0 15 2 mod 11 7 17 7 10 8 15 8 high 8 6 14 8 8 6 13 9

very low risk (one year in 10) medium risk (one year in 5)high risk situations (>1 year in 5)

Conservation Agriculture (CA)

Underpinned by three principles:1. Continuous minimum mechanical soil disturbance.2. Permanent organic soil cover. 3. Diversified Crop Rotations

Conservation Agriculture on smallholder farms in Africa

‘…a concept for resource-saving agricultural crop production that strives to achieve acceptable profits together with high and sustainable production levels while conserving the environment.” (FAO 2007)

http://www.pps.wur.nl/UK/CA/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fdn3PgA97E4

Problem: Tillage leaves soils vulnerable to erosion and reduces soil organic matter content.

Solution: Conservation farming techniques may• Improve rainfall infiltration and conserve more moisture• Increase and maintain higher soil organic matter (over time)• Reduce overall labour requirement• Reduce risk and increase crop yields

But: Conservation farming relies on:No tillage- therefore planting machinery is requiredCover –in many situations crop residues are needed by livestock

Conservation Agriculture:

Effects of clearing and cultivation for cereal on soil carbon- SE Qld AustraliaDecrease in C (0-10 cm) with period of cultivation

Source: reproduced from Dalal and Mayer (1986)

Infiltration

0

30

60

90

120

Sow1994

Sow1995

Harvest1995

Sow1996

Infil

trat

ion

(mm

/h)

-R

+R

Soil CarbonCT CL L CMI

______mg/g____

Uncropped 25.22 5.31 0.21 100

1995 - R 6.41 0.89 0.16 16+ R 6.87 1.01 0.17 18

1996 - R 5.93 1.04 0.22 19+ R 6.51 1.38 0.27 27

Potassium Balance

-150

-110

-70

-30

10

50

K B

alan

ce (k

g/ha

)

199519941993

Lucerne Chickpea Medic Fallow

-F +F -F +F -F +F -F +F-R +R -R +R -R +R -R +R -R +R -R +R -R +R -R +R

No-till, animal-traction direct seeder for conservation agriculture in ZimbabweFarmer Mr Mufuka, far left, from Pindukai, Shamva District, Mashonaland Central, Zimbabwe, demonstrates a no-till, animal-traction direct seeder used in conservation agriculture (CA). These seeders originate from Brazil, but have been introduced to Africa through CIMMYT's CA program, and are a key tool towards small-scale farmer mechanization in Southern Africa. They are being demonstrated to and used by farmers in various areas of Southern Africa, and locally produced and purchased by farmers in Zimbabwe and Zambia. Mufaka has been a demonstration farmer under CA projects since 2004, helping disseminate CA to other farmers. Photo credit: Thomas Lumpkin/CIMMYT.

Happy Seeder: The burning of rice stubbles is widely practiced in many regions of South Asia, espially in rice-wheat systems of the Indo-Gangetic plains. While burning is a rapid and cheap solution and allows quick turn around between crops, it has consequences on health due to air pollution and reduces soil fertility due to nutrient loss. The Happy Seeder overcomes many of the technical problems associated with direct drilling into rice residues. http://aciar.gov.au/files/node/13991/happy_seeder_technology_39223.pdf

Conservation farming relies on:

• No tillage- therefore planting machinery is required.

• Cover – in most dryland situations, crop residues are needed by livestock and there are usually no fences with open access to communally grazed herds.

• The use of forages and zero-grazing systems may overcome some of these aspects.

Some Trade-offs in Conservation farming:• Increased reliance on herbicides to control weeds.• Higher levels of management & investment required• Yield advantages of CA may be small but in the longer term,

larger due to higher soil quality and sustainability.

Direct Seeded Mulch Based Cropping Systems (DMC)

• Similar concept and principles to CA, but with a greater focus on the use of cover or mulch crops to provide additional cover and utilise ‘recycle’ nutrients and water.

• Promoted by CIRAD researchers in places such as Northern Vietnam and Madagascar

Conservation farming relies on:

• No tillage- therefore planting machinery is required.

• Cover – in most dryland situations, crop residues are needed by livestock and there are usually no fences with open access to communally grazed herds.

• The use of forages and zero-grazing systems may overcome some of these aspects.

Some Trade-offs in Conservation farming:• Increased reliance on herbicides to control weeds.• Higher levels of management & investment required• Yield advantages of CA may be small but in the longer term,

larger due to higher soil quality and sustainability.

Direct Seeded Mulch Based Cropping Systems (DMC)

• Promoted by CIRAD researchers in places such as Northern Vietnam and Madagascar

• Similar concept and principles to CA, but with a greater focus on the use of cover or mulch crops to provide additional cover and utilise ‘recycle’ nutrients and water.

• The use of multiple ‘complementary’ spp. to maximise cover, utilise rainfall and influence the soil environment.

Source: http://agroecologie.cirad.fr

Example of crop associations and inter-annual successions (climate with a long dry season).

Example of a system with living mulch (e.g. Desmodium, Kikuyu) Source: http://agroecologie.cirad.fr

Direct Seeded Mulch Based Cropping Systems (DMC)

• Adoption of such systems has remained very limited to date probably due to the higher labour and management demands.

• Affholder et al. (2010) found that labour requirement for mulch establishment was a major barrier – could be potentially overcome by use of herbicides, but high cost prohibitive

• Suggested subsidies if US$ 50 to 200/ha would be required/

The comparison of labour requirements in upland rice systems using the conventional (farmer practice) and direct mulch cropping (DMC) systemsSource: Affholder et al. (2010). Agricultural Systems 103, 51-62.