The impact of different tillage and soil amendments on soil moisture storage, erosion and the yield of maize in the moist semi-deciduous forest zone of Ghana
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Date
August, 2015
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Abstract
The impact of different tillage practices and soil fertility amendments on soil loss and moisture storage has not received the needed research attention in Ghana. A study was conducted at the KNUST Agricultural Research Station at Anwomaso, Kumasi to evaluate soil moisture storage and erosion under four tillage practices with some soil amendments. This was to recommend the best soil management option for sustainable maize production. The experiment was conducted in 2014 for two consecutive seasons (major and minor) on a sandy loam to sandy clay loam soil (Plinthic Vetic Lixisol). The field layout was split-plot in a randomized complete design with three replications. Tillage practices (no tillage, plough- plant, plough-harrow plant and hoe) constituted the main plot factor and four soil fertility amendments (100% NPK fertilizer (60-60-60 kg ha -1) + Urea, Poultry Manure (3 t ha -1), ½ Rate of PM/ha (30-30-30 kg ha -1) + ½ Rate of NPK Fertilizer ( 1.5 t ha -1) + ½ Rate Urea and Control) were the sub plot factor. Three bare plot plots were included from which runoff and soil loss measurements were made. The tillage practices had significant effects (P< 0.05) on runoff and soil loss. The results showed that no tillage, with ½ Rate of PM/ha (30-30-30) + ½ Rate of NPK gave higher agronomic characteristics of maize (grain and stover yield) and produced minimum runoff and soil loss. Soil loss increased with increasing rainfall with coefficient of determination ranging from 0.43 to 0.77 to 0. 63 to 0.74 under tillage practices in the major and minor seasons, respectively. Tillage practices and soil fertility amendments interacted to significantly reduce soil loss and runoff. Combinations of plough-harrow x 100% NPK and hoe tillage x 100% NPK recorded the highest added benefits of -3.09 and -2.53 respectively in the major season whilst hoe tillage x ½ NPK + ½ PM produced the highest (-7.19) benefit in the minor season.
Description
A Thesis submitted to the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Faculty of
Agriculture, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi,
in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of the Degree of Master of Philosophy in Soil Science, 2015