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Doubled-up legume rotations improve soil fertility and maintain productivity under variable conditions in maize-based cropping systems in Malawi
June 29, 2016 Editor 0
Smallholder farmers in Malawi must cope with small farm size, low soil fertility and production risks associated with rainfed agriculture. Integration of legumes into maize-based cropping systems is advocated as a means to increase production of diverse nutrient-dense grains and improve soil fertility.
It is difficult to achieve both aims simultaneously, however. Short-duration grain legumes rarely produce enough biomass to appreciatively improve soils, and long duration pigeonpea, commonly grown in Malawi as a dual purpose crop, produces little or no edible grain as a consequence of grain-filling into the dry season.
A novel technology is the doubled-up legume rotation (DLR) system in which two legumes with complementary phenology are intercropped and grown in rotation with maize. Initial performance from on-farm research is favorable; however, it is crucial to understand competition for resources in mixed cropping systems under variable soil and climate conditions.
Read the open access article:
Smith, A., Snapp, S., Dimes, J., Gwenambira, C. and Chikowo, R. 2016. Doubled-up legume rotations improve soil fertility and maintain productivity under variable conditions in maize-based cropping systems in Malawi. Agricultural Systems 145:139–149. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.agsy.2016.03.008Related Posts
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