Effect of different cover crop residues, management practices on soil moisture content under a tomato crop(lycopersicon esculentum).Tropical and Subtropical Agroecosystems Journal
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Date
2014Author
Karuku, GN
Gachene, CKK
Karanja, N
Cornelis, W
Language
enMetadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Water relations are among the most important physical
phenomena that affect the use of soils for agricultural,
ecological, environmental, and engineering purposes.
In sub-Saharan African, water is most critical in
limiting crop production and yields especially in the
Arid and Sub-arid regions. The soil water storage,
available water content and soil water balance under
various cover crop residue management practices in a
Nitisol were evaluated in a field experiment at the
Kabete Field Station, University of Nairobi. The effects
of surface mulching, above and below ground biomass
and roots only incorporated of velvet bean (Mucuna
pruriens), Tanzanian sunhemp (Crotalaria ochroleuca)
and purple vetch (Vicia benghalensis) cover crops,
fertilizer and non fertilized plots on soil water balance
were studied. The experimental design was a split plot
and tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) was the test
crop. Since water content was close to field capacity,
the drainage component at 100 cm soil depth was
negligible and evapotranspiration was therefore derived
from the change in soil moisture storage and
precipitation. Residue management showed that above
and below ground biomass incorporated optimized the
partitioning of the water balance components,
increasing moisture storage, leading to increased
tomato yields and water use efficiency (WUE).
Furthermore, vetch above and below ground biomass
incorporated significantly improved the quantity and
frequency of deep percolation. Soil fertilization (F) and
non fertilization (NF) caused the most unfavourable
partitioning of water balance, leading to the lowest
yield and WUE. Tomato yields ranged from 4.1 in NF
to 7.4 Mg ha-1
in vetch treated plots. Vetch above and
belowground biomass incorporated had significant (p ≤
0.1) yields of 11.4 Mg ha-1
compared to all other
residue management systems. Vetch residue treatment
had the highest WUE (22.7 kg mm-1
ha-1
) followed by
mucuna treated plots (20.7 kg mm-1
ha-1
) and both were
significantly different (p ≤ 0.05) compared to the others
irrespective of residue management practices.
Key words: Water balance components; Management
practices; Yields and Water Use Efficiency.
Citation
Karuku GN, Gachene CKK, Karanja N, Cornelis W. "Effect of different cover crop residues, management practices on soil moisture content under a tomato crop(lycopersicon esculentum).Tropical and Subtropical Agroecosystems Journal.". 2014.Publisher
University of Nairobi