Effect of water conservation measures on soil moisture and maize yield under drought prone agro-ecological zones in Rwanda

Abstract

This study was conducted to assess agricultural practices for generating maximum maize productivity in drought prone agro-ecological zones. The experiment was conducted in Cyili sub-catchment in Southern Province of Rwanda, which has an irregular rainfall distribution and a prolonged dry season. The experimental design consisted of a randomized design and each treatment was replicated three times. Findings from this study revealed that maize grain yield and yield components, such as plant height, cob diameter and length, number of leaves, 100 grain weight, and yield per plant were highly significantly affected (P < 0.001) by all water conservation methods tested. Only germination rate was not significantly impacted (p > 0.05). Supplementary irrigation treatment increased maize yield production to 11,982 kg ha-1. Mulching increased yield significantly to 8089 kg ha-1. Ridges yielded 5937 kg ha-1, and rainfed treatment yielded 4755 kg ha-1 of maize. Based on Pearson's correlation coefficients, grain yield and yield components were positively correlated and statistically significant (p < 0.001) under various water conservation methods. Supplementary irrigation through rainwater harvesting was found to be a more promising option for maize growers to mitigate dry spell and stabilize maize production in rainfall deficient agro-ecological conditions not only in Rwanda, but in sub-Sahara Africa.