AUTHOR=Yemadje Pierrot Lionel , Takpa O'Neil , Amonmide Isidore , Balarabe Oumarou , Sekloka Emmanuel , Guibert Hervé , Tittonell Pablo 

TITLE=Limited yield penalties in an early transition to conservation agriculture in cotton-based cropping systems of Benin

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems

VOLUME=Volume 6 - 2022

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sustainable-food-systems/articles/10.3389/fsufs.2022.1041399

DOI=10.3389/fsufs.2022.1041399

ISSN=2571-581X

ABSTRACT=Transitioning towards minimum or no tillage is challenging for smallholder farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), due to the possible yield penalties during the initial years of a transition. Understanding the early impacts of such transitions is crucial in a cash crop such as cotton, on which farmers rely for their income, and necessary to inform agroecological strategies to cope with both these challenges. This study explores the combined impact of minimum or no tillage and fertilizer regimes on agronomic parameters of cotton-cereal rotations, as practiced by smallholder farmers in Benin. A multilocation experiment was set up in three different agro-climatic zones, in Savalou (7°55′41″, 1°58′32″), Okpara (2°48′15′′, 7°72′07′′) and Soaodou (10°28′33′′, 1°98′33′′). In each area, the experiment was laid out as a split-plot design with four replications (main plot = soil preparation; subplot = fertilizers regimes). The treatments consisted of three different forms of soil preparation (tillage, strip tillage and no tillage or direct seeding) and four fertilization regimes: BMF (Basal Mineral Fertilizers, 200 kg ha-1 of N14P18K18S6B1 + 50 kg ha-1 of urea), BMF + A (200 kg ha-1 of calcium phosphate amendment, 22P2O5-43CaO-4S), BMF + C (400 kg ha-1 of compost) and BMF + A + C. At all sites, direct seeding led to lower below ground biomass growth and seed cotton yields compared to conventional tillage in an early transition to conservation agriculture starting from degraded soils (2 to 25%). Weak rooting under direct seeding resulted in lower cotton yields compared to tillage (-12%) and strip tillage (-15%). At 45 and 90 days after emergence, cotton plants were shorter under direct seeding compared to tillage (-9% and -13%, respectively) and strip tillage (-23% and -6% respectively). Fertilizer regimes affected seed cotton yields differently across sites and treatments, with marginal responses within soil preparation methods, but they contributed to increase yield differences between conventional and no tillage. Considering the need for sustainable practices, in a context of degraded soils and poor productivity, such limited yield penalties under CA appear to be a reasonable trade-off in the first year of a transition.