Soil erosion control and moisture conservation using contour ridge tillage in Bougouni and Koutiala, southern Mali

Soil erosion is among the critical environmental constraint for crop production in southern Mali. Contour ridge tillage (CRT), a water conservation technique had been locally applied since 1990. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of CRT compared with farmer conventional agriculture practice (NoCRT) on runoff, soil loss, nutrient loss, moisture conservation and cereals yields under rainfed conditions in two Southern Mali sites, in 2016 and 2017 in farmer fields. Measurements were performed on erosion plots composed of CRT and NoCRT plots from which water samples were collected to determine sedimentation levels, concentration and nutrients losses using pairwise comparison. Average runoff coefficient in NoCRT plots was 35.62% compared to 19.25% for the CRT plots explaining a runoff reduction of 46%. Mean soil losses of 12,095 t·ha−1 and 4970 t·ha−1 were respectively measured in NoCRT and CRT plots. Losses in calcium, magnesium and potassium nutrients in the NoCRT plots were 80%, 66%, 75% higher compared to CRT ones, respectively. Sorghum grain yield was at least two folds higher in CRT plots compared to the NoCRT plots. Maize average grain yield was 87% higher in CRT plots than in the NoCRT. For sustained soil productivity, CRT is advocated as a better soil and water management technique than the NoCRT one

Molecular diversity study of black cumin (Nigella sativa L.) from Ethiopia as revealed by inter simple sequence repeat (ISSR) markers

Nigella sativa L. (commonly known as black cumin) belonging to family Rannunculaceae is an important medicinal plant with worldwide distribution. In Ethiopia, N. sativa occurs in all regions and agro-ecologies at different altitudinal ranges. This plant has a lot of importance in Ethiopia. However, there is no information available on molecular genetic diversity of this crop in respect to Ethiopia. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the genetic diversity of black cumin populations collected from Amhara, Oromia, Tigray, Benshangul and South Nation’s Nationality People regions of Ethiopia using ISSR marker. A total of 84 black cumin accessions were obtained from Institute of Biodiversity Conservation (IBC). The ISSR marker was used for computing gene diversity, percent polymorphism, Shannon diversity index and AMOVA. Overall, accessions from Oromia showed the highest gene diversity (H = 0.35) and Shannon information index (I= 0.52), followed by Amhara with gene diversity and Shannon index values of (0.35) and (0.51), respectively. NJ and UPGMA results showed strong grouping among accessions collected from the Oromia and Amhara region. The five geographical regions of Ethiopia showed different levels of genetic variation. Thus, conservation priority should be given for those regions that have low genetic diversity.Keywords: Conservation, indigenous, molecular markers, primer

Study on gross pulmonary lesions in lungs of slaughtered animals and their economic importance in Tigray, Ethiopia

A cross-sectional epidemiological study on slaughtered cattle at Mekelle abattoir, Northern Ethiopia, was conducted from November 19, 2008 to February 21, 2009 to investigate the distribution and risk factors of pulmonary lesions. The pulmonary lesions and diseases were diagnosed on the basis of pathological findings. Out of the 1,148 slaughtered cattle examined, 990 (86.2%) had one or more lesions. The prevalence of pulmonary lesions in the slaughtered cattle varied among categories of the study variables. The most common lesions were congestion (38.5%), emphysema (36.3%), hydatidosis (18.3%), abscesses (7.1%) and verminous pneumonia (3.2%). The risk factors identified on statistical basis (p < 0.05) were fat in cattle in pulmonary congestion, old age (>7 years) and very lean cattle in pulmonary emphysema and pulmonary abscesses and young age (<7 years) in verminous pneumonia. A total of 990 lungs (86.2%) were condemned or partially trimmed due to pulmonary lesions with an economic loss of 7,920 Ethiopian Birrs (ET Birr). This loss was calculated from the mean retail local market price of cattle lung and the total number of lungs condemned during the study period. Annual economic lose due to lung condemnation, determined by considering annual slaughter rate of cattle and prevalence of lung lesions in the abattoir, was estimated to be 65,000 ET Birr (US$). Keywords: Pulmonary lesions, Cattle, Abattoir, Economic loss, Ethiopia

Watershed management practices and hydrological modelling under changing climatic conditions in the semi-arid regions of Mali and Ghana

United States Agency for International Developmen

Improving crop-livestock productivity and household income through the use of contour bunding and agroforestry options

A field study was carried out at Kani, Noupinesso, and Mpessoba in the Soudano-Sahelian zone of Mali to assess the impact of tillage, soil fertilization, and leguminous crops on runoff, soil erosion, soil moisture, and the growth and yield of cotton, sorghum, and fast-growing tree species. Experiments of 2 types were conducted. The treatments for the first trial consisted of 2 tillage practices (contour bunding (CB) and no contour bunding (NCB) which was the farmers’ practice) and 4 types of soil fertilization on cotton (control, organic manure, micro-dose, and recommended dose). The same trial was conducted on 6 different farms. The second trial consisted of 2 tillage practices (CB and NCB) and 3 cultural systems; (sorghum sole crop, soybean sole crop, and intercropped sorghum*soybean); the same trial was conducted on 9 different farms and in the Technology Park of Mpessoba. The experiment was laid out in a Split Plot with 4 replications. CB out-yielded NCB in all the measured parameters. The percentage of runoff coefficient in NCB plots was 34.89 - 38.79% and was decreased by CB to 17.46 - 21.48%. CB increased the water table dynamic at Noupinesso; the distance of groundwater to soil surface decreased to attain a minimum value of 2.61 m for the measuring tubes in the CB plot, 4.58 m in the NCB plot, and 1.02 m next to the outlet of the watershed. CB increased soil moisture in the horizon 0 - 100 cm at the 3 sites. The differences were high at the horizon 60-100 cm and at the end of the rainy season. The soil horizon (0 - 100 cm) under trees was slightly more humid than outside the trees in NCB, and the difference was higher in the CB plot. Organic manure increased cotton yield by 25.3% in Remon Sanou’s field, biomass yield by 29.66% in the field of Salif Berthe, cotton height and diameter by 72.36% and 34.54% in the trial of Barnabe Traore. The application of manure produced significantly (p < 0.05) less cotton growth and production than the applications of micro-dose (T3) and scale doses (T4). The T4 increased cotton yield by 144.79% and T3 by 130.21% in Bourama Dembele’s field, and biomass yield by 99.03% and 93.70% respectively in Sekou Berthe’s field. The use of CB technology significantly affected the growth and yields of cotton for all the 6 trials. in the field of Barnabe Traore cotton yield was higher by 42.5% in the CB plot compared to the NCB. Cotton height with CB increased by 29.30% in the trial of Bourama Dembele. Micro-dose treatment gave the best profitability as indicated by the VCR in the range of 4 to 8 for the 6 trials. Intercropping soybean and sorghum increased sorghum growth and yields for all the 9 trials. In some of the trials, yields of sorghum associated with soybean got more than twice the yields of sorghum cultivated alone. The trial of Youssouf Berthe give 1138 kg ha-1 grain yield with sole sorghum cultivation and 2325 kg ha-1 for the intercrop. The use of tillage methods affected sorghum and soybean growth and yields for all the 9 trials: the use of the CB method increased grain and biomass yield of sorghum and soybean by 50% and their height and diameter by 30%. The CB technology increased the growth of Gliricidia sepium and Leucaena leucocephala at the three research sites. Height (+35%), diameter (+25%), and crown radius (+40%) were increased in Gliricidia and in Leucaena by +58%, +69%, and +50% respectively. Key words: contour bunding, runoff and erosion, soil moisture, water table, micro-dose, intercropping, fodder plants

Evaluating the impact of contour bunding technology on runoff, soil erosion and crop yield in southern Mali

United States Agency for International Developmen

Contour bunding technology-evidence and experience in the semiarid region of southern Mali

Land and water management practices have been widely implemented in rural Mali since the 1980s to improve agricultural productivity and erosion control. Under conditions of recurring droughts, these practices are expected to increase farmers’ ability to cope with shocks. One of the most common practices applied in the central and southern parts of Mali is contour bunding (CB). In this study the impact of the CB technology is evaluated with a focus on biophysical and socio-economic benefits. Data were collected in two agro-ecologies of southern Mali and were generated through field experimentation and household survey. Field experimentation involved implementation of contour lines with farm ridges, agronomic trails and runoff and erosion measurements. Agronomic data was collected on sorghum, maize, groundnut and millet for three consecutive years (2015 to 2017). Socio-economic data on the use of CB was obtained from individual farmer surveys. CB involves the layout of contour lines with land leveling devices to identify points of equal elevation and construction of contour lines with draught animals and human labor. The majority of the labor input to construct and maintain the CB comes from adult men who are head of the household (58%) and youth male (33%). Results indicate that with the application of CB yield of crops was higher with the highest increase in grain yield and biomass obtained for maize and millet (P < 0.01). CB application was useful in retaining soil water and reduced erosion rate. In treatment fields, 162mmof rainfall per year was saved as soil moisture and on average 13,090 kg per hectare of soil was lost from farm fields without CB, and CB implementation significantly reduced the soil loss by 163% (P < 0.01). The improvements in crops yield and biomass, and the retention of soil nutrients positively changed farm level productivity conditions. The majority of farmers (78%) perceived higher income from the sale of crops grown on CB plots. These results suggest the landscape wide application of CB

Investigating the impact of contour bunding technology in two agroecologies of southern Mali

Land and water management practices like contour bunding have been implemented by farmers for some time in southern Mali. Farmers use these practices to improve yield performance and increase household income. Datasets on the social, livelihood, and economic benefits of contour bunding technology (CBT) will help to make firm conclusions and recommendations regarding CBT applications in different agroecologies of southern Mali. As part of Africa RISING activities, a survey on CBT was conducted in Africa RISING intervention villages (Bougouni and Koutiala) to facilitate decisions regarding the use and scaling of CBT