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The microdose technology to improve crop productivity in low fertility and eroded soils in sub-saharan west Africa: more evidence from north- west Benin PBI Akponikpè, FT Moutouama, R. Lokossou, MN Baco, AJ Djènontin, D Fatondji, A Kimaro, D. Peak, N Sokpon FARA, Africa Agriculture Science Week, Accra, 16th Jully 2013

2 the microdose technology to improve crop productivity

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Page 1: 2 the microdose technology to improve crop productivity

The microdose technology to improve crop productivity in low fertility and eroded soils in sub-saharan west

Africa: more evidence from north-west Benin

PBI Akponikpè, FT Moutouama, R. Lokossou, MN Baco, AJ Djènontin, D

Fatondji, A Kimaro, D. Peak, N SokponFARA, Africa Agriculture Science Week, Accra, 16th Jully 2013

Page 2: 2 the microdose technology to improve crop productivity

The microdose techniqueConcept

• Microdosing - Microfertilising– Strategic application of small amount of fertiliser to

hills at sowing or 10 days after emergence• Fertilizer may be mineral (urea, NKP, DAP, ...) or organic

(manure; FYM)• Crop may be cereals (millet, sorghum, maize) or legumes

(groundnut, cowpea, etc)

– Placement strategy• Three people from the begining (1st-opening hills, 2nd-

seeding 3rd-microfertilizer and closing the hills)• Now, one person

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The microdose techniqueRationales

• Poor soils (mainly P deficient)• Scarce organic input (manure, or residues) • Low mineral fertiliser availability• Poor farmers who cannot afford buying high

amount of fertiliser (which limits adoption of recommended doses

• Recommended doses often results in low yield in dry years

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The microdose techniquePrinciple and implementation

• Millet– 3g/hill (80 x 60 cm) or 2g/hill (80 x 40 cm) of NPKSowing After emergence

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The microdose techniqueReviewed performance

• Burkina Faso– Sorghum• Grain yield > 1.5 t/ha• 110 % > control (no input farmer option)• 20 % > Recommended dose (broadcast 75 kg NPK + 50 Kg urea /ha)

Microdose Control

Nagreongo, 2005, BFControl MicrodoseRecom. dose

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The microdose techniqueReviewed performance

• Burkina Faso– Millet• Grain yield > 1.0 t/ha• 100 % > control (no input farmer option)• 30 % > Recommended dose (broadcast 75 kg NPK + 50 Kg urea /ha)

Nagreongo, Sept 2007, BF

Microdose Control

Control MicrodoseRecom. dose

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The microdose technique Scaling up

• The IDRC-CIDA microdose Project– 2011-2014: Integrated Nutrient and Water

management for sustainable food production in the Sahel (http://www.inuwam.org) • 4 countries (Benin, Burkina, Mali and Niger) and

Canada (Uof Saskatchewan)– Further testing and improvement under SWC tech.– Scaling up (warrantage– Soil mining analysis– Nutrient leaching

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On farm experiment-BeninContext

• Farmer conditions– Boukombé, most vulnerable

district – Low income

• Harsh environment– Hilly topography– Poor soils, prone to water

erosion

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On farm experiment-BeninObjectives

• Effects of the integrated water and nutrient managements on Sorghum performance;

Hillside Plain

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On farm experiment-BeninExperimental setup: 2012

• Two factors in split plot design (3 replications)– Factor 1: Soil and water conservation techniques

(3 variants): • Hillside

– Rectangular honey comb– Circular honey comb– Stone row

• Plain– Perpendicular ploughing– Simple tied ridging – Staggered tied ridging

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On farm experiment-BeninExperimental setup: Hillside

Plain

Hillside

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On farm experiment-BeninExperimental setup

• Experiment design: split plot design with two factors– Factor2: mineral fertilizer application (4 levels):

– Recommended dose/ 5.52g NPK /hill at 25DAS (230kg NPK /ha) and 1.2g urea /hill 45DAS (50kg urea /ha)

– Microdose option 1: 4g/hill of NPK at sowing ((166 kg NPK /kg) and we still have to put 1.2g/hill of urea 45DAS(50kg urea /ha)

– Microdose option 2: 2g/hill of NPK at sowing (83.33 kg NPK /ha) and we still have to put 1.2g urea /hill at 45DAS (50kg urea /ha)

– Control: no fertiliser (0g/hill of NPK and 0g/hill of urea

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On farm experiment-BeninFindings: Leaf Area Index

• Plain

ns= not significant; **, ***= probability significant at 0.001 and 0.01 respectivily

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On farm experiment-BeninFindings: Leaf Area Index

• Hillside

ns= not significant; **, ***= probability significant at 0.001 and 0.01 respectivily

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On farm experiment-BeninFindings: Yield

• PlainGrain yield (Kg/ha)

60 DASMicrodose 1 (MD1)Control (C) Microdose 2 (MD2) Recommendation (RD)

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On farm experiment-BeninFindings: Yield

• HillsideGrain yield (Kg/ha)

60 DASMicrodose 1 (MD1)Control (C) Microdose 2 (MD2) Recommendation (RD)

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Farmer field demonstrations-BeninStrategy

Districts Village Nomber of tests (farmer)

Nomber of women

Boukombe Koukoua 20 20Koumagou B 20 0Koudogou 20 0

Ouake Allayomde 18 2Kalla 19 0Tchallade 9 2

Total 6 106 22

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Farmer field demonstrations-BeninStrategy

Recommendation Microdose Control

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Farmer field demonstrations-BeninStrategy

• Maize under various Rain Water Harvesting– Recommendation: • 150 Kg of NPK/ ha and 50 Kg of urea/ha.

– Microdose: • 83 Kg of NPK/ ha and 41 Kg of urea/ha.

Microdose Recommendation

Date Fertiliser Quantity/hill Practical qty/hill Quantity/hill Practical qty/hill

1-15 DAS NPK 2,0 g 3 fingers pinch

15 DAS 3,6 g 2 x 3finger pinch

45 DAS Urea 1,0 g 3 fingers pinch 1,2 g 4 fingers or2 x 3 fingers

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Farmer field demonstrations-BeninStrategy

• Harvesting and yield comparison with farmers

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Farmer field demonstrations-BeninFindings

• Yield, 2011

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Farmer field demonstrations-BeninFindings

• Yield, 2012

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Farmer field demonstrations-BeninFindings

• Benefit/Cost analysis, 2012

Techniques de fertilisation Techniques de CES

Microdose Recommandée MB (F CFA) B/C MB (F CFA) B/C

LP 266 485 2,6 371 005 3,1 BC 245 925 2,3 286 845 2,3 CP 263 325 2,5 314 805 2,5 LCN 372 205 3,6 383 605 3,2 BSP 201 885 2,0 231 285 1,9 Moyenne 269 965 2,6 317 509 2,6

Contour line ploughing

Av erage

Microdose Recommendation

RWH

Ferlization

Flat ploughing

Tied ridgesStone rows

Perpendicular ploughing

GM GM

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Concluding remarks

• On-farm experiment and demonstrations– the microdose treatments showed a better

nutrient use efficiency than the recommended dose and the control.

• Microdosing advantages and reasons for upscalling– low fertilizer application rate, – high probability of yield response – a favorable fertilizer/grain price ratio.

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Concluding remarks

• On-going studies within the IDRC-CIDA microdose project– Optimal and refined doses (modeling)– Long term effect on soils (experiment and

modeling)– Nutrient leaching (as combined with Rain water

harvesting techniques)

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Thanks