Arid
DOI10.1016/j.agwat.2011.06.002
Water management options based on rainfall analysis for rainfed maize (Zea mays L.) production in Rushinga district, Zimbabwe
Nyakudya, I. W.1,2; Stroosnijder, L.1
通讯作者Nyakudya, I. W.
来源期刊AGRICULTURAL WATER MANAGEMENT
ISSN0378-3774
EISSN1873-2283
出版年2011
卷号98期号:10页码:1649-1659
英文摘要

Maize (Zen mays L.), the dominant and staple food crop in Southern and Eastern Africa, is preferred to the drought-tolerant sorghum and pearl millet even in semi-arid areas. In semi-arid areas production of maize is constrained by droughts and poor rainfall distribution. The best way to grow crops in these areas is through irrigation. but limited areal extent, increasing water scarcity. and prohibitive development costs limit the feasibility of irrigation. Therefore, there is need for a policy shift towards other viable options. This paper presents daily rainfall analysis from Rushinga district, a semi-arid location in Northern Zimbabwe. The purpose of the rainfall analysis was to assess opportunities and limitations for rainfed maize production using 25 years of data. Data was analysed using a variety of statistical methods that include trend analysis, t-test for independent samples, rank-based frequency analysis. Spearman’s correlation coefficient and Mann-Whitney’s U test. The results showed no evidence of change in rainfall pattern. The mean seasonal rainfall was 631 mm with a standard deviation (SD) of 175 mm. December. January and February consistently remained the major rainfall months. The results depicted high inter-annual variability for both annual and seasonal rainfall totals, a high incidence of droughts >= 3 out of every 10 years and >= 1 wet year in 10 years. Using the planting criteria recommended in Zimbabwe. most of the plantings would occur from the third decade of November with the mode being the first decade of December. This predisposes the rainfall to high evaporation and runoff losses especially in December when the crop is still in its initial stage of growth. On average 5 to more than 20 clays dry spells occupy 56% of the rainy season. Seasonal rainfall exhibited negative correlation (P < 0.001: R = -0.746) with cumulative dry spell length, and wet years were free from dry spells exceeding 20 clays. The most common dry spells (6-10 days), are in the range in which irrigated crops survive on available soil water. Therefore, they can be mitigated by in situ rainwater harvesting (RWH) and water conservation. The potential evapotranspiration of a 140-day maize crop was estimated to be 540 mm. Consequently, short season maize cultivars that mature in less than 140 clays could be grown successfully in this area in all but drought years. However, sustainable maize production can only be achieved with careful management of the soil as a medium for storing water, which is essential for buffering against dry spells. To this end soil restorative farming systems are recommended such as conservation farming, in situ RWH techniques for dry spell mitigation and a cropping system that includes drought-tolerant cereal crops as for example sorghum and pearl millet. and perennial carbohydrate sources as for example cassava to provide stable crop yields. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.


英文关键词Cropping season Dry spell Drought mitigation Rainfed agriculture Soil management
类型Article
语种英语
国家Netherlands ; Zimbabwe
收录类别SCI-E
WOS记录号WOS:000294519600018
WOS关键词SOUTHERN AFRICA ; DRY SPELLS ; KENYA ; CROP
WOS类目Agronomy ; Water Resources
WOS研究方向Agriculture ; Water Resources
资源类型期刊论文
条目标识符http://119.78.100.177/qdio/handle/2XILL650/166918
作者单位1.Wageningen Univ, Land Degradat & Dev Grp, NL-6708 PB Wageningen, Netherlands;
2.Bindura Univ Sci Educ, Dept Agr, Bindura, Zimbabwe
推荐引用方式
GB/T 7714
Nyakudya, I. W.,Stroosnijder, L.. Water management options based on rainfall analysis for rainfed maize (Zea mays L.) production in Rushinga district, Zimbabwe[J],2011,98(10):1649-1659.
APA Nyakudya, I. W.,&Stroosnijder, L..(2011).Water management options based on rainfall analysis for rainfed maize (Zea mays L.) production in Rushinga district, Zimbabwe.AGRICULTURAL WATER MANAGEMENT,98(10),1649-1659.
MLA Nyakudya, I. W.,et al."Water management options based on rainfall analysis for rainfed maize (Zea mays L.) production in Rushinga district, Zimbabwe".AGRICULTURAL WATER MANAGEMENT 98.10(2011):1649-1659.
条目包含的文件
条目无相关文件。
个性服务
推荐该条目
保存到收藏夹
导出为Endnote文件
谷歌学术
谷歌学术中相似的文章
[Nyakudya, I. W.]的文章
[Stroosnijder, L.]的文章
百度学术
百度学术中相似的文章
[Nyakudya, I. W.]的文章
[Stroosnijder, L.]的文章
必应学术
必应学术中相似的文章
[Nyakudya, I. W.]的文章
[Stroosnijder, L.]的文章
相关权益政策
暂无数据
收藏/分享

除非特别说明,本系统中所有内容都受版权保护,并保留所有权利。