Tillage and traffic management for row crops in Sub Saharan Africa
STUDY CONTACT: Sheila Zulu, Agronomist and Trainer, AGCO Future Farm, Zambia
sheila2.zulu@agcocorp.com
OBJECTIVE:
To determine the effect of tillage and traffic systems on growth and yield of maize and wheat
DESIGN AND LAYOUT:
The trial was conducted at the AGCO Future Farm in Zambia on a 12 hectare field, split in four blocks both under irrigation and dryland cropping. The treatments under controlled traffic farming is where all machinery movement is confined to permanent wheel tracks in the field and random traffic where machinery is driven at random without designated wheel tracks
RESULTS:
Higher yields averaging 6.55t/ha for wheat and 7.7t/ha for maize in both seasons were obtained in the controlled trafficked plots compared to average yields of 5.55t/ha wheat and 7t/ha maize for the random trafficked plots during the same period. However, these results are considered as preliminary for a long-term field trial.