How can cotton and sorghum in a shea complex agroforestry system be used in northern Benin to increase productivity?
This study evaluated the productivity of a cotton- and sorghum-based agroforestry system in northern Benin, with the villages of Tangbutu and Gunnaru selected in Berek and Shea Park in Kend, respectively.
In each park and village, after each stage when the tree can be planted, it can be clearly seen that the 3 types of trees have a canopy diameter of 4-8 meters, 8-10 meters and <10 meters.
In each grade of canopy diameter, three trees planted between cotton and sorghum were randomly selected from 18 to 21 farms in two villages, and the crops were grown in accordance with the technical procedures recommended by the National Agricultural Extension Agency.
The following data were collected from 1.2 m understory and extra-canopy sorghum and cotton in the four main directions of each sampled tree: crop height, fresh biomass per plant and number of buds per plant.
The data analysis showed that the variables of sorghum and cotton, cotton and sorghum biomass, and cotton bud number were very different in the subcrown zone and the extracrown zone (P<0.01).
The productivity of sorghum was variable, that is, the average plant height and average biomass decreased by 9.75% and 29.31%, respectively, when planted under the canopy, cotton under the canopy was 6.58% shorter than the plant outside the canopy, and the average bud yield and average fresh weight of cotton were 13.06% and 36.06% lower than the control, respectively. These two plants are planted under the canopy of shea butter.
1. Introduction
The presence of trees in crops is in different states, resulting in different postures, among which there is a landscape known as "agroforestry landscape".
The benefits of incorporating trees into farming systems have always been high, and this economic benefit has forced many people to try this planting strategy, for example, avocado orchards help maintain soil fertility and the sustainability of the planting system.
The fact that the biomass produced by the trees is broken down allows the recycling of nutrients pumped by the depth of the shaft, from the horizon to the topsoil.
Second, the geological structure of different regions
In the Benin Shea Botanical Garden, it is common for shea to be mixed with other crops, and the influence of avocado trees with other crops seems to be contradictory.
But according to some reviews, crop yields of better or worse can achieve unexpected results in tree-affected areas, and the combination of cotton with sorghum and shea is one of the most common farming systems in northern Benin.
Cotton and shea contribute significantly to the country's economy, being the first and third largest exports, respectively, and Sercem ensures food security for a large part of the population and is one of the most grown cereals in the study area.
It was therefore necessary to protect this tree planting system in order to increase its productivity, an issue that had been studied in Africa, namely through Burkina Faso, on the impact of shea fruit on crop yields in Côte d'Ivoire.
and the effect of Kamai cotton on cotton, the effect of shea shade on cotton yield was studied in Benin, the effect of shea shade on plant height and yield of crops other than cotton is unknown, and the objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of cotton and shrimp productivity (height, yield, fresh biomass) of shea canopy in northern Benin.
3. Differences in economic activities between the two communes due to differences in soil quality
The study was carried out in two villages in two communities, Munis and Gouru in northern Benin in Gogunu commune and Tombutu City Commune in Maran.
The village of Gunnaru has a relatively flat terrain with an average annual rainfall from May to October, a rainy place of 1200 mm in October, and an average crop cycle of 150 days. Temperatures in the area are generally between 18°C and 38°C, especially in the Gogunu community.
Due to irrigation by the two main rivers belonging to the Niger River basin and their tributaries, these are Soda and Aliboli, located east of THC and west of THC.
The soil composition of the area is mainly gneiss granite, which is best suited for agricultural production, predominating alluvial soils in floodplains, and increasing organic matter every year in high-water rivers.
The main crops of Gunnaru are cotton, maize, sorghum, and livestock products are also commonly fallow for 5-10 years or more, and Bariba is the dominant group in the region.
Tangbutu, on the other hand, is more suitable for crops, with an average annual rainfall of 900 mm and a planting period of 120 days. Temperature varies from 16°C to 20°C.
IV. Conclusion
The soil of the Maranville commune is more tropical rust soil or less sandstone or alluvial developed by hydrosol, while the soil structure of Niger is some gravel rust tropical soil and raw mineral soil, so the crops in the region are mainly corn, millet peanuts, market vegetables (tomatoes, peppers, okra, potatoes, onions), cotton and cassava are cultivars.
Livestock and fishing are also widespread, with crop residues (sorghum and cotton stalks) harvested from November to December or January, left in the fields for grazing.
A large amount of sorghum straw is harvested for household USC (fence, soap production), the pressure on natural resources is the cvident in Timbuktu fallow for a short period (1-2 years) and conflicts between farmers and herders Fre-Quent, Timbuktu is adjacent to the international market of the commune of Maranville, where there is a large amount of market activity.