Browsing by Author "Basson, August"

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    Bowen Ratio Energy Balance Measurement of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Fluxes of No-Till and Conventional Tillage Agriculture in Lesotho
    O'Dell, Deb; Sauer, Thomas J.; Hicks, Bruce B.; Lambert, Dayton M.; Smith, David R.; Bruns, Wendy A.; Basson, August; Marake, Makoala V.; Walker, Forbes; Wilcox, Michael D.; Eash, Neal S. (Open Journal of Soil Science, 2014)
    Global food demand requires that soils be used intensively for agriculture, but how these soils are managed greatly impacts soil fluxes of carbon dioxide (CO2). Soil management practices can cause carbon to be either sequestered or emitted, with corresponding uncertain influence on atmospheric CO2 concentrations. The situation is further complicated by the lack of CO2 flux measurements for African subsistence farms. For widespread application in remote areas, a simple experimental methodology is desired. As a first step, the present study investigated the use of Bowen Ratio Energy Balance (BREB) instrumentation to measure the energy balance and CO2 fluxes of two contrasting crop management systems, till and no-till, in the lowlands within the mountains of Lesotho. Two BREB micrometeorological systems were established on 100-m by 100-m sites, both planted with maize (Zea mays) but under either conventional (plow, disk-disk) or no-till soil management systems. The results demonstrate that with careful maintenance of the instruments by appropriately trained local personnel, the BREB approach offers substantial benefits in measuring real time changes in agroecosystem CO2 flux. The periods where the two treatments could be compared indicated greater CO2 sequestration over the no-till treatments during both the growing and non-growing seasons.
  • Building international partnerships and funding for climate change work in Guatemala, Lesotho, and Mozambique
    Walker, Forbes; Eash, Neal S.; Marake, Makoala V.; Thierfelder, Christian; Basson, August; Rustrick, W. (2015-01-27)
    This poster was presented on October 23rd, 2012 in Cincinnati, Ohio at 3:05 in the afternoon in the Duke Energy Convention Center. This presentation discussed some of the international projects that the University of Tennessee soil science faculty have been involved with in Guatemala, Lesotho, and Mozambique since 2006. Funding for these such project is a differcult task, but funding from these project was made possible by the USDA, USAID, and some alumni donors. Partners include other Universities, International Research Centers, private companies, and local non-governmental organizations.
  • Developing sustainable conservation agriculture for smallholder farmers in Southern Africa
    Eash, Neal S.; Walker, Forbes; Thierfelder, Christian; Marake, Makoala V.; Wilcox, Michael D.; Lambert, Dayton M.; Basson, August (2012)
    This presentation was given at the Soil Science Society of America annual meeting on October 22nd, 2012 in Cincinnati, Ohio at 11:10 in the morning. Conservation agricultural practices were used in Southern Africa's cropping system to improve soil nutrient, improve food security, sequester carbon, and mitigate green house gases.
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    Developing sustainable subsistence smallholder conservation agricultural systems in Lesotho
    Eash, Neal S.; Walker, Forbes; Lambert, Dayton M.; Wilcox, Michael D.; Marake, Makoala V.; Wall, Patrick; Basson, August; Bruns, Wendy A.; Bruns, M. (2011)
    The average subsistence maize yield in Lesotho is very low (less than 0.3 Mg/ha) due to excessive soil erosion rates, low soil fertility, high fertilizer and herbicide cost, moisture/nutrient loss from weed competition, and high labor requirements for hand weeding. The break-even yields for subsistence farmers are approximately 2 Mg/ha or approximately seven times the average yield. This study was conducted to determine the economically viable nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizer rates, planting density, cover crop weed suppression effectiveness, and cultivation methods for maize production. The soils at the experiment site were silty clay loam and located near Mohale's Hoek. The 2009 results indicated that the most expensive smallholder farming method was the hired tractor or animal draft that used hired labor for weeding and was followed closely by likoti ('pothole' method). The most cost effective method was the use of no-till planter. Cover crops suppressed up to 90% of Common Thistle and Cape Tulip (Moraea flaccida), with Grazing Vetch (Vicia sativa) the most effective weed suppressor. Both higher N and P rates and population densities are needed because yields continued to increase at the higher fertilizer rates and population densities. Results from the first year of data suggest that cover crops will be an important component in weed control. Fertilizer N and P rates need to be increased as do the target plant populations.