Effects of soil management practices and tillage systems on soil moisture conservation and maize yield on a sandy loam in semiarid Kenya

This journal article illustrates the effect of seven different tillage and soil management practices on water conservation and the yield of maize. Maize is a vital crop in the semiarid parts of Africa, and the amount of water in the soil greatly affects the productivity of this plant. The soil moisture is affected by the different infiltration rates and structural stability of the soil resulting from the different techniques studied: bare with conventional tillage (BC), bare with minimum tillage (BM), incorporated mulch with conventional tillage (IMuC), manure with conventional tillage (MaC), manure with minimum tillage (MaM), surface mulch with conventional tillage (SMuC), and surface mulch with minimum tillage (SMuM). The findings show that use of manure and mulching combined with minimum tillage had a greater effect on the water balance of crusted soils, because it resulted in higher soil moisture and crop yields. [summary by the record creator]