Soil & Tillage Research, 8 (1986) 161--170 161

Elsevier Science Publishers B.V., Amsterdam -- Printed in The Netherlands

E F F E C T OF T I L L A G E AND RESIDUE M A N A G E M E N T ON MAIZE AND

W H E A T Y I E L D A N D ON P H Y S I C A L P R O P E R T I E S O F A N I R R I G A T E D
S A N D Y L O A M S O I L IN N O R T H E R N N I G E R I A

P.R. MAURYA
Institute for Agricultural Research, Sarnaru, P.M.B. 1044, Zaria (Nigeria)
(Accepted for publication 2 January 1986)

ABSTRACT

Maurya, P.R., 1986. Effect of tillage and residue management on maize and wheat
yield and on physical properties of an irrigated sandy loam soil in northern Nigeria.
Soil Tillage Res., 8: 161--170.

Maize (June--September) and wheat (November--March) were rotated for a 4-year

period on an irrigated sandy loam soil in northern Nigeria. When no-tillage plots were
compared with conventionally tilled plots, there was a significant difference in the
physical properties of the soil. The no-tillage plots with residue had a higher organic
carbon content, and a higher soil porosity in the surface soil horizon than had the tilled
plots. The no-tillage plots had a 50% higher basic infiltration rate (6.6 cm h-') than
tilled plots (4.4 cm h-'). The initial infiltration rate for the first 5 min was 18% higher in
plots with residue (36.0 cm h -1) than in plots without residue (30.5 cm h-'). The ac-
cumulated infiltration over 4 h and the soil water storage were all higher in the no-tillage
plot with residue than in the tilled plot. They were least in the no-tillage no-residue
plot. The soil physical properties were not much affected during the first 2 years of
experimentation. With this continuous cropping, the grain yield of wheat and maize
from the no-tillage plots was equal to, or slightly lower than that from the tilled plots.
Averaged for the 4 years, the mean wheat yields were 3.6 and 3.7 t ha-' in the no-
tillage and tilled plot, respectively.

INTRODUCTION

U n d e r irrigated agriculture, g r o w i n g 2--3 successive c r o p s o n the same

land in o n e y e a r results in a m o r e efficient utilization o f irrigation water,
climatic resources, land, l a b o u r , m a c h i n e r y and o t h e r inputs. A d a p t i n g the
tillage practice, i m p r o v i n g the c r o p varieties, i m p r o v i n g the p l a n t i n g m e t h o d s
and improving water and nutrient management techniques make double
c r o p p i n g o f w h e a t ( T r i t i c u m aestivum L.) and m a i z e (Zea mays L.) p r o f i t a b l e
u n d e r irrigated soil c o n d i t i o n s . In the tropics, with the objective o f r e d u c i n g
t h e cost of cultivation, t h e practice o f no-tillage is being seriously con-
templated.
No-tillage t e c h n i q u e s are useful for c r o p p r o d u c t i o n in the h u m i d tropics

0167-1987/86/$03.50 © 1986 Elsevier Science Publishers B.V.

 162

where conventional tillage systems cause accelerated soil erosion (Lal, 1973,
1976; Lal et al., 1978; Maurya and Lal, 1979; Van Doren and Triplett, 1979).
Along with residue management, no-tillage techniques considerably improve
soil physical and chemical properties in the humid tropics (Triplett et al.,
1968; Maurya and Lal, 1980; Agboola, 1981). In semi-arid tropical condi-
tions, where it is normal to have only one rain-fed crop per year, it is difficult
to maintain the residue of the preceding crop because of termites and
domestic cattle. Under such conditions, plants grown without tillage are
stunted and show symptoms of water and nutrient deficiencies because of
high surface-soil bulk density, low porosity, retarded infiltration and low
water-holding capacity of the soil (Greenland and Lal, 1979; Huxley, 1979;
Nicou and Chopart, 1979).
In irrigated areas of northern Nigeria, maize and wheat grown in rotation
provide sufficient residue for the next cropping season. The continuous use
of residue from the preceding crop as mulch on undisturbed soil may maintain
the soil moisture profile, earthworm activity and useful microflora activity.
These indirect effects might influence the soil physical properties and crop
performance. Apart from these indirect effects, the direct effects of tillage
and residue management on the soil physical properties in the semi-arid
tropics may differ from those in the humid tropics. The objective of this
paper is to compare the effect of no-tillage with the effect of conventional
tillage on the physical properties of irrigated soils, and on crop yield, under
a m a i z e - w h e a t rotation in the semi-arid tropics.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The experiments reported here were initiated in June 1981 with a uni-
formly treated maize crop at the Irrigation Research Station, Kadawa
( l l ° 8 ' N , 8°15'E). The surface soil of the experimental site has a sandy
loam texture. The hard iron pan at 120--150 cm depth periodically resulted
in a perched water table between 30 and 120 cm depth throughout the
year (Fig. 1). Two distinct growing seasons occur in the area: the rain-fed

1981 1982 1983 1984 1985

-- ~A~f~J'A~lNiD~J~F~f~'~M~JA~S~`N~J~F~1~H~J~J~A~S~N~D~F~H4A~lJLJiA~S~UiN~D~JJF~H~A~J~ i£1

14G
Fig. 1. G r o u n d - w a t e r - t a b l e f l u c t u a t i o n in the e x p e r i m e n t a l field and m o n t h l y rainfall.
 163

cropping season which runs from June to September, and the irrigated crop-
ping season which lasts from November to March. Generally, maize is plant-
ed in mid-June after the rains are established, and wheat is planted at the
beginning of the cool, dry season in mid-November.
Conventional tillage consisted of disc ploughing (once for maize and
twice for wheat) to a depth of 20 cm, followed by harrowing, whereas no
mechanical seed bed preparation t o o k place in the no-tillage system. Two
weeks before planting the crop, the no-tillage plots were treated with 1.4 kg
ha -1 glyphosate. The residue mangement treatments were: (1) previous crop
residue left on the surface in no-tillage plots and incorporated in conventional
tillage; (2) previous crop residue removed from the plots, irrespective of til-
lage treatment.
Fertilizer was applied at 60 kg ha -1 N, 26 kg ha -1 P and 50 kg ha -1 K
for each crop before planting. Four weeks after planting, a further 60 kg
ha -1 N was applied as a top dressing. Wheat (cv. Slete Cerros) was planted in
rows 25 cm apart in the third week of November each year. Two irrigation
treatments were imposed on the dry-season wheat cultivation, namely ir-
rigations with 45 mm water at 8-day and 16-day intervals.
Maize (cv. TZB) was planted at 75 cm between rows and 25 cm within
rows in the second week of June each year. Irrigation was n o t provided for
maize because it is a rain-fed crop.
Tillage treatments were assigned to main plots, and residue management
and irrigation treatments were randomly assigned to sub-plots. There were
four replications. The sub-plot size was 180 m 2.
Ground-water-table fluctuation was monitored weekly by installing
piezometers 20 m apart. The soil moisture tension was measured during the
crop growth period, with a tensiometer at 10 cm depth in two of the rep-
licates. The soil moisture was regularly determined by gravimetric methods.
The double-ring infiltrometer m e t h o d (Michael, 1978) was used to determine
the infiltration rate of the soil after harvest. The inner ring was 30 cm in
diameter and 30 cm in height. The outer ring was 56 cm in diameter. The
bulk density of the soil was determined using soil core samples of 100 cm 3
volume from 0--50 cm depth. Soil porosity was calculated based on a
particle density of 2.65 g cm -3. Soil samples were taken at the end of the
cropping season to determine the organic carbon c o n t e n t at various soil
depths. Soil organic carbon c o n t e n t was determined by the Walkley--Black
procedure (Jackson, 1958). Grain yields of maize and wheat were recorded
at harvest.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Organic carbon content

The no-tillage plots contained more organic carbon than the tilled plots,
irrespective of the residue treatment (Fig. 2). The no-tillage plus residue plot
164

had a high organic carbon content throughout the soil profile as compared
with other treatments. Organic carbon was least in the tilled plot without
residue. The treatment effect was pronounced in the upper 0--5-cm soil
layer. In all treatments the organic carbon in the 0--5-cm layer was slightly
higher than in deeper layers, probably due to higher root mass development
in the upper layers. The maximum organic carbon content at 5 cm depth
was 1.07% (w/w} in the no-tillage plots where residue had been left on the
surface and the minimum was 0.87% (w/w) in the tilled plots without
residue. Organic carbon at 50 cm depth ranged from 0.34 to 0.40% (w/w).
Over the 4-year period, the organic carbon in the 0--30-cm layer increased
due to continuous cultivation. Several researchers from tropical countries
have reported similar findings for irrigated soils (Jones, 1971; Singh and
Balasubhramanian, 1983).
ORGANICCARBON(°1o, wlw )

003- - 05
i 0.?
~ 09
r fl
i

10- S "P''@

20- ~ ' Residue No Res~due

30 /~,,i' No-Till , o

Fig. 2. Organic carbon content as affected by tillage and residue management techniques
(March 1985).

Soil porosity

The initial porosity of this soil was relatively low. This was probably due
to the effect of mechanized tillage which had been in operation since the
land was opened up in 1950. After two years of experimentation, the soil
porosity at 5 cm depth was minimum in the no-tillage no-residue plot (44%,
v/v) and maximum in the tilled plus residue plot (46%, v/v). However,
at 15 cm depth porosity was lower in the tilled than in the no-tillage plots.
After 4 years, in the no-tillage plot where residue was left on the surface,
soil porosity was maximum up to a depth of 40 cm, (Fig. 3). At 5 cm depth,
the minimum porosity was 39% (v/v) in the no-tillage no-residue plot, and
 165
POROS TY(°/o v / v )
8 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 36 38 40 42
i i i L I i i i i i J

10
// / /

E 20
u

I ""
30 "'.
hi
C~

40 ~ i1/I No-Till I - - - • Residue

0 - - - ~)
)1 K II d Tilted _, _A ResidueN°-Residue
A A No-Residue
50

Fig. 3. Effect of tillage practices and crop residue management on total porosity (left:
September 1983 ; right: April 1985).

the maximum porosity 42% (v/v) in the no-tillage plus residue plot. The
tilled plots had a lower porosity in the 10--30-cm soil profile, although it
did n o t change much in deeper layers due to the treatments. Soil porosity
was highest up to a depth of 30 cm in the no-tillage plus residue plot.
In the cases where no residue was present, the high porosity in the surface
layer of the tilled plot as compared with that of the no-tillage plots was
probably caused by the loosening effect of ploughing. The effect of ploughing
was preserved in the residue-incorporated treatment as compared with the
no-residue treatment by keeping porosity higher. After 4 years of leaving the
crop residue on the surface in the no-tillage treatment, increased macroflora
and microflora activity in the surface layer contributed to the increase in
porosity. This increase occurred to a depth of 30 cm. Research has shown
that tillage practice and frequency affect porosity of the 15--30-cm layer
and that the more intensive the tillage, the lower the porosity (Agboola,
1981).

Infiltration rate and accumulative infiltration

Infiltration rate was higher in the no-tillage plots as compared with the
tilled ones regardless of the residue management practices. After 2 years
of experimentation, the infiltration rate for the first 180 min was higher in
plots without residue than in plots with residue (Fig. 4). After 4 years of
experimentation, however, the initial infiltration rate for the first 5 min
was higher in plots with residue (36.0 cm h -1) than in plots w i t h o u t residue
(30.5 cm h -1) and the basic infiltration rate after 90 min was the reverse
(Fig. 5). This might be due to the accumulation of organic matter in the
upper soil layer. The no-tillage plots had a higher basic infiltration rate (6.6
166

cm h -~) than the tilled plots (4.4 cm h-~). The accumulated infiltration
after 4 h was also higher in the no-tillage plots (29.0 cm) than in the tilled
plots (24.2 cm). This may be due to the higher porosity and more intensive
microflora activity in the no-tillage plots.
20.
?
TJ~ 18.
I No-Till ---l--. R¢sidu~
--o-- NO residue
W-
11 Titled -I-- R e s , d u e
2~
-~- NO residue
\
z 12'
Q \
\
, o\
b-

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . -O
.... "_ T ~ - ~ =. . . . . .

o 30 60 9'0 1}0--1,~) 1'80 2i0 2Z0

TIME (min)

Fig. 4. Effect of tillage practices and crop residue management on infiltration rate (Sep-
tember 1983).

40-

No-Till o-- - -~

Tilled j _A No-Till o----o

Tilled ~, A
RESIDUE NO RESIDUE
30-

IX::
E
u 20-

uJ
.q
z
O
10-
E_J
,T
z
.... -e

0 I L 1. I I .1
0 60 120 I~0 60 120 180 2~0

TIME (rnin)

Fig. 5. Effect of tillage practices and residue management on infiltration rate (15 October
1984).
 167

Moisture content

During wheat cultivation, soil water potential remained high throughout

almost the whole of each 16-day irrigation cycle in the no-tillage plus residue
treatment (Fig. 6). Soil water potential went b e y o n d the tensiometer limit
after 11 days and 15 days of irrigation in the tilled and no-tillage plots,
respectively. High infiltration rate and capillary conductivity in the no-til-
lage plots contributed to uniform distribution of irrigation water at lower
depths. The presence of the ground water table at 90--120 cm depth kept
the lower part of the soil profile wet. During the rainy season, even the top
layer was saturated for a short period in all treatments.

/
/

i / zz
-B0
2~
v
~/_1 .i ~
.~ -6o
F-
y"
Z
14.J

°~ -40
~6~~ / /
kd

i Iiz
~ -2C

0 , i , i i , , i i i ,

2 4 6 a lo 1'2 1'4
DAYS AFTER IRRIGATION

Fig. 6. Soil water potential at 10 cm depth in a 16-day irrigation cycle during the whea~
growing season (14--29 February 1984).

Crop yield

Wheat yield was significantly affected by tillage treatments in the first

and fourth crop, but n o t in the second and third (Table I). The yield in the
first crop was significantly higher in the no-tillage plot than in the tilled plot
and the opposite was true in the case of the fourth crop. Averaged for the
four years, the mean wheat yields were 3.6 and 3.7 t ha -1 in the no-tillage
and tilled plots, respectively.
The effect of residue treatments was only significant in the third crop. In
general, the crop yield was higher in the residue plots irrespective of tillage
treatment, and in the third crop the residue treatment gave a significantly
higher yield (4.4 t ha -1) than the no-residue treatment (3.9 t ha-l). The mean
grain yield for the four years was 11% (w/w) higher in residue (3.7 t ha -I)
than in no-residue (3.4 t ha-') treatments. This is due to the cumulative
effect of organic matter in the soil. The effect of irrigation was non-signifi-
cant because of the high water table.
168

The maize yield for the 1984 cropping season was lower than the two
previous years (Table II), which was due to uneven distribution and less
rainfall than in 1982 and 1983 {Fig. 1). The tillage effect was significant

TABLE I

Wheat grain yield (t ha -1) as affected by tillage and residue management practices during
the 1982--19,85 cropping seasons

Treatment Irrigation 1982 1983 1984 1985

(days)

No-Tillage Residue 8 3.9 3.4 4,5 3.5

16 3.6 3.1 4.2 3.5
No-Residue 8 3,7 3.6 4,2 3.0
16 3.7 3.5 4.1 2.9

Mean 3.7 3.4 4.2 3.2

Tillage Residue 8 2.8 4.0 4.3 4.0

16 3.1 3.7 4.4 3.6
No-Residue 8 3.0 3.7 3.6 4.1
16 3.1 3.4 3.6 3.4

Mean 3.0 3,7 4.0 3.8

L.S.D, (5%)
Tillage 0.18 NS NS 0.28
Residue NS NS 0.20 NS
Irrigation NS NS NS NS

TABLE II

Maize grain yield (t ha -1) as affected by tillage and residue management practices during
the 1982--1984 cropping seasons

Treatment 1982 1983 1984

No-Tillage Residue 3.3 3.0 2.3

No-Residue 3.4 2.8 1,9

Mean 3.4 2.9 2.1

Tillage Residue 4.1 3.9 2.2

No-Residue 4.0 3.9 2.2

Mean 4,1 3.9 2.2

L.S.D. (5%)
Tillage 0.28 NS NS
Residue NS NS NS
 169

in the grain yield of the first year, whereas the effect was non-significant in
subsequent years. During the first crop of maize the grain yield was signifi-
cantly higher in the tilled plots (4.0 t ha -I) than in the no-tillage plots (3.3 t
ha-I). In subsequent years there was a trend of higher yields in tilled plots,
although the increase was non-significant. The mean yield of the 3 cropping
seasons was higher in the tilled plots (3.4 t ha -1) than in the no-tillage plots
(3.1 t ha-l), due to more weed problems in the no-tillage plots. Over the 3
cropping seasons, the mean grain yield was only slightly higher in the residue
plots (3.3 t ha -1) than in the no-residue plots (3.2 t ha-l).

CONCLUSIONS

Using a maize--wheat rotation on irrigated sandy loam soil, the practice

of no-tillage farming, with the retention of adequate crop residue (5--6 t
ha -r) on the soil surface, maintained a higher level of soil organic carbon, a
higher basic infiltration rate and a higher soil porosity than tilled plots. The
no-tillage plots also showed adequate soil moisture in the upper 10 cm of the
soil profile. In a year of normal rainfall, the maize yield from no-tillage plots
was equal to or, in some instances, slightly lower than the yield from the
tilled plots. During a period of drought, the maize yield from no-tillage plots
was equal to, and may be higher than, that grown with conventional tillage.
In general, the wheat yield from no-tillage plots was competitive with that
from tilled plots.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The author is grateful to the Director of the Institute for Agricultural

Research, Samaru, Zaria, for his kind permission to present this paper at
the 10th Conference of ISTRO. Grateful thanks are also due to Mrs S. Harris,
Editor, I.A.R. for her valuable suggestions.

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170

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