Assessing effectiveness of various soil moisture conservation techniques on maize yield in Zaka district

Author

Mapope, Noel

Title

Assessing effectiveness of various soil moisture conservation techniques on maize yield in Zaka district

Abstract

Soil-water scarcity is the major constraint to rain-fed maize production in semi-arid Agro-eco-logical Region IV in Zimbabwe. The objective of this study was to determine four in- situ moisture- retention techniques namely tied ridges (TR), ridges (RD), potholing (PH) and flat land (FL, control) on a clay- loam Alfisol at ward 33, Zaka District (18°57′ S, 31°31′ E; 520 mm mean annual rainfall) during the 2024/25 season. A randomized complete block design with three replications was used. Data collected were soil moisture (0–15 cm, 15–30 cm), stem girth, plant height, 1000 seed weight and final grain yield measured at 3 weeks intervals and analysed using GenStat 17th generation. There were significant treatment effects (p < 0.05) on all variables. TR retained 23–48 % more soil moisture than FL throughout the season and maintained the slowest moisture decline. Consequently, TR recorded the largest stem girth (19 % greater), the tallest plants (22 % taller), the heaviest 1000 seed weight (17 % heavier) and the highest grain yield (4.26 tonnes per hectare) compared to RD (3.58 tonnes/ha), PH (3.41 tonnes/ha) and FL (2.77 tonnes/ha). The yield advantages were attributed to longer root zone water availability that increased photosynthate partitioning during grain filling. The results suggest tied ridging as a low cost, climate‐smart practice capable of enhancing maize productivity by ≥ 50 % under erratic rainfall. Therefore, adoption of TR alongside site‐specific soil and residue management is recommended for smallholder farmers in similar semi‐arid environments to improve food security and climate resilience.

Date

June 2025

Publisher

BUSE

Keywords

Scarcity

Moisture

Retention

Techniques

Supervisor

Prof Mandumbu