Influence of Mulch and Ridge-tie on Soil Moisture retention and early growth of maize at Jega, Kebbi State, Nigeria

Water and soil nutrition management form a critical components of Agricultural Production. The line between soil and water conservation (SWC) and rainwater harvesting (RWH) technologies for crop production is very thin. SWC can be described as activities that reduce water losses by runoff and evapo ration, while maximizing in-soil moisture storage for crop production, but the same could be said of RWH. The two are differentiated by the fact that under soil and water conservation, rainfall is conserved in-site where it falls, whereas under water harve sting a deliberate effort is made to transfer runoff water from a “catchment” to desired area or storage structure (Critchley and Siegert, 1991). The important thing is that both systems complement each other, and under rain-fed agriculture in dry areas, both are necessary nearly all the time. 

In the semi-arid areas tie-ridges are made by modifying normal ridges. The techniques involve digging major ridges that run across the pre dominant slope and then creating sub-ridges (or cross-ties) within the mainf urrows. The final effect is a series of small micro-basins that store rainwater in-site, enhancing infiltration. Depending on the system, the crop is planted at the side of the main ridge, to be as close as possible to the harvested water while also avoidi ng water logging in case of prolonged rains. 

Tied ridges have been found to be very efficient in storing the rainwater, which also resulted in substantial grain yield increase in some of the major dry land crops such as sorghum, maize, wheat, and mung beans in Ethiopia (Georgis and Takele, 2000). The average grain yield increase (under tied ridges) ranged from 50 to over 100 percent when compared with the traditional practice. This increase, however, will vary according to the soil type, slope, rainfall and the crop grown in the dry land areas. 

The objectives of mulch is to conserve soil moisture, reduce runoff flows, evaporative losses and wind erosion, prevent weed growth, enhance soil structure and control soil temperature mulching is practiced by famers in the wetter areas due to the availability of vegetative materials. Depending on availability of residues, mulch densities range between 30-70 percent, based on availability of residues obtained from the previous season’s crop (Kibwana, 2000). The importance of mulches in reducing surface runoff, soil erosion and evaporation losses cannot be overstated that in the absence of mulch 40-60 percent of the rainfall that fell was lost to evaporation and that if 40-50 percent of the ground was covered with mulch, surface runoff losses were reduced to almost zero and evaporation losses halved (Liniger 1991). Crop yields were found to double or triple and biomass to feed livestock increased. 

Based on all the above stated benefits of ridge tie and mulch, thus study which was conducted at the Teaching and Research Farm of the Kebbi State University of Science and Technology, Jega was aimed at evaluating the influence of Mulch and ridge tie on soil moisture retention and early growth of maize.