Identification of cover crops for the semi-arid savanna zone of West Africa

dc.creatorCarsky, R.J.
dc.creatorNdikawa, R.
dc.date1998
dc.date2018-07-05T06:30:28Z
dc.date2018-07-05T06:30:28Z
dc.date.accessioned2026-06-27T16:09:26Z
dc.descriptionLeguminous cover crops may be an appropriate component of sustainable food-production systems in the semi-arid savannas of West and Central Africa- A set of erect and spreading legumes was observed for adaptation D to a semi-arid climate (700-900 mm annual rain-fall), without fertilizer application, on three soil types in northern Cameroon. Mucuna pruriens generally reached l00% ground cover 60-90 d after planting, whereas Canavalia ensiformis rarely reached 100% ground cover, Two C. ensiformis accessions, one erect and one spreading, differed in their ability to cover the soil surface. Maximum foliage drymatter (DM) exceeded that of the locally adapted spreading cowpea in most cases. Foliage DM of M. pruriens, C. ensiformis, Clotalaria ochroleuca, and Cajanus cajan generally exceeded 4 t ha-' at all but the most degraded site. At the degraded site, the erect C. ensiformis accession produced 5-7 t DM htt. Canavalia ensiformis grow longer into the dry season and maintained higher moisture content, suggesting some drought resistance Because of strong winds during the dry season and trampling during seed collection, foliage DM less than about 4 t ha I did not persist through the dry season. Uncontrolled cattle grazing was another threat to persistence of mulch though the dry season.
dc.identifierhttps://hdl.handle.net/10568/96024
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/123456789/124073
dc.languageen
dc.languagefr
dc.rightsLimited Access
dc.sourceCarsky, J. & Ndikawa, R. (1998). Identification of cover crops for the semi-arid savanna zone of West Africa. In D. Buckles, A. Etèka, O. Osiname, M. Galiba and G. Galiano, Cover crops in West Africa: contributing to sustainable agriculture= Plantes de couverture en Afrique de l'Ouest: une contribution à l'agriculture durable. Ottawa, Canada: International Development Research Centre, (p. 179-187).
dc.subjectleguminous cover crop
dc.subjectsemi-arid
dc.subjecterosion
dc.subjectculture légumineuse
dc.titleIdentification of cover crops for the semi-arid savanna zone of West Africa
dc.typeBook Chapter

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