Mulch application as the overarching factor explaining increase in soil organic carbon stocks under conservation agriculture in two 8-year-old experiments in Zimbabwe
Department of Plant Production Sciences and Technologies, University of Zimbabwe, Harare, Zimbabwe
CIRAD, UPR AIDA, Harare, Zimbabwe
Fertilizer, Farm Feeds and Remedies Institute, Department of Research and Specialist Services, Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, Harare, Zimbabwe
Regis Chikowo
Department of Plant Production Sciences and Technologies, University of Zimbabwe, Harare, Zimbabwe
International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), Mount Pleasant, Harare, Zimbabwe
Christian Thierfelder
International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), Mount Pleasant, Harare, Zimbabwe
Marc Corbeels
AIDA, Univ Montpellier, CIRAD, Montpellier, France
International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Nairobi, Kenya
Conservation agriculture (CA), combining reduced or no tillage, permanent soil cover, and improved rotations, is often promoted as a climate-smart practice. However, our knowledge of the impact of CA on top- and subsoil soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks in the low-input cropping systems of sub-Saharan Africa is rather limited. Using two long-term experimental sites with different soil types, we found that mulch could increase top SOC stocks, but no tillage alone had a slightly negative impact.
Conservation agriculture (CA), combining reduced or no tillage, permanent soil cover, and...
