Agro-Economic Evaluation of Alternative Crop Management Options for Teff Production in Midland Agro-Ecology, Ethiopia

Fekremariam Asargew Mihretie, Atsushi Tsunekawa, Nigussie Haregeweyn, Enyew Adgo, Mitsuru Tsubo, Tsugiyuki Masunaga, Derege Tsegaye Meshesha, Kindiye Ebabu and Muluken Bayable
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Fekremariam Asargew Mihretie: United Graduate School of Agricultural Sciences, Tottori University, 4-101 Koyama-Minami, Tottori 680-8553, Japan
Atsushi Tsunekawa: Arid Land Research Center, Tottori University, 1390 Hamasaka, Tottori 680-0001, Japan
Nigussie Haregeweyn: International Platform for Dryland Research and Education, Tottori University, 1390 Hamasaka, Tottori 680-0001, Japan
Enyew Adgo: College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, Bahir Dar University, Bahir Dar P.O. Box 1289, Ethiopia
Mitsuru Tsubo: Arid Land Research Center, Tottori University, 1390 Hamasaka, Tottori 680-0001, Japan
Tsugiyuki Masunaga: Faculty of Life and Environmental Science, Shimane University, Shimane 690-8504, Japan
Derege Tsegaye Meshesha: College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, Bahir Dar University, Bahir Dar P.O. Box 1289, Ethiopia
Kindiye Ebabu: Arid Land Research Center, Tottori University, 1390 Hamasaka, Tottori 680-0001, Japan
Muluken Bayable: United Graduate School of Agricultural Sciences, Tottori University, 4-101 Koyama-Minami, Tottori 680-8553, Japan

Agriculture, 2021, vol. 11, issue 4, 1-20

Abstract: Teff is an important crop for smallholder farmers in Ethiopia. Improved crop management practices are needed to increase teff productivity and decrease production costs. Here, we used a split–split plot design to evaluate the impacts of different tillage, sowing, and soil compaction practices, and their combinations, on agronomic performance, weed population, lodging, and cost in teff production at the Aba Gerima watershed in northwestern Ethiopia in 2018–2020. Reduced tillage (RT) improved soil moisture, resulting in increased agronomic performance and decreased production costs compared with conventional tillage (CT); however, the weed population was substantially larger with RT than with CT. Row planting (RP) reduced seed cost and lodging but increased sowing and weeding costs compared with broadcast planting (BP). Plant population and leaf area index were substantially greater with BP than with RP during early-stage growth, but this reversed during late-stage growth. Despite labor costs being significantly greater with (WC) compaction than without (NC), little to no differences were observed in the weed population or in agronomic performance. Partial cost–benefit analysis revealed that RT–RP–WC followed by RT–RP–NC was the most economical treatment combination, suggesting that RT–RP–NC could be a labor-effective means of increasing teff production by smallholder farms in Ethiopia.

Keywords: compaction; drought; reduced tillage; row planting; soil moisture (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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