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Increasing Productivity Through Enhanced Water Use Efficiency in Marginal Soils

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The Marginal Soils of Africa

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Abstract

Water scarcity is a major limiting factor in reducing crop yields in the arid and semi-arid regions of Africa. The continent’s growing population will require sustainable food security, despite these conditions. Enhancing water use efficiency (WUE) in the marginal soils of Africa’s arid and semi-arid regions is vital for food production on the continent. The purpose of this chapter is to discuss conservation agriculture (CA) and in situ rainwater harvesting (RH) as potential practices to enhance WUE in Africa’s marginal soils. The application of CA was found to conserve both soil and water, thus enhancing WUE and crop yield. CA was found to increase water infiltration up to 40% in marginal soils, compared to conventional tillage (CT). The application of RH practices was found to increase soil water content, infiltration, soil fertility and crop yields in marginal soils. Notably, however, the benefits of both CA and RH for WUE are site-specific. The conclusion reached, is that both CA and RH have the potential to enhance WUE in marginal soils in arid and semi-arid regions, thus increasing crop yield, but site conditions are important when selecting the appropriate CA and RH practices.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of South Africa, Department of Agriculture and Animal Health, Florida, South Africa

    M. E. Malobane

  2. University of Fort Hare, Department of Agronomy, Alice, South Africa

    P. Nyambo

Authors
  1. M. E. Malobane
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  2. P. Nyambo
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Correspondence to M. E. Malobane .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Natural Resources and Engineering, Agricultural Research Council, Pretoria, South Africa

    Adornis Dakarai Nciizah

  2. Natural Resources and Engineering, Agricultural Research Council, Pretoria, South Africa

    Ashira Roopnarain

  3. Natural Resources and Engineering, Agricultural Research Council, Pretoria, South Africa

    Busiswa Ndaba

  4. Dept. of Agriculture and Animal Health, University of South Africa, Roodepoort, South Africa

    Mashapa Elvis Malobane

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Malobane, M.E., Nyambo, P. (2024). Increasing Productivity Through Enhanced Water Use Efficiency in Marginal Soils. In: Nciizah, A.D., Roopnarain, A., Ndaba, B., Malobane, M.E. (eds) The Marginal Soils of Africa. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-55185-7_7

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