147
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
B. R. Singh et al. (eds.), Climate Impacts on Agricultural and Natural Resource
Sustainability in Africa, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-37537-9_8
Intensification of Sorghum and Pearl
Millet Production in the Sahel-Sudanian
Climatic Zones of Mali
Adama Coulibaly and Jens B. Aune
Abstract The objective of this study was to explore options for intensification of
pearl millet and sorghum production in the Sahelian and Sahel-Sudanian climatic
zones of Mali. A multilocation experiment was conducted over 3 years, and the
treatments were ordered according to increasing levels of intensification (increasing
costs) by adding one new element on the top of the others for each new level of
intensification. The treatments included a control, seed priming, and microdosing of
0.5 g of NPK fertilizer per pocket and 2 g of NPK fertilizer per pocket.
Sorghum yields increased by 55% in the first year, whereas the response for the
following 3 years went up to 19%, but the response in pearl millet did not exceed
13% in these years. For sorghum, the treatment combining seed priming and 0.5 g
of NPK fertilizer per pocket gave a yield increase compared to the control of 131%
in the first year, while in the following two seasons, the corresponding yield increase
was 26% and 41%, respectively. For pearl millet, the corresponding yield increase
was 17% and 35%. There was generally only a small difference in gross margin
between the treatments with 0.5 and 2 g of fertilizer per pocket.
By ordering the treatments according to increasing gross margin, it was shown
that seed priming and microdosing do not increase farmers’ risk of a reduced gross
margin, but these methods increase the probability of a high gross margin.
This experiment shows that agricultural intensification in sorghum and pearl millet can be achieved at a low cost and that the economic return for this form of intensification is very good.
A. Coulibaly
Laboratoire Sol-Eau-Plante, Institut d’Economie Rurale, Bamako, Mali
J. B. Aune (*)
Department of International Environment and Development Studies, Noragric,
Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Ås, Norway
e-mail: jens.aune@nmbu.no
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
B. R. Singh et al. (eds.), Climate Impacts on Agricultural and Natural Resource
Sustainability in Africa, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-37537-9_8
Intensification of Sorghum and Pearl
Millet Production in the Sahel-Sudanian
Climatic Zones of Mali
Adama Coulibaly and Jens B. Aune
Abstract The objective of this study was to explore options for intensification of
pearl millet and sorghum production in the Sahelian and Sahel-Sudanian climatic
zones of Mali. A multilocation experiment was conducted over 3 years, and the
treatments were ordered according to increasing levels of intensification (increasing
costs) by adding one new element on the top of the others for each new level of
intensification. The treatments included a control, seed priming, and microdosing of
0.5 g of NPK fertilizer per pocket and 2 g of NPK fertilizer per pocket.
Sorghum yields increased by 55% in the first year, whereas the response for the
following 3 years went up to 19%, but the response in pearl millet did not exceed
13% in these years. For sorghum, the treatment combining seed priming and 0.5 g
of NPK fertilizer per pocket gave a yield increase compared to the control of 131%
in the first year, while in the following two seasons, the corresponding yield increase
was 26% and 41%, respectively. For pearl millet, the corresponding yield increase
was 17% and 35%. There was generally only a small difference in gross margin
between the treatments with 0.5 and 2 g of fertilizer per pocket.
By ordering the treatments according to increasing gross margin, it was shown
that seed priming and microdosing do not increase farmers’ risk of a reduced gross
margin, but these methods increase the probability of a high gross margin.
This experiment shows that agricultural intensification in sorghum and pearl millet can be achieved at a low cost and that the economic return for this form of intensification is very good.
A. Coulibaly
Laboratoire Sol-Eau-Plante, Institut d’Economie Rurale, Bamako, Mali
J. B. Aune (*)
Department of International Environment and Development Studies, Noragric,
Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Ås, Norway
e-mail: jens.aune@nmbu.no