Effet des techniques de récupération de l'eau et des options de gestion des nutriments sur le rendement du mil perlé dans la zone sahélienne du Mali

Low natural soil fertility and inappropriate water and nutrient management practices are the main obstacles to millet productivity in the Sahelian zone of Mali. To increase millet productivity in Mali, this research was conducted at the Cinzana Agricultural Research Station during the 2013 and 2014 rainy seasons. The objectives of this study were to determine the effects of water harvesting techniques and nutrient management options on: (i) pearl millet yield and (ii) harvest index. The soil water harvesting techniques evaluated were zaï, partitioned ridge, and conventional tillage (control). Cattle manure was applied at rates of 0 and 2,500 kg ha-1, while mineral fertilizers were applied at rates of 0; 20.5 kg N: 23 kg P2O5 ha-1 and 41 kg N: 46 kg P2O5 ha-1. The experimental design was a completely randomized block split-plot with three replicates. The results showed that millet grain yield increased from 47 to 67% under zaï and from 31.37 to 53.00% under partitioned ridges compared to conventional tillage. The application of cattle manure improved millet grain yield by 29 to 45% compared to the control. The application of mineral fertilizers improved millet grain yield by 34 to 54% compared to the control. The combined application of 41 kg N: 46 kg P2O5 ha-1 + M 2500 kg ha-1 increased grain yield from 1370 kg ha-1 in 2013 to 1716 kg ha-1 in 2014, while the increases in the control were from 433 kg ha-1 in 2013 to 846 kg ha-1 in 2014. Millet straw yield increased by 30 to 41% under zaï and by 25 to 37% under partitioned ridge compared to conventional tillage. The combined application of manure and mineral fertilizers improved straw yield by 23.37 to 35.00% and 18.80 to 27.17%, respectively, compared to the control. Mineral fertilizer application resulted in the highest harvest index (28.10%) compared to the control (22.01%). Therefore, the use of partitioned ridges and mineral fertilizers at a rate of 20.5 kg N: 23 kg P2O5 ha-1 with 2500 kg ha-1 of cattle manure could be a suitable option for improving millet productivity in Mali. Keywords: water harvesting technique, organic manure and mineral fertilizers, millet, Mali