Effects of tillage and organo-mineral fertilization on soil physicochemical parameters and yields of sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L. Moench)] in western Burkina Faso

<p>Sorghum cultivation is limited by poor soils, biotic constraints and unsuitable agricultural practices. This study, which deals with the effects of tillage and fertilization on sorghum production, aims at contributing to the sustainable improvement of the productivity of this sorghum. The experiment was conducted at the INERA research station in Farako-Bâ, following a split-plot set up with four repetitions. The main factor was tillage with three levels, namely mechanized ploughing, mechanized subsoiling and manual scarification and the secondary factor fertilization with three treatments which are T0: no fertilizer; T1: 5 t/ha of compost; T2: 5 t/ha of compost + 100 kg/ha of NPK + 50 kg/ha of urea. The results showed a favourable effect of mechanized subsoiling and mechanized ploughing on grain (1477.64 kg/ha and 1497.49 kg/ha) and straw (44530.69 kg/ha and 450.60 kg/ha) yields compared to manual scarification. However, the tillage did not significantly improve the physico-chemical parameters of the soil apart from the moisture content and the assimilable phosphorus. Organo-mineral fertilization (T2) resulted in substantial gains in grain yield of 379.46 kg/ha compared to organic fertilization alone (T1) and 672.28 kg/ha compared to the control without fertilizer (T0). It also recorded the best straw yield (5101.60 kg/ha). The different interactions between tillage and fertilization did not show significant differences. For the improvement of sorghum productivity in Burkina Faso, ploughing and subsoiling associated with organo-mineral fertilization appear to be the best practices. However, their positive effects on the physicochemical parameters of the soil remain unsatisfactory.</p> <p>published by the <strong> <a href="https://innspub.net/international-journal-of-biosciences/">International Journal of Biosciences (IJB)</a></strong></p>