Productivity and profitability of upland crop rotations in Northwest Cambodia
The upland cropping region of Northwest Cambodia exhibits limited crop diversity, with maize and cassava dominating rain-fed production systems. Farmers in the Districts of Sala Krau in Pailin Province, and Samlout in Battambang Province, report soil fertility decline in upland cropping systems with associated reduced yields and profitability compared with five years ago. Research was conducted at one site in each of these Districts over a two year period. The purpose of the study was to investigate crop rotations in this system with a focus on better use of soil water throughout the year to increase crop yields and profitability. This included an experiment to investigate increasing cropping intensity from the usual two crops per year to three and evaluate which crop sequences would be feasible. Out of a total 15 crop sequences evaluated, only four were successful in producing viable grain yields. These were the same sequences at both sites and included maize-maize-fallow, maize-maize-sunflower, maize-soybean-fallow and maizesoybean-sunflower. At Pailin, the sequence with the highest overall mean yield (4.3 t/ha) and profit was maize-maize-sunflower which returned a gross margin of $USD3700/ha over two years. The sequences with a fallow instead of a third crop produced the lowest financial returns at Pailin. However, in Samlout the maize-fallow was the most profitable sequence with an overall mean yield of 3.0 t/ha, returning $1680/ha over two years. The least profitable sequences at Samlout were the two soybean sequences. This study was successful in growing five crops in two years at Pailin, but could not reach the goal of six due to cultivar maturity length. At Samloutfour crops over two years were produced, as the pre-monsoon crop was not planted in either year due to lack of sowing rainfall. Seasonal climatic factors had the greatest effect at both field sites on gross margins, which emphasized the importance of matching sowing date to rainfall to make better use of stored soil moisture to optimise yield and profitability. At Pailin, mean seasonal surface soil moisture, hundred seed weight and harvest index also impacted gross margin returns. This research validated the stability of maize in the farming system while sunflower should be further investigated in cropping sequences.
Yield Responses of Maize and Sunflower to Mulch under No-till Farming Conditions in Northwest Cambodia
Background: Upland farming in Northwest Cambodia experiences annual soil loss and erosion due to the combination of topography, monsoonal climate and plough based farming practices. This study investigated the potential for no-till farming as a more sustainable farming method in this region. Methodology: An experiment was conducted at two sites in neighbouring Northwest provinces to investigate the effects of varying rates (nil, 2.5, 5, 10 and 20 t ha¯¹) of maize ('Zea mays' L.) stover mulch on yields of maize and sunflower ('Helianthus annus') using no-tillage farming practices. Small plot replicated experiments were undertaken in the pre-monsoon and post-monsoon seasons. Results: The 5 t haG1 mulch treatment attained the highest yield in the pre-monsoonal maize trial. During the post-monsoon period maize yield increased by 0.4 t ha¯¹ with every 2.5 t of mulch applied, whereas nil mulch resulted in near crop failure. Post-monsoon sunflower failed to respond to mulch treatments at either site. The lack of response at the second site which received higher rainfall was probably due to mild seasonal conditions and adequate stored soil water. Maize was more responsive to mulch than sunflower in both seasons with mulch application increasing yield. Conclusion: Farmers who retain crop residues increase their chances of establishing a pre-monsoon crop and reduce the probability of crop failure. This study also demonstrated that a successful crop can be grown in the non-traditional sowing period of the post-monsoon. While farmers may not have the resources to justify applying mulch regularly, it is thought they may use the knowledge gained from this study to implement no-till farming practices and retain crop residues 'in situ'.
Crop choice and planting time for upland crops in Northwest Cambodia
Crop yields are declining in Northwest Cambodia and crop failure in the pre-monsoon season is commonplace with 69% of farmers surveyed stating that drought is a constraint to production. Farmers currently lack knowledge to adopt more sustainable farming practices. A trial was conducted in Samlout District, Battambang Province, Northwest Cambodia to investigate the feasibility of a sowing time two months later than typical local practices. The aim of the shift in sowing time was to increase crop yield and reduce crop failure due to heat and drought stress throughout the season. A secondary aim was to compare sequences of continuous maize ('Zea mays' L.), and maize in rotation with peanut ('Arachis hypogaea'), sun- flower ('Helianthus annus'), sorghum ('Sorghum bicolor'), cowpea ('Vigna unguiculata') or mungbean ('Vigna radiata'). Sunflower and sorghum would be new crop type introductions, whilst the other crops are part of the traditional farming system in this region. The trial was undertaken for four cropping seasons over two years, during which time crops produced successful yields from the new sowing time windows. However, it was the maize-sunflower sequence that produced the highest gross margins. Maize-sunflower returns were $514 per hectare per annum more than the typical planting of continuous maize, and over $1100 per hectare per year higher than the other maize-legume and maize-sorghum rotations. Continuous maize produced the most stable yields across the four seasons and maize-sunflower produced the second highest mean yield. Results from modelling of soil moisture suggest that a shift in sowing time may avoid the extreme heat of the pre-monsoon season, and align crop growth stages with periods of more reliable rainfall. Site specific surface soil moisture data and rainfall was entered into the APSIM model to predict the soil profile moisture throughout the growing season (r² = 0.73). Both the modelling and on-farm research resulted in higher crop yields compared with traditional practices and expectations, and a low probability of crop failure. Crops of maize, sunflower and sorghum grew well from an early October sowing date into the post monsoon season and produced good yields on stored soil water with low plant stress due to mild seasonal conditions. Delayed sowing may prove to be the best option for farmers in the Northwest upland, achieved by a simple shift of sowing dates.