Increasing the profitability of Legume

production in Mozambique through

Technology discovery, Development

and Delivery linked to Markets

Progress for 2009-2010 season

The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT)

Introduction

Although total agricultural production has increased significantly over the past decade, in Mozambique, it is mainly through an expansion of the area farmed rather than from increased agricultural productivity

Use of improved seeds (Fig. 1) and fertilizer is well below that of neighboring countries and as a result labor productivity remains low

45%

2%20%

3%

30% saved seed

ICRISAT

retail stores

friends & family

others

Figure 1: Survey of sources of seed for smallholder farmers in Mozambique, 2007 (USAID-funded Chinyanja Triangle project)

Introduction Continued….

Sustained investment in agricultural research is therefore needed in order for Mozambique to exploit its agricultural potential to the full in the long term

Identification of “bottle-necks” in the technology development and delivery necessary for the legume value chain

Climate variability presents challenges to enhanced productivity of crops produced in marginal environments – development of mitigation strategies is necessary

Objectives of this Project Main objective - to identify production

recommendations that address issues related to:

Climate variability and Value Chains for Pigeonpea and Groundnuts

The specific objectives are : To develop crop management options to improve

productivity of Pigeonpea and product quality; and mitigate the effects of climate induced risk – especially rainfall

To improve farmer incomes

Pigeonpea Ecologies

Summary of Planned Year 1

ActivitiesResult Activities

1 - Assemble and analyze long-term daily

climatic data and develop soil fertility

management options for legume

intercropping systems through crop

simulation modeling

- Collection of long-term daily climate data (30 years +) from main meteorological weather stations, and soils survey information

- Design and undertake a survey of ‘volunteer’ rainfall stations (large estates, district offices, schools and

churches)

Activities by results continued….

Result Activities

1 - Validate MARKSIM (a spatial weather

generator) for parts of the project area for

which no climate data exists

- Improve the quality of long-term climatic

data through infilling missing values for

temperature and rainfall and generating

solar radiation

- Improve the quality of long-term climatic

data through infilling missing values for

temperature and rainfall and generating

solar radiation information

Activities by results continued….Result Activities

1 - Undertake simple multi-location trials (on-

station and in farmers’ fields) for

groundnut and pigeonpea for the local

calibration of the Australian developed,

weather driven crop growth simulation

model (Agricultural Production Systems

Simulator, APSIM)

- Use APSIM to identify legume interventions

that have a high probability of production

and economic success in the context of

climate and soils variability

Activities by results continued….Result Activities

1 - Develop suitable micro-dosing options for increasing legume productivity in legume-based cropping systems

- Combine the outputs above with relevant socio-economic parameters (using GIS) to determine targeted recommendation domains for legume diversification strategies.

Progress on activitiesActivity I:

- Assemble and analyze long term daily climatic data and develop soil fertility management options for legume intercropping systems through crop simulation modeling

sub-activity 5: “Undertaking simple multi-location trials (on-station and in farmers’ fields) for pigeonpea for the local calibration of the Australian-developed, weather driven crop growth model (Agricultural Production Systems Simulator, APSIM)

sub-activity 7: Development of suitable micro-dosing options for increasing legume productivity in legume based cropping systems

On-station Trials - Activity I

Evaluation of Long and Medium duration Pigeonpea

varieties - 22 Long duration

varieties at PAN; - 22 Medium duration

varieties at Casa Agraria and Mtengo Umodzi in Angonia

Temporal and Spatial variability Trials

- Time of planting and row/ ridge spacing - Incuded two varieties – Long and Medium duration

Design of Trials A Split-Split plot design with 3 replications (blocks)

Row spacing (R) comprised the main plots as follows:

R1 = 75 cm

R2 = 90 cm

R3 = 120 cm

Planting time (T), comprised the sub plots

Early planting T1 = to be planted with first good rains

Late planting T2 = to be planted two weeks after T1

Varieties (V), comprised the sub-sub plots

Long duration variety V1 = (ICEAP 00040)

Medium duration variety V2 = (ICEAP 00557)

Pigeonpea Intercropping Trials

Pure stand of variety ICEAP 00040 (Long duration),

pure stand of ICEAP 000557 (medium duration type),

intercrop of ICEAP00040 with Maize, Cassava and Sorghum

intercrop of 00557 with Maize, Cassava and Sorghum

The Design was a Completely Randomized Block design with 8 treatments in Nampula

At Casa Agraria (Angonia), the intercropping was only with Maize and Sorghum – (cassava is not commonly intercropped with pigeonpea in this region)

Pigeonpea Micro-dosing Trials

Pigeonpea fixes nitrogen through nodulation; but, the N-fixation process requires Phosphorous (P)

A starter dose of P containing fertilizer is essential for nodulation in soils deficient in P

A micro-dosing trial was designed to determine the performance of pigeonpea under P fertilization using different rates of P.

The Trial

Two pigeonpea varieties (Long and Medium duration types)

P rates - ranged from 0, 10, 15 and 20 kg P ha -1 The trial was laid out in a 2 x 4 factorial. Sites – Nampula (PAN), Angonia (Mtengo Umodzi)

On-Farm Trials

The long duration variety trials were conducted in Nampula, Zambezia and Angonia (Mussacama)

Nampula and Zambezia - ICP 9145, Farmers’ Local, ICEAP 00557, ICEAP 00040 and ICEAP 00020

Angonia - ICEAP 00926, ICEAP 0076-1, ICEAP 00040 and ICEAP 00020

The medium duration variety trials were conducted only in Angonia Six varieties tested in the

short duration trial included ICEAP 01514/15, ICEAP 01480/32, ICEAP 01162/21, ICEAP 01167/11, ICEAP 00557 and Mthawajuni

On-farm trial sites

Province/ District

District Total Number of Trials

Number of Farmers

Nampula Mutuali 4 4

Malema 4 4

Zambezia Alto-Molocue 4 4

Gurue 4 4

Milange 4 4

Tete Angonia 12 10

Total 32 30

Table 1: Sites for the on-farm trials and number of Farmers

Results: On-station Trials

Results: On-station Trials

Results: On-farm trials

Variety Grain yield (kg/ha)

Seed size (g)

ICEAP 00020ICEAP 00040ICEAP 00557ICP 9145

793 754 8201080

18.619.015.615.3

MeanS.ECV %

862 106.5 12.40

17.10.74.40

Table 2: Performance of improved pigeonpea varieties on farmer’s field in Gurue

Farmer Participatory

Variety Evaluation

Farmers’ Criteria

Table 3: Participatory Variety Selection: Farmers’

Criteria and Ranking of Varieties

Plot 1 Variety Traits

Seed size (visual)

Earliness Yield (pod numbers)

1 ICEAP 00020 3 3 3

2 ICEAP 00040 1 2 1

3 ICEAP 00557 4 1 4

4 Farmers’ Local

5 4 5

5 ICP 9145 2 3 2

Field days and Farmers’

participationDistrict Location Attendance Total

Men Women

Grue Lioma 19 34 53

Magige 29 9 38

Murrimo 18 8 26

Sub-total 66 51 117

Malema Mtulo 20 29 49

Mutuali 26 29 55

Sub total 46 58 104

Grand Total 112 109 221

Seed Production

Breeder Seed Production

Basic Seed Production

OBRIGADO

IIAM (PAN, Mtengo Umodzi) World Vision Gurue,

Farmers

Year 2 Work Plan

Collection of Climatic Data in Collaboration with Met Department and University of Reading

Continuation of Crop Management Technologies in On-Station and On-Farm Trials

Climatic Risk Modelling – collaborate with ProSAVANNA project

Provide Data to IIAM to start the Technology Release procedures

Support USEBA with Seed Production of existing and new varieties to be released