Africa-Press – Botswana. Given the recent changes in climate and rainfall patterns, farmers have been advised to employ smart agricultural techniques.
Some of the techniques, which can help preserve soil moisture during mid-season drought, include soil preparation, minimum tillage and ripping.
Speaking in an interview with BOPA Monday, SeedCo Sales and Agronomy Manager, Mr Dialwa Kenatshele said soil preparation could create a good water bank for crops to tap into during mid-drought season (mid-December and January).
Mr Kenatshele urged farmers to rip and open hard pans created by heavy machinery often used in fields during land preparation or ploughing season to ensure that during rainy season, they harvested water through infiltration into the soils with no or limited run offs.
He said the red clay, black cotton and loam soils easily form hard pans hence more ripping was needed compared to the sandy soils, which easily released pressure and gave way to access waters beneath.
He said the red and black clay soils were the main reason why Tswapong and Bobirwa areas were severely affected by the mid-season drought, stressing that it was vital to make the necessary land preparation as a water harvesting and moisture retention strategy.
Mr Kenatshele added that minimum tillage (cultivating of the top soil with minimal disturbance) was a form of moisture conservation, to be used during trying times, especially around mid-December and January.
He said the practice of permanent soil cover, involving spreading various covering materials on top of the soil to minimise moisture loss and reduce weed population, commonly known as mulching, was another technique to be used in the farm ahead of the drought season.
Furthermore, he urged farmers to consider the practice of tire ridges, closing the end of farrows to capture or harvest the water within the farm to increase water infiltration.
Mr Kenatshele however, warned that tire ridges technique was not ideal for flooding places as it may cause root rot.
“When doing this it is always ideal to have crops on the raised side of the seed bed and water collected on the low side of the seed bed,” he said.
Meanwhile, Mr Kenatshele said plant population was key in reducing moisture competition and urged farmers to agree with agricultural extension officers on optimum plant population per their region and specific crops they were dealing with.
He advised farmers to fertilise and weed on time as well as to adopt good agronomic practices that would enable them to survive or manage the mid-season drought.
He further advised them to seek expert information from agricultural extension offices, where possible, to avoid losses.
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