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Soil temperature and its association with maize yield variations in the Highlands of Kenya

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 March 2009

P. J. M. Cooper  and
R. Law
P. J. M. Cooper
Affiliation:
National Agricultural Research Station, Kitale, Kenya
R. Law
Affiliation:
National Agricultural Research Station, Kitale, Kenya
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Summary

In the Highlands of Kenya every 1-week delay in planting maize after the onset of the rains reduces the grain yield by approximately 0·6 t/ha. No satisfactory explanation has been found for this phenomenon. A physiological growth study was made on four dates of planting per year over 4 years. Early growth rates and maximum crop growth rates showed a progressive decline with delay in planting which resulted in smaller plants at 5 weeks post-emergence and at 50 % tassel emergence in maize planted later. There was a strong relationship between the size of plant at tasselling and the final grain yield and a highly significant relationship (r = 0·94) between the size of plant at 5 weeks post emergence and the final grain yield. Other environmental studies showed that soil temperature at 7·5 cm, coupled with a soil moisture stress factor, largely controlled the dry-matter production rate during early growth, and consideration of the mean value of these two variables over the first 5 weeks of growth accounted for 70% of the variation of dry matter at 5 weeks post-emergence. It was further shown that 82% of the variation in final grain yield caused by date of planting could be accounted for by consideration of the mean value of these two variables during the first 5 weeks of growth.

Type
Research Article
Information
The Journal of Agricultural Science , Volume 89 , Issue 2 , October 1977 , pp. 355 - 363
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1977

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