Conservation farming to sustain corn productivity
2003
Labios, R.V. | Labios, J.D. | Tamisin, L.L. Jr | Esguerra, M.Q. (Philippines Univ. Los Banos, College, Laguna (Philippines). Farming Systems and Soil Resources Inst.)
Corn productivity continues to be low and is even on the decline in some areas in the country. This is a result of low or non-adoption of technologies, increasing cost of farm inputs and unstable price of farm outputs, and continuous degradation of agricultural resources. Consequently, sustainable resource use becomes one of the focus of research and development efforts. Oftentimes, the objective is to develop a management plan that concentrates on the conservation, and if possible preservation, of available resources for their sustained use. This paper shows how the different conservation farming strategies have sustained corn productivity in selected sites in the provinces of Mindoro Occidental and Camarines Sur [Philippines]. Among the conservation technologies tested were conservation tillage and use of bio-fertilizers. An on-farm variety trial was also conducted where performance of promising corn varieties were evaluated. Results reveal that the combination of zero tillage and application of half the recommended inorganic fertilizer rate plus biofertilizers produced the highest net returns, while at the same time enhancing soil fertility and conserving soil moisture. In terms of variety, Pioneer 3013 and Cargill 818 are recommended for both Camarines Sur and Mindoro Occidental sites since they produced higher average yields across all seasons of the trials compared to other varieties tested. The adoption of these technologies, therefore, is a viable option for sustaining corn productivity
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