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Given the recognised role of blanket extension advice in the low uptake of productivity‐enhancing technologies among developing country farmers, personalised or site‐specific extension approaches are gaining attention. Focusing on the case of the plant clinic extension model which provides personalised crop protection services to smallholder farmers, we investigate to what extent and how accurately farmers adopt personalised extension advice, and the implications for agricultural productivity. We combine a unique database of personalised integrated pest management (IPM) recommendations provided to 420 plant clinic attendees in Zambia with survey data on the actual IPM practices implemented by these same clinic attendees. We find that more than 80% of the sample farmers deviated from the personalised IPM recommendations they received from plant clinics. Based on the degree of deviation from the personalised recommendations, we identify five categories of adopters of IPM practices and show their heterogeneous effects on maize productivity. For example, our multi‐valued treatment effect estimates suggest an 82% yield penalty for non‐adopters compared to full adopters of recommended IPM practices, while the yield gain for full adopters is more than double that of partial adopters, as well as that of those who adopted additional practices beyond what was recommended. Our findings have important implications for the promotion of personalised extension services and for the measurement of the impact of complex agricultural technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the impact of gender differences on maize productivity in Dawuro Zone, southern Ethiopia. Our study addressed the limitations of the previous studies in two ways. First, the study separately assessed gender differences in productivity between de facto female-headed households and de jure female-headed households and revealed that female-headed households are not homogenous. Second, the study separately examined the impacts of the covariates on male-headed households and female-headed households using an exogenous switching treatment effect model. We find the existence of gender differences in maize productivity between male-headed households and female-headed households. The maize productivity of male-headed households was overall 44.3% higher than that of female-headed households. However, if female-headed households received the same return on their resources as male-headed households, their productivity would increase by 42.3%. This suggests agricultural policy should target female-headed households to help reduce the productivity gap between male-headed households and female-headed households. Finally, the distributions of the gender differentials between male-headed households and female-headed households are more pronounced at mid-levels of productivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rain-fed maize production in Mexico includes approximately 6 million hectares which variation in productivity represents huge challenges to meeting the sustainable intensification goals of the Sustainable Modernization of Traditional Agriculture (MasAgro) program. We use the information available from farmers participating in this program to investigate the differences in productivity and the effects of the promoted practices and technologies in seven defined rain-fed maize regions. We do this by applying metafrontier analysis to measure the technical efficiency and the technology gap. The results show a range of technical efficiency from 70 to 100%, which indicates the gains that can be achieved through improved management of the current inputs and practices of farmers in the program, and a range of the environment-technology gap between 32 and 82%, which indicates the limitations of the production environment which would require innovations in technologies and policies particularly adapted for the dry, the tropical and the more traditional regions. Furthermore, the results show that the use of hybrid seed and selling into maize markets have the largest impact in increasing maize yields in all regions. The difference between the MasAgro farmers and the average farmers in each region suggest that scaling the project will contribute to increasing maize production and Mexico's food self-sufficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the present investigation was to improve the productivity of calcareous sandy soil of Arab El-Awammer Experimental Station, Assiut governorate, Egypt. For this purpose a field experiment under minimum soil tillage conditions in summer season of 2010 was conducted in split split plot design with three replicates to detect the production of maize and soil fertility as influenced by previous and immediately some soil cultural treatments in main plot, levels of powder elemental S (zero and 300 kg S/fed) in the sub plots and mineral nitrogen fertilization levels (120 and 180 kg N/fed) in the sub sub plots. The four soil cultural treatments in main plots were two different crop sequences with crop residues completely removed (-CR) or with crop residues incorporated in soil surface layer 0-25 cm (+CR). The different two crop sequences (depend on it's inclusions from legume crop) were:- Year 2009 2010 legume crop% Sequence 1 = wheat - maize - wheat - maize (0%) Sequence 2 = wheat - maize - clover - maize (25%) The obtained results from the maize crop cultivated in season four of this study show that, crop residues applied in legume cereal cropping systems (25% legume crops) resulted in higher maize growth, yields, yields components, NP uptake by maize plants and improved soil fertility (soil organic matter content, soil total N, soil available P and soil pH). Powdered elemental S applied seasonally at a level of 300 kg S/fed and N-fertilizer at the high levels (180 kg N/fed) were also efficient in improving maize productivity and improving fertility status of calcareous sandy soil.The study recommends that seasonally application of crop residues in legume cereal cropping systems with seasonally application of powdered elemental S at a level of 300 kg S/fed and N-fertilizer at the height levels (180 kg N/fed) is the best treatment for producing high production of maize crop and improving fertility status of calcareous sandy soil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Field trials were conducted in 2015 and 2016 cropping seasons to evaluate some herbicide mixtures and manual weed control method in the production of maize in the southern Guinea savanna of Nigeria. The experiment consisted of 10 treatments as follows: metolachlor + atrazine at 1.0 + 2.0 kg a.i. ha-1, metolachlor + atrazine at 2.0+2.5 kg a.i. ha-1, metolachlor + atrazine at 3.0 + 3.0 kg a.i. ha-1, pendimethalin + atrazine at 1.0 + 2.0 kg a.i. ha-1, pendimethalin + atrazine at 2.0 + 2.5 kg a.i. ha-1, pendimethalin+ atrazine at 3.0+3.0 kg a.i. ha-1, metolachlor + atrazine at 1.0 + 2.0 kg a.i. ha-1 plus one supplementary hoe weeding (SHW) at 6 weeks after sowing (WAS), pendimethlin + atrazine at 1.0 + 2.0 kg a.i. ha-1 plus one supplementary hoe weeding (SHW) at 6 weeks after sowing (WAS), hand weeding at 3 and 6 WAS and a weedy check. These treatments were laid out in randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replicates. Data collected included weed dry matter, weed density, relative importance value (RIV%) of weed species, leaf area, plant height and grain yield of maize. Also, economic assessment of the weed control methods was carried out. Results showed that metolachlor + atrazine and pendimethalin + atrazine at 1.0 + 2.0kg a.i. ha-1 plus one SHW at 6 WAS significantly reduced weed infestation and gave higher grain yield of maize and economic returns. These methods are therefore recommended to farmers as alternatives to two hand weeding at 3 and 6 WAS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to increasing concerns regarding plastic pollution throughout the world, biodegradable mulch is considered a promising alternative to polyethylene film and its suitability has been verified in some crops. However, it is unclear whether the long-term continuous use of biodegradable mulch as a substitute for polyethylene film is sustainable in rainfed agricultural areas, and whether its effect is consistent under different climatic conditions. Therefore, we conducted 7-year (2013–2019) and 4-year (2015–2018) field experiments in two regions with different precipitation levels (semiarid and semi-humid regions) on the Loess Plateau in China. We compared the effects of polyethylene film mulching (PM), biodegradable film mulching (BM), and traditional flat planting without film mulching (TF) on the soil temperature, soil moisture, grain yield, crop water productivity (WPc), and economic benefit (EB). The results showed that compared with TF, the grain yields under BM and PM increased by 2.1–93.3% and 7.6–34.6%, respectively, WPc increased by 2.1–93.3% and 7.6–34.6%, and EB increased by –16.6–131.5% and –7.8–27.0%. The differences in these indexes under the two mulching methods mainly occurred in the dry years with less precipitation in the semiarid region, whereas there were no significant differences in the grain yield, WPc, and EB under BM and PM in the semi-humid region. Therefore, the decision regarding whether BM can replace PM to improve maize productivity is significantly affected by the annual precipitation in rainfed areas. Furthermore, the univariate quadratic equation model was used to simulate that BM can obtain a higher crop yield and EB than PM when the precipitation is more than 600 mm and less than 800 mm, so as to achieve a win–win situation with continuous yield and income increases, and environmental friendliness in the Loess Plateau of China. However, the yield increase effect of plastic film mulching is also related to crop types, mulch types and farming practices except for climate. In addition, reducing the production cost will still be important for encouraging farmers to use biodegradable film instead of polyethylene film. [Display omitted] • Mulching effects of biodegradable and polyethylene film in a wide time range at two sites were compared. • Precipitation affected whether Biodegradable film (BM) could replace polyethylene film (PM) in rainfed areas. • In semiarid areas, BM increased yield and water productivity variation compared with PM. • BM could replace PM in areas with precipitation of 600–800 mm in the Loess Plateau. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study examined constraints influencing farmers' access to credit and the effect that credit has on maize productivity, using the endogenous switching regression approach with survey data collected from 595 maize farmers in the Ashanti and BrongAhafo Regions of Ghana. The study revealed that credit constraint has a dampening effect on input use and farm productivity. The results showed that engagement in off-farm income-generating activities, farm size and farmers' perception on operational modalities are factors that influence credit constraint conditions for farmers. In addition, the marginal productivity of credit differs between credit-constrained and credit-unconstrained farmers: thus, access to credit would enable credit-constrained farmers to take advantage of the available productive opportunities and increase maize productivity. Therefore, farmers in need of additional credit should be served to increase farm productivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil properties in Andosols of the western highlands of Guatemala were investigated and evaluated in relation to maize (Zea maysL.) productivity in comparison to the standard of soil diagnosis for Andosols in Japan to provide basic information. The soil samples were collected from maize fields in 28 sites at a soil depth of 0 to 30 cm in 2008. A maize cultivation experiment was conducted with the same treatment of fertilizer application at 23 sites to discuss the influence of soil properties on maize productivity. The soils were characterized by sandy loam texture, acidic pH, low available phosphorus (P) reflecting high phosphate sorption coefficient, low exchangeable calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg), and high exchangeable potassium (K). Cation imbalance derived from relatively low exchangeable Mg and high exchangeable K was observed. Maize yield of the cultivation experiment ranged widely from 0.75 to 6.39 Mg ha−1. Principal component analysis summarized the soil properties into four components relating (1) organic matter and P sorption capacity, (2) soil texture, (3) exchangeable Mg and (4) P availability. Multiple regression analysis indicated that the first component generally related negatively and the third and fourth components related positively to maize yield, and these three components explained as much as 49% of the total variance of maize yield. These results suggested that soil properties greatly influenced maize productivity and low P availability due to high P sorption coefficient, and low exchangeable Mg to K ratio were the main constraints to maize cultivation in this region. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A simple model of yield was used along with climate scenarios to assess the impact of climate change on grain maize productivity and associated economic risk in Switzerland. In a first application, changes in the precipitation regime alone were shown to affect the distribution of yield considerably, with shifts not only in the mean but also in the standard deviation and the skewness. Production risk was found to respond more markedly to changes in the long-term mean than in the inter-annual variability of seasonal precipitation amounts. In a further application, yield projections were generated with respect to a full climate scenario, with the emission pathway as specified in the IPCC A2 scenario. Anticipation of the sowing date was found to reduce the negative impact of climate change on yield stability, but was not sufficient to ensure average productivity levels comparable to those observed at present. We argued that this was caused by the reduction in the duration of the growing season, which had a stronger impact than suggested by previous studies. Assuming no change in price relations, the results also revealed a strong increase in production risk with climate change, with more than a doubling in the probability of yield falling short of a critical threshold as compared to today’s situation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]