Fertilizer Use on Different Upland Cropping Systems for Soil Conservation in Yunnan

IPNI-1997-CHN-YN9

30 May 2001

1999 Annual Interpretive Summary


Fertilizer use on different upland cropping systems for soil conservation in Yunnan province, 1999

Soil and water losses are serious problems associated with the southwest province of Yunnan. Although terraces have been engineered and adopted in some areas of the province, the practice requires a high initial investment and the risk of landslides is high within the first two years of establishment. Additionally, farmers are often reluctant to accept the risks associated with reduced land area. This project is studying and demonstrating the effect of combining balanced fertilization with alley cropping using different hedgerow crops. The combined practice hopes to reduce soil and water loss as well as increase farmer income. The balanced fertilization treatments included 276-70-70-4.6-2.3 kg N-P2O5-K2O-zinc(Zn)-S/ha for corn and 180-83-70 kg N-P2O5-K2O/ha in the subsequent wheat crop. Results comparing hedgerow crops in 1999 indicated vetiver grass increased crop yield by 683 kg/ha, or 6 percent, compared to Canna edulis+Vetch. Vetiver grass also reduced soil loss by 439 kg/ha, or 30 percent, compared to Canna edulis+Vetch. Compared to traditional practices, the use of a vetiver hedgerow in combination with balanced fertilization increased crop yields by 4.6 t/ha, or 63 percent, and improved net income by US$952/ha while reducing soil loss by 689 kg/ha, or 40 percent. Since the hedgerow crops used in this study served only as a bio-blockade against soil loss and generated no economic return, a new experiment was set up to examine suitable hedgerow cash crops. Adoption of the new technology could increase P and K consumption in Yunnan by 30 to 130 and 90 to 120 kg/ha, respectively. YUNNAN-09