Research Publications

Impact of organo-mineral fertilization, sowing dates and climate variability on yields and water productivity of three improved sorghum cultivars in the Sudanian agroecological zone of Mali

2026-08-04T13:18:18Z

Impact of organo-mineral fertilization, sowing dates and climate variability on yields and water productivity of three improved sorghum cultivars in the Sudanian agroecological zone of Mali Bolozogola, Youssouf; Worou, Omonlola Nadine; Akinseye, Folorunso Mathew; Riyazaddin, Mohammed; Dembele, Joseph Sékou B.; Toure, Bocar; Jumbo, Macdonald Bright; Diallo, Yacouba Sorghum production in Mali faces challenges, including low soil fertility and climate variability. To assess the effects of management practices (fertilizer types, sowing dates) on biomass and grain yields, as well as water use efficiency (WUE) of grain yield, experiments were conducted at the ICRISAT Samanko and IER N’Tarla research stations. A split-split plot design was used as the experimental design during the 2021 and 2022 growing seasons, with four fertilization types as factors: F1 (the control); F2 (the recommended option, 100 kg ha-1 DAP + 50 kg ha-1 Urea); F3 (the organic amendment, 5000 kg ha-1 cow dung); and F4 (the combined option, 50 kg ha-1 DAP + 25 kg ha-1 Urea + 2500 kg ha-1 cow dung). Two sowing dates (SWD1, medium, and SWD2, late sowings) and three sorghum varieties were also included. The results revealed that SWD1 produced higher biomass and grain yields, as well as WUE, compared to SWD2 at Samanko during both seasons. SWD1 outperformed SWD2 for biomass and grain yields, with increases of 65% and 30%, respectively. The organo-mineral fertilization (F4) recorded the highest biomass and grain yields and WUE compared to the other fertilization types (F2, F3, and F1). During both cropping seasons (2021 and 2022), the hybrid Pablo produced the highest biomass (4083 and 6795 kg ha-1) and grain (1765 and 2740 kg ha-1) yields, as well as the highest water WUE (3.83 and 6.15 kg ha-1 mm-1) at Samanko, while the Soubatimi variety produced the highest biomass (6171 and 7085 kg ha-1) at N’Tarla. For the study’s agroecological zones, Pablo and Soubatimi for SWD1, and Jakunbe for SWD2, all with the organo-mineral fertilization were recommended. A thesis, in the Rural Polytechnic Institute of Training and Applied Research (IPR/IFRA) in partnership with the West African Science Service Centre on Climate Change and Adapted Land Use (WASCAL), submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy in Climate Change and Agriculture of the University of Sciences, Techniques and Technologies of Bamako (USTTB)

Trends and research features on greenhouse gas emissions from rice production: review based on bibliometric analysis

2026-08-04T13:11:02Z

Trends and research features on greenhouse gas emissions from rice production: review based on bibliometric analysis Sossa, Coffi Leonce Geoffroy; Sanogo, Souleymane; Naab, Jesse B.; Sintondji, Luc O. Greenhouse gas from rice production has become a great concern and the focus of a lot of research in recent years. The main aim of the study was to explore the research trend of GHG emissions from rice production by exploring the research hotspots and providing suggestions for future research directions over the period 1991 to 2020. A bibliometric analysis was conducted using the Scopus database, and the sample included 2535 articles. The methodology was based on descriptive analysis, co-occurrence analysis, factorial analysis, word dynamic over time, and the author’s keyword analysis over time. The results indicate a remarkable increase in the number of articles published on this topic, mainly in the journals of “Agriculture,” “Ecosystems,” and “Environment.” The main authors were Conrad R. and Wassmann R. Relating to the number of published articles, very few were contributed by African countries, whereas China, Japan, and India were the main contributors. The co-occurrence analysis showed that rice, methane, and nitrous oxide are the core keywords of the network. The multiple factorial analysis pointed out that greenhouse gas emissions from rice production depend on the farming practices, the environmental factors, and the plant growth as well. The evolutionary path showed that the current author’s keywords are more related to global warming potential, climate change, and biochar. The findings of this review can help researchers and scholars by providing a better overview of development trends that have emerged over the past 30 years and suggestions for the future direction in this field. A thesis, in the Rural Polytechnic Institute of Training and Applied Research (IPR/IFRA) in partnership with the West African Science Service Centre on Climate Change and Adapted Land Use (WASCAL), submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy in Climate Change and Agriculture of the University of Sciences, Techniques and Technologies of Bamako (USTTB)

The Biochar Amendment Improves Tomato Growth and Yield under Deficit Irrigation in Sandy Loam Soil in Senegal

2026-08-04T12:58:18Z

The Biochar Amendment Improves Tomato Growth and Yield under Deficit Irrigation in Sandy Loam Soil in Senegal Diedhiou, Simeon; Maiga, Alassane; Himbane, Philippe B.; Iboko, Maduabuchi P.; Ndiaye, Lat Grand; Diedhiou, Ibrahima Poor agricultural soil management practices and water use optimisation in irrigation are major challenges facing crop production in Senegal. To address these problems, a factorial experiment was conducted in 2021 and 2022 to investigate the e0ects of biochar on tomato growth and yield in sandy loam soil under di0erent irrigation levels. Treatments included three biochar treatments (B2 � 30 t·ha−1, B1 � 15 t·ha−1, and B0 � 0 t·ha−1) and three irrigation levels (full irrigation, W0� 8 L·m−2·day−1; medium de7cit irrigation, W1� 6 L·m−2·day−1, which is 75% of W0; and de7cit irrigation, W2� 4 L·m−2·day−1, 50% of W0). 'e results showed that using biochar at 30 t·ha−1 signi7cantly (P < 0.05) reduced the bulk density of the soil by up to 8.3% under W1. In addition, biochar at 15 t·ha−1 and 30 t·ha−1 enhanced, regardless of the amount of water applied, the growth of tomato plants by at least 14% compared to that in the B0 treatment. Furthermore, the tomatoes’ yields in biochar treatments B1 (12.58 t·ha−1) and B2 (12.45 t·ha−1) under W2 were greater than those under B0 (9.27 t·ha−1) under full irrigation. 'e combinations of biochar and the lowest irrigation water level (W2 and B1 or W2 and B2) can therefore allow a water economy of up to 50% of full irrigation without compromising yield. Our study concluded that biochar could sustainably reduce agricultural water consumption while increasing yields. To further understand the in@uence of biochar on sandy loam soil, more research is needed on its e0ects on soil moisture content at permanent wilting points and 7eld capacity A thesis, in the Rural Polytechnic Institute of Training and Applied Research (IPR/IFRA) in partnership with the West African Science Service Centre on Climate Change and Adapted Land Use (WASCAL), submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy in Climate Change and Agriculture of the University of Sciences, Techniques and Technologies of Bamako (USTTB)

Paddy rice yield and greenhouse gas emissions: Any trade-off due to co-application of biochar and nitrogen fertilizer? A systematic review

2026-08-04T12:46:07Z

Paddy rice yield and greenhouse gas emissions: Any trade-off due to co-application of biochar and nitrogen fertilizer? A systematic review Iboko, Maduabuchi Paul; Dossou-Yovo, Elliot R.; Obalum, Sunday E.; Oraegbunam, Chidozie J.; Diedhiou, Simeon; Brümmer, Christian; Teme, Niaba Combined application of biochar and nitrogen (N) fertilizer could offer opportunities to increase rice yield and reduce methane emissions from paddy fields. However, this strategy may increase nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions, hence its interactive effects on GHG emissions, global warming potential (GWP) and GHG intensity (GHGI) remained poorly understood. We conducted a systematic review to i) evaluate the overall effects of combined application of biochar and N fertilizer rates on GHGs emissions, GWP, rice yield, and GHGI, ii) determine the quantities of biochar and N-fertilizer application that increase rice yield and reduce GHGs emissions and GHGI, and iii) examine the effects of biochar and different types of nitrogen fertilizers on rice yield, GHGs, GWP, and GHGI using data from 45 research articles and 183 paired observations. The extracted data were grouped based on biochar and N rates used by researchers as well as N fertiliser types. Accordingly, biochar rates were grouped into low (≤9 tons/ha), medium (>9 and ≤ 20 ton/ha) and high (>20 tons/ha), while N rates were grouped into three categories: low (≤140 kg N/ha), medium (>140 and ≤ 240 kg N/ha), and high (>240 kg N/ha). For fertiliser types, N rates were grouped as: low (≤150 kg N/ha), medium (>150 and ≤250 kg N/ha), and high (>250 kg N/ha) and N types into: urea, NPK, NPK plus urea (NPK_urea) and NPK plus (NH4)2SO4 (NPK_ (NH4)2SO4). Results showed that biochar and N fertiliser significantly affected GHGs emissions, GWP, GHGI and rice yield. Compared to control (i.e., sole N application), co-application of high biochar and medium N rates significantly decreased CH4 emission (82 %) while low biochar with low N rates enhanced CH4 emission (114 %). In contrast, high biochar combined with low N decreased N2O emission by 91 % whereas medium biochar and high N rates resulted in 82 % increase in N2O emission relative to control. The highest GWP and GHGI were observed under coapplication of medium biochar and low N rates. Highest rice yield was observed under low biochar rate and high N rate. Regardless of N fertiliser type and biochar rates, increasing N rates increased rice yield and N2O emissions. The highest GWP and GHGI were recorded under sole NPK application. Combination of low biochar and medium N produced low GHGs emissions, high grain yield, and the lowest GHGI, and could be recommended to smallholder farmers to increase rice yield and reduce greenhouse gas emissions from paddy rice field. Further studies should be conducted to evaluate the effects of biochar properties on soil characteristics and greenhouse gas emissions. A thesis, in the Rural Polytechnic Institute of Training and Applied Research (IPR/IFRA) in partnership with the West African Science Service Centre on Climate Change and Adapted Land Use (WASCAL), submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy in Climate Change and Agriculture of the University of Sciences, Techniques and Technologies of Bamako (USTTB)