Abstract:
Recent climate analyses show trends for increasing precipitation variability with increasing
precipitation sums in Mali. The increasing occurrence of temporary intra-seasonal droughts and
waterlogging longer than a week demands climate-smart solutions. Research has focused on water
deficits since the 1980s. However, besides droughts, waterlogging can restrict productivity of sensitive
cash and staple crops as cotton and corn. The year 2019 offered the historically unique opportunity
to monitor waterlogging effects with 1088 mm precipitation in the rural commune Cinzanawith an
isohyet of 681 mm. Impacts of two extreme downpours on three sorghum cultivars were monitored
in a farmers-field experiment with three replications. All sorghum cultivars performed well in 2019
with significantly higher grain and above ground biomass yields than in the reference year 2007,
with well distributed rainfall in Cinzana. “Jakumbè” (CSM63E) produced significantly higher grain
yields than the hybrid cultivar “PR3009B” bred for high harvest index. The local cultivar “Gnofing”
selected by local farmers produced significantly higher above ground biomass. All cultivars tolerated
without severe stress symptoms 20 days waterlogging and 72 h inundation. Further waterlogging
resilience research of other crops and other sorghum cultivars is needed to strengthen food security
in Mali with expected increasing precipitation variation in the future.
