Experiment-based prototyping to design and assess cotton management systems in West Africa

Designing innovative combinations of techniques to improve the sustainability of cropping systems in poor countries is a major challenge. Here, we developed a prototyping methodology to design, assess and adapt a crop management system for a specific set of constraints. It was applied in Mali with the aim of designing innovative prototypes of cotton management systems to be further tested and adapted by farmers. The prototype aimed at shortening the cotton cycle to overlap the rainy season. The prototype is particularly suited for late sowing and for regions where rainfall is often insufficient. We propose a conceptual model that organizes technical interventions to shorten the cotton cycle. We developed a set of indicators to evaluate the relevance of each modified technical intervention, by comparison with current farmer practices. We evaluated the overall performances of the prototype by taking into account economic, environmental and social factors. The prototype was tested and adjusted in six trials between 2002 and 2004. Our results show that the cotton growth cycle was reduced by 15 days on average, mainly through the shortening of the flowering period. The combination of much higher stand density than currently applied in the region and application of the growth regulator mepiquat chloride produced a much higher number of bolls per hectare of +69%. The prototype produced higher seed-cotton yields, of +44% on average, and much higher gross margin than the standard cotton management system. The method was therefore successful in designing a new cotton management system that helps farmers to adapt to diverse cropping conditions.

[1]  M. K. van Ittersum,et al.  ROTAT, a tool for systematically generating crop rotations , 2003 .

[2]  M. Yehouessi.  Résultat de trois années d'expérimentation sur la désinfection des semences de cotonnier à la station de Bebedjia (République du Tchad) , 1984 .

[3]  Bruno Rapidel,et al.  In-field development of a conceptual crop functioning and management model: A case study on cotton in southern Mali , 2006 .

[4]  Earl D. Vories,et al.  Measuring Maturity of Cotton Using Nodes above White Flower , 2001 .

[5]  Herman van Keulen,et al.  Quantitative analyses of natural resource management options at different scales , 2007 .

[6]  M. Yehouessi.  Résultats de trois années d'expérimentation sur la désinfection des semences de cotonnier à la station de Bebedjia , 1984 .

[7]  Michel Fok,et al.  Rôle et place de la recherche pour le développement des filières cotonnières en évolution en Afrique : actes du séminaire, 1er-2 septembre 1999, Montpellier, France , 2000 .

[8]  P. H. Vereijken,et al.  A methodical way of prototyping integrated and ecological arable farming systems (I/EAFS) in interaction with pilot farms , 1997 .

[9]  Michel Fok,et al.  Diversité des pratiques paysannes en zones cotonnières du Mali : portée et limites des gestions d'itinéraires techniques observées , 2000 .

[10]  Fernando-Antonio Macena Da Silva,et al.  Modelling crop residue mulching effects on water use and production of maize under semi-arid and humid tropical conditions , 2004 .

[11]  Bruno Rapidel,et al.  An improved methodology for integrated crop management systems , 2007, Agronomy for Sustainable Development.

[12]  Jacques Wery,et al.  Model-based assessment of technological innovation in banana cropping systems contextualized by farm types in Guadeloupe , 2009 .

[13]  Jacques Lançon,et al.  BREEDING NEW COTTON VARIETIES TO FIT THE DIVERSITY OF CROPPING CONDITIONS IN AFRICA: EFFECT OF PLANT ARCHITECTURE, EARLINESS AND EFFECTIVE FLOWERING TIME ON LATE-PLANTED COTTON PRODUCTIVITY , 2008, Experimental Agriculture.

[14]  R. E. Briggs,et al.  Fruiting Pattern in Narrow-Row Cotton 1 , 1979 .

[15]  Randy Wells,et al.  Dry Matter Allocation and Fruiting Patterns of Cotton Grown at Two Divergent Plant Populations , 1997 .

[16]  Jean Cauquil,et al.  Méthodes employées aux Etats-Unis pour établir et conserver au champ une bonne densité de levée , 1968 .

[17]  A. B. Hearn,et al.  OZCOT: A simulation model for cotton crop management , 1994 .

[18]  M. K. van Ittersum,et al.  Systematic design and evaluation of crop rotations enhancing soil conservation, soil fertility and farm income: a case study for vegetable farms in South Uruguay , 2004 .

[19]  Bruno Rapidel,et al.  Elaboration and test of a decision rule for the application of mepiquat chloride on cotton in Mali , 2007 .

[20]  Bruno Rapidel,et al.  In field development of a conceptual model for crop functioning and management: A case study on cotton in Southern Mali , 2004 .

[21]  Thierry Doré,et al.  A methodological framework that accounts for farm diversity in the prototyping of crop management systems. Application to banana-based systems in Guadeloupe , 2009 .

[22]  Cees Leeuwis,et al.  Prototyping and farm system modelling--Partners on the road towards more sustainable farm systems , 2007 .

[23]  Jean-Philippe Deguine,et al.  Sustainable pest management for cotton production. A review , 2011, Agronomy for Sustainable Development.

[24]  Michel Braud.  La fertilisation d'un système de culture dans les zones cotonnières soudano-sahéliennes , 1987 .

[25]  F. van der Pol,et al.  Soil Mining: An Unseen Contributor to Farm Income in Southern Mali , 1994 .

[26]  Fagaye Sissoko,et al.  Evolution des techniques culturales en zone cotonnière du Mali entre 1994 et 2002 , 2005 .