Evaluation of Conservation Tillage Methods on Soil and Water Conservation, and Yield and Yield Components of Maize (Zea mays L.) in South Ari District, Southern Ethiopia

Abstract Reduced tillage is one of the options to combat land degradation problems. The study aims to evaluate the impacts of tillage practice on selected soil physicochemical properties and soil loss, and maize yield and yield components. Four tillage treatments were evaluated, including zero tillage, two-times tillage, strip tillage, and farmers' practice were laid out in a randomized complete block design with five replications. Then, soil moisture, soil loss, and yield and yield components of maize data were collected. The results on soil moisture and soil loss revealed that conservation tillage methods were conducive to having better soil moisture contents during active crop development and after harvest compared to the conventional methods. The current findings also showed that adopting reduced tillage and zero tillage boosted maize yield and yield components with higher economic benefits to farmers in the long run as compared to strip tillage and conventional tillage. Although zero tillage attributed to less grain yield, it resulted in higher economic benefits to farmers and saved 44.84% soil loss reduction relative to conventional tillage. The economic evaluation result clearly showed that zero tillage, strip tillage and reduced tillage methods are better and recommendable for farmers, but reduced tillage is the best. Hence, farmers can use either zero tillage or reduced tillage, depending on their investment capital. But, to get considerable changes in soil and water balances, other soil physicochemical properties, and crop yields, conducting similar studies for more than two years period at permanent field plots is paramount in the future.