Table 5.
Mean ± standard deviation of saturated hydraulic conductivity and plant available water capacity across land management types, soil depths and sites.
| Depth (cm) | Management type | Saturated hydraulic conductivity (cm/min) |
Plant available water capacity (%) |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chitedze | Mwansambo | Lemu | Chitedze | Mwansambo | Lemu | ||
| 0−5 | CP | 0.110 ± 0.03a | 0.016 ± 0.00a | 0.201 ± 0.13a | 7.74 ± 1.0a | 10.53 ± 0.6a | 5.12 ± 0.6a |
| CABM | 0.330 ± 0.12ab | 13.70 ± 2.2b | |||||
| CADM | 0.200 ± 0.07a | 0.210 ± 0.11b | 0.236 ± 0.04a | 15.08 ± 1.3b | 13.26 ± 3.0ab | 9.40 ± 1.1b | |
| CACR | 0.570 ± 0.23b | 13.20 ± 1.8ab | |||||
| CAMR | 0.280 ± 0.05a | 11.57 ± 3.0ab | |||||
| CAPI | 0.160 ± 0.05a | 0.271 ± 0.05a | 13.28 ± 4.0ab | 10.13 ± 1.0b | |||
| CACI | 0.250 ± 0.02a | 0.234 ± 0.05b | 13.24 ± 3.0ab | 14.61 ± 2.1b | |||
| CAVI | 0.340 ± 0.18ab | 13.19 ± 2.0ab | |||||
| 5−10 | CP | 0.070 ± 0.00a | 0.016 ± 0.01a | 0.043 ± 0.04a | 7.70 ± 1.0a | 9.70 ± 1.4a | 5.15 ± 2.2a |
| CABM | 0.310 ± 0.10ab | 12.94 ± 2.7ab | |||||
| CADM | 0.300 ± 0.07ab | 0.053 ± 0.02b | 0.104 ± 0.07a | 13.36 ± 2.5ab | 12.27 ± 0.8b | 7.19 ± 0.8a | |
| CACR | 0.300 ± 0.19ab | 12.26 ± 1.2ab | |||||
| CAMR | 0.420 ± 0.27b | 11.90 ± 4.0ab | |||||
| CAPI | 0.180 ± 0.02ab | 0.095 ± 0.07a | 10.38 ± 1.4ab | 10.69 ± 1.8b | |||
| CACI | 0.350 ± 0.02ab | 0.058 ± 0.02b | 12.79 ± 2.4ab | 13.89 ± 1.3b | |||
| CAVI | 0.230 ± 0.07ab | 16.22 ± 3.5b | |||||
| 10−20 | CP | 0.060 ± 0.01a | 0.017 ± 0.01a | 0.041 ± 0.03a | 7.73 ± 0.4a | 9.75 ± 1.0a | 5.40 ± 1.3a |
| CABM | 0.150 ± 0.02ab | 12.47 ± 1.4b | |||||
| CADM | 0.210 ± 0.10b | 0.052 ± 0.06a | 0.062 ± 0.06a | 12.15 ± 1.5ab | 12.12 ± 0.6 | 10.55 ± 1.4b | |
| CACR | 0.130 ± 0.02ab | 12.42 ± 1.8b | |||||
| CAMR | 0.170 ± 0.07ab | 10.97 ± 2.2ab | |||||
| CAPI | 0.170 ± 0.03ab | 0.164 ± 0.02b | 14.05 ± 2.6b | 9.42 ± 1.7b | |||
| CACI | 0.190 ± 0.09ab | 0.018 ± 0.01a | 12.85 ± 1.3b | 13.70 ± 2.4 | |||
| CAVI | 0.220 ± 0.04b | 12.85 ± 3.3b | |||||
| 20−30 | CP | 0.050 ± 0.02a | 0.013 ± 0.00a | 0.057 ± 0.03a | 8.60 ± 0.1a | 9.43 ± 0.8a | 5.52 ± 1.2a |
| CABM | 0.150 ± 0.02b | 14.52 ± 3.5b | |||||
| CADM | 0.150 ± 0.02ab | 0.114 ± 0.07b | 0.099 ± 0.03a | 13.22 ± 1.0ab | 12.35 ± 0.5b | 7.83 ± 0.5b | |
| CACR | 0.150 ± 0.02ab | 12.83 ± 1.0ab | |||||
| CAMR | 0.190 ± 0.05b | 12.43 ± 3.2ab | |||||
| CAPI | 0.190 ± 0.07b | 0.107 ± 0.08a | 11.16 ± 2.0ab | 8.68 ± 1.1b | |||
| CACI | 0.160 ± 0.06b | 0.023 ± 0.02a | 12.51 ± 3.1ab | 13.22 ± 2.1b | |||
| CAVI | 0.160 ± 0.04b | 14.10 ± 2.7ab | |||||
Values followed by different letters in the same column and within the same depth differed significantly from each other at 5% probability level. CA = conservation agriculture (no tillage, direct seeding with dibble stick and crop residues retained on the soil surface), BM = continuous maize monocrop planted on basins (0.15m × 0.15m x 0.15 m), DM = continuous maize monocrop with planting done by direct seeding with a dibble/pointed stick, CR = cowpea-maize-cowpea annual rotation, MR = maize-cowpea-maize annual rotation, PI = maize-pigeon pea intercrop, CI = maize-cowpea intercrop, VI = maize-velvet bean intercrop. All the treatments in Lemu and Mwansambo were rotated annually with groundnut-pigeon pea intercrop.