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The Technological Gap for Maize Cultivation and Soil Properties in a Watershed of Guatemala
Author(s) -
Fournier J. M.,
Stamp P.,
Bolaños J.
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
journal of agronomy and crop science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.095
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1439-037X
pISSN - 0931-2250
DOI - 10.1111/j.1439-037x.2007.00275.x
Subject(s) - yield gap , agronomy , yield (engineering) , fertilizer , crop , nutrient , tropics , watershed , cultivar , mathematics , environmental science , crop yield , biology , ecology , materials science , machine learning , computer science , metallurgy
The technological gap is wide between potential and actual maize yields in the tropics. An estimation and explanation of the existing yield gap in a model region of Guatemala were attempted. Experiments were carried out on the hypothesis that soil constraints like lack of nutrients exist on 74 farms in four seasons from 1996 to 1998. The hybrid HB‐83 was compared with local varieties. Treatments included no fertilizer or the application of recommended and supra optimum amounts of fertilizers. The P and K availability was low. At the site with the lowest yield potential, HB‐83 yielded 65 % more than the local varieties, while at the site with the highest yield potential, this relative yield advantage was only 28 %. However, the absolute yield difference between HB‐83 and the local varieties was 70 % higher at the site with the highest yield potential compared with the site with the lowest yield potential, with grain yields ranging from 5.21 to 0.29 t ha −1 for local varieties. There were few significant correlations between soil parameters and plant traits. Plant nutrient constraints besides NPK and liming did not seem to limit the yield potential in the Polochic watershed. A combination of soil management practices, liming in association with corrected levels of P, and use of crop cultivars developed for these low pH conditions could lead to sustainable and productive maize production.