Soil temperature and its association with maize yield variations in the Highlands of Kenya

Abstract

Summary: In the Highlands of Kenya every 1-week delay in planting maize after the onset of the rains reduces the grain yield by approximately 0·6 t/ha. No satisfactory explanation has been found for this phenomenon. A physiological growth study was made on four dates of planting per year over 4 years. Early growth rates and maximum crop growth rates showed a progressive decline with delay in planting which resulted in smaller plants at 5 weeks post-emergence and at 50 % tassel emergence in maize planted later. There was a strong relationship between the size of plant at tasselling and the final grain yield and a highly significant relationship (r = 0·94) between the size of plant at 5 weeks post emergence and the final grain yield. Other environmental studies showed that soil temperature at 7·5 cm, coupled with a soil moisture stress factor, largely controlled the dry-matter production rate during early growth, and consideration of the mean value of these two variables over the first 5 weeks of growth accounted for 70% of the variation of dry matter at 5 weeks post-emergence. It was further shown that 82% of the variation in final grain yield caused by date of planting could be accounted for by consideration of the mean value of these two variables during the first 5 weeks of growth.