Light Use Efficiency Crop Model Effective for Identifying Driving Factors for Maize Yield Gap in Ghana
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Date
2023
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Abstract
In Ghana, maize (Zea mays) is a crucial crop for achieving food security. The population of Ghana, which has grown exponentially over the past decades, consumes about 25% of its calories from maize. In order to assist in decisionmaking and guide investment in Ghana’s agricultural intensification process, this study set out to quantify and explain the yield gap for maize using a new methodological approach. The yield gap for maize was found to range from 14% to 96%. The variation in the yield gap within a single station was related to the varying levels of yield obtained with different fertilizer treatments. None of the fertilizer combinations led to total closure of the gap in the studied locations. To identify the drivers for the yield gap, a multiple linear regression (MLR) analysis appeared to explain 68% of the yield difference. The main factors influencing the yield gap in the study areas were soil organic matter, soil water-holding capacity, root zone depth, rainfall, sulfur (S) fertilizer, and nitrogen (N) fertilizer. By adding 1% more soil organic matter, the gap could be reduced by 1.3 metric tons per hectare (mt/ha). However, an increase in the pH of the soil and the application of potassium fertilizer could increase the yield gap of maize in Ghana.
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Keywords
Maize, Food security
Citation
Boullouz, Mohamed, Isaac Newton Kissiedu, Anselme K.K. Kouame, Krishna P. Devkota, Williams K. Atakora, and Prem S. Bindraban. 2023. Light Use Efficiency Crop Model Effective for Identifying Driving Factors for Maize Yield Gap in Ghana. IFDC FERARI Research Report No. 11.