Effect of zaï and micro dose on root biomass and the grain and straw yield of sorghum at Tangaye in the North region in Burkina Faso

Faced with rainfall variation and the poor performance of farming practices, the North region of Burkina Faso often observed cereal deficits. Sorghum, the main staple food crop in this region, provides relatively low yields (1000 kgha-1). Furthermore, in the area, the density of the population is one of the highest in the country. In order to increase sorghum yields, a study has been carried out in the village of Tangaye by combining the water management practice through mechanized and manual zaï techniques with fertilization by microdose of NPK fertilizer. The experimental design of the study was a split-plot with three replications and four treatments set on a crusty bear soil “Zipellé”.The mechanized zaï and the manual zaï have been compared with and without applying mineral NPK fertilizer by a micro dose. The effects of these techniques have been evaluated on the soil and the root system by the method of taking monoliths. The grain and straw yields of sorghum have been evaluated for each treatment. The results showed that the greatest roots system development was obtained on the mechanized zaï plot with the application of micro dose of NPK fertilizer. This treatment also has the highest grain yield (2910 kgha-1) compared to manual Zaï (1620 kgha-1)