Amélioration des paramètres agronomiques du taro (Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott) par la fertilisation organo-minérale dans la zone climatique sud-soudanienne du Burkina Faso

Abstract

Abstract

Fertilization is one of the key factors for improving the productivity and sustainability of taro-based cropping systems, especially in areas with low soil fertility. The aim of this article is to show the effects of organo-mineral fertilization on taro growth and yield parameters at different cutting spacings. A completely randomized block design comprising eight treatments and four replications was set up in the off-season on lowland soil in 2023 in the South Sudan zone of Burkina Faso. The treatments consisted of : PP (farmers' practice): (spacing 1 m x 0.8 m) + 100 kg/ha (NPK) + 100 kg/ha (Urea) + 2.5 t/ha (compost); T0: (spacing 0.9 m x 0.6 m) + zero fertilizer; T1: (spacing 0.9 m x 0.6 m) + 200 kg/ha (NPK); T2: (spacing 0.9 m x 0.6 m) + 400 kg/ha (NPK); T3: T1 + 5 t/ha (compost); T4: T2 + 10 t/ha (compost); T5: (spacing 0.6 m x 0.6 m) + 200 kg/ha (NPK) + 5 t/ha (compost); T6: (spacing 0.6 m x 0.6 m) + 400 kg/ha (NPK) + 10 t/ha (compost). Data collected included plant height and diameter, number of leaves per plant, bulb length and diameter, number of plants per hectare, average bulb weight and fresh bulb yield. The results show that treatments T4 (151.72 ± 8.47 cm) and T6 (145.21 ± 14.31 cm) recorded the tallest taro plants. The highest average weights per bulb were obtained with treatments T4 (2.60 ± 0.13 kg/bulb) and T3 (2.48 ± 0.17 kg/bulb). The highest bulb yields were obtained with treatment T6 (58.72 ± 3.33 t/ha). This treatment increased bulb yields by 273.27% compared with the T0 control treatment and by 193.02% compared with the farmers' practice (PP). The dose of 10 t/ha compost + 400 kg/ha NPK, combined with the 0.6 m x 0.6 m cutting spacing, could therefore help improve taro production in the southern Sudan zone of Burkina Faso