Research on plant-soil-water relations and its role in understanding sowing strategies

Rainfed agriculture in southern Mozambique is very risky. In this study, different simulation models are used to analyse sowing strategies for maize. Water balance and crop growth are described by using both simple and more detailed approaches. Differences in results are discussed. Besides water-yield relations, many other aspects are important for understanding sowing strategies. In this study, attention is given to the problems related to the impact of pests and diseases, the quality of storage facilities and the availability of alternative food crops. It is concluded that for the analysis of sowing strategies, detailed descriptions of the plant-soil-water relations are only useful when other production aspects are well understood in quantitative terms. Otherwise, preference should be given to simple water-balance and crop-growth models.