Impact of agriculture practices on the bulk density and the total porosity of the soil on the experimental Crop-News site of Kamboinsé (Ouagadougou-Burkina Faso)

This study was performed on the experimental Crop-News site of Kamboinse. This research was initiated by Agro-ecology Based Aggradation-Conservation agriculture (ABACO) and Woody Amendments for Sub-Sahelian Agriculture (WASSA) projects to carry out soil restoration to improve harvests. Knowing these two parameters is important for evaluating the available stock of water in the root zone of sorghum and Piliostigma reticulatum. Given the importance of these soils, an experimental site of 25 parcelswas installed on the distinct agricultural practices (Zai + Mulch, Zai + Mulch + P. reticulatum, direct seedling + Mulch + P. reticulatum). Sampling was performed on soil at 10 centimeters from the surface to 60 cm whichweretested in the laboratory for bulk density and total porosity. The results obtained showed that the soil at the experimental site is less dense at the surface in the first 20 cm and denser in the last 20 cm in depth.The effect of P. reticulatum was also remarkable in the parcels with shrubs where the smallest range of variation is observed in parcel 7 (with High Shrubs Density) which varies from 1.82 to 1.99 g /cm3 along the whole depth (up to 60 cm) for bulk density and from 24.95 to 31.19 % for total porosity.Parcels with Zai but without shrubs (parcel 1, 9, 13 and 23) have lesser bulk density ranging from 1.73 to 1.86 g /cm3and lesser total porosity ranging from 34.81 % to 29.72 % at the surface.