Agroecology is considered effective at improving soil fertility and crop yields. However, its effectiveness in increasing maize productivity within Ghana’s semi-deciduous forest zone remains insufficiently validated by empirical evidence. This knowledge gap is important, especially in the context of persistent soil fertility degradation and declining maize yields across the region. Thus, the present study evaluated the effects of agroecological practices, namely, mulching, reduced tillage, crop rotation and relay cropping, on soil nitrogen availability and maize yield in the semi-deciduous forest zone during the 2023 and 2024 cropping seasons. Agroecological practices significantly (p 95%) and maize grain yield (>90%) across the three cropping seasons. Maize grain yield exhibited a strong positive and significant correlation with soil NH4+-N (p < 0.05, r = 0.90), SOC (p < 0.001, r = 0.89), TN (p < 0.01, r = 0.8) and MBC (p < 0.05, r = 0.89) concentrations. Reduced tillage and mulching could enhance soil and crop productivity in deciduous maize-cropping systems.
Yeboah et al. (Fri,) studied this question.
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