The impact of forage legumes on smallholder crop-livestock systems in West Timor, Indonesia

Data collected at Gatton, Southeast Queensland, the impact of forage legume biomass management (retained vs. cut and removed) on inputs of fixed N, soil N and subsequent maize yield were assessed for an irrigated field experiment. Available soil mineral N following tropical forage legumes lablab (Lablab purpureus), centro (Centrosema pascuorum), butterfly pea (Clitoria ternatea) and burgundy bean (Macroptilium bracteatum) and grain legume soybean (Glycine max) were compared with maize (Zea mays) when legume biomass was retained or cut and removed. After these legumes, a subsequent bioassay of an oat (Avena sativa) cover crop and a maize grain crop were grown and N uptake, biomass production and grain yield were compared among tropical legumes and the maize control. To determine N fertiliser equivalence values for subsequent maize crop yields different rates of fertiliser (0, 50, 100 and 150 kg urea-N/ha) were applied. Data for West Timor, Indonesia used simulations and participatory methods to assess the potential impact of forage legumes on smallholder farmers. Farming systems model APSIM was used to assess the potential impact of retaining or removing forage legumes on subsequent maize yield. Whole farm model the Integrated Analysis Tool then used the outputs from APSIM simulations to simulate the production and economic impacts of forage legumes on smallholder farmers. Finally, participatory on-farm assessment in 6 villages in West Timor elucidated farmers perceptions of the potential impacts of forage legumes on their farms and households. This included separate men’s and women’s focus groups assessing the benefits and constraints of forage legumes for smallholder farmers.

本数据集采集自昆士兰州东南部加顿地区，针对一处灌溉农田试验，评估了饲用豆科生物量管理方式（留存与刈割移除两种模式）对生物固氮输入量、土壤氮素水平及后续玉米产量的影响。试验比较了热带饲用豆科植物扁豆（Lablab purpureus）、中心豆（Centrosema pascuorum）、蝶豆（Clitoria ternatea）、红萼豆（Macroptilium bracteatum）以及粮用豆科作物大豆（Glycine max）在饲用生物量分别留存或刈割移除的处理下，其后续种植玉米（Zea mays）田块的有效土壤矿质氮含量。在上述豆科作物种植后，本研究进一步开展了燕麦（Avena sativa）覆盖作物与玉米籽粒作物的生物测定试验，对比了热带豆科作物与玉米对照处理的氮素吸收量、生物量积累及籽粒产量。为明确对应后续玉米产量的氮肥当量值，试验设置了0、50、100及150 kg尿素-N/公顷共4个梯度的尿素氮肥施用量。针对印度尼西亚西帝汶的数据集，研究采用模拟与参与式方法评估了饲用豆科作物对小农户的潜在影响。研究使用农业系统模型APSIM，评估了饲用豆科生物量留存或移除对后续玉米产量的潜在影响。随后，集成分析工具（Integrated Analysis Tool）这一全农场模型，依托APSIM的模拟输出结果，模拟了饲用豆科作物对小农户生产与经济层面的影响。最后，研究在西帝汶6个村庄开展参与式田间评估，以阐明农户对饲用豆科作物在其农场与家庭中潜在影响的认知，其中包含分别面向男性与女性的焦点小组讨论，用于评估饲用豆科作物对小农户的优势与限制因素。