EFFECTS OF WINDBREAK SPECIES AND MULCHING ON WIND EROSION AND MILLET YIELD IN THE SAHEL

In an on-station agroforestry experiment conducted in south-west Niger , the effects of seven windbreak species and of a soil mulch made from crop residue on wind erosion and pearl miller (Pennisetum glaucum) pr oduction were monitored. Within a distance of 20 m, strips of the pere nnial grass, Andropogon gayanus, reduced total annual soil Aux by 6-55 % and hedges of Bauhinia rufescens 2 m in height reduced soil flux by 47-77% compared with unsheltered control plots. No significant overall windbreak effect on millet stover and grain yields was found. In cont rast, erosion reduction and yield increases due to mulch application w ere highly significant. Soil mulch is a promising alternative to compl ex windbreak-miller cropping systems in regions where direct economic benefits for farmers are not ensured by windbreaks.