LAUSR

BACKGROUND Sorghum is one of the major staple crops in Sub Saharan Africa but its production is mainly limited by moisture stress, frequent droughts and soil infertility, especially in the smallholder farming systems. This raises the need to develop climate smart options to improve sorghum production. The objective was to assess the effects of rainwater harvesting and use of different L. Leucocephala biomass rates on soil moisture content, rainwater use efficiency, and stover and grain yields in two sorghum varieties (Macia and SV1). The experiment was laid as a randomised complete block design in split-split plot arrangement from 2017/18 to 2019/20 season. RESULTS The results show that tied contour (TC) and infiltration pits (IP) significantly (P<0.05) increased soil moisture content than standard contour (SC). Soil moisture content increased gradually with the increase in soil depth (20-40 cm>0-20 cm), with 2018/19 season having the maximum soil moisture content. Soil moisture content also increased with the increase in application rates of Leucaena biomass. Grain and stover yield was significantly (P<0.05) increased by all Leucaena biomass application rates with higher yield observed in 2018/19 season. SC had significantly lower grain and stover yield at all Leucaena biomass application rates. TC and IP had comparable rainwater use efficiency compared to SC. Rainwater use efficiency increased with application rates of Leucaena biomass across all seasons and varieties. CONCLUSION TC and IP are better adaptive mechanisms against drought spells in semi-arid areas and can be combined with 10 t ha-1 of Leucaena biomass due to better yield increments realised. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.