Maize production in Mali: microdosing and mechanization for better yields, profits, and labor reduction
Woumou Kamkam, Adama Coulibaly, Jens B. Aune
Discover Agriculture April 6, 2025 DOI: 10.1007/s44279-025-00188-6 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Maize fields in three locations in Mali with varying rainfall |
| Intervention | Mechanized sowing and fertilization |
| Dose | 0 to 93 kg NPK/ha (3 g NPK/hill), 100 kg NPK/ha row application, 150 kg urea/ha |
| Topics | Microdosing |
| Keywords | Maize Urea Mechanized sowing Economic assessment |
| Key findings | NPK microdosing at 63 kg/ha yields and returns comparable to the recommended 100 kg/ha row application, and mechanization saves 10 man-days/ha. |
Abstract
Abstract This study aimed to determine the optimal maize NPK microdosing rate in Mali and compare labor requirements for mechanized versus manual sowing and fertilization across three locations with varying rainfall. The treatments included six microdosing rates, ranging from zero to 93 kg NPK/ha (3 g NPK/hill), and the recommended rate of 100 kg NPK/ha applied by row application. All treatments received an additional 150 kg urea/ha. Grain yield was significantly increased with NPK application up to 93.7 kg/ha, resulting in a 61.3% (1029 kg/ha) yield increase compared to the control. The 63 kg NPK/ha microdosing rate provided a yield and economic return comparable to 100 kg NPK/ha using row placement. Profitability was assessed under both unfavorable and favorable fertilizer-to-grain price ratios. The 78.1 kg NPK/ha rate yielded the highest gross margin and value-cost ratio (VCR) across both price scenarios. The VCR exceeded the critical threshold of two in all fertilizer treatments, even under high fertilizer costs, indicating low financial risk even without subsidies. The labor analysis showed that mechanized sowing and fertilization saved 10 man-days/ha compared to manual methods, ensuring timely planting. Given the labor intensity, farmers are unlikely to adopt manual microdosing without mechanization. In conclusion, combining fertilizer microdosing with mechanization improves fertilizer use efficiency, reduces labor-use, and ensures timelier sowing, thereby contributing to enhanced climate resilience.
Comparable studies
Other randomized controlled trials on microdosing, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Use of microdosing to predict pharmacokinetics at the therapeutic dose: Experience with 5 drugs Volunteers | 2006 | Crossover study | |
| Self-blinding citizen science to explore psychedelic microdosing. Participants who microdose psychedelics | 2021 | Self-blinding citizen science initiative with placebo control | n = 191 |
| Microdosing with psilocybin mushrooms: a double-blind placebo-controlled study Individuals starting to microdose with psilocybin mushrooms (Psilocybe cubensis) | 2022 | Double-blind placebo-controlled experimental design | n = 34 |
| Preliminary Report on the Effects of a Low Dose of LSD on Resting-State Amygdala Functional Connectivity. Healthy young adults, 18 to 35 years old | 2019 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 20 |
| Acute Mood-Elevating Properties of Microdosed Lysergic Acid Diethylamide in Healthy Volunteers: A Home-Administered Randomized Controlled Trial. Healthy male volunteers | 2023 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 80 |