Endogenous honeycomb stone arrangements reduce soil erosion, improve soil moisture, and sorghum productivity under fertilizer microdosing on steep lands of Boukombé in northwestern Benin
R. Lokossou, P. B. Irénikatché Akponikpè, Fidèle T. Moutouama, Dagnon Didier Likpètè, J. Djenontin, D. Fatondji, N. Baco
Discover Soil August 30, 2026 DOI: 10.1007/s44378-026-00301-1 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Field experiment (split-plot design) Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Sorghum crops on a hillside with 22% slope in Boukombé, West Africa |
| Interventions | Rectangular honeycomb (RHC) Circular honeycomb (CHC) Ordinary contour stone rows (SR) microdosing option 1 |
| Dose | Recommended dose: 230 kg NPK ha-1 + 50 kg Urea ha-1; microdosing option 1: 72.2% of RD; microdosing option 2: 36.1% of RD |
| Duration | Two growing seasons (2012–2013) |
| Measures | runoff, soil loss, soil moisture, sorghum biomass, grain yield |
| Topics | Microdosing |
| Key findings | Circular honeycomb stone arrangements reduced runoff by 25.05% and soil loss by 52.01% compared with ordinary contour stone rows, while increasing soil moisture by 8.52–10.52%, biomass by 52.38%, and grain yield by 87.42%. Microdosing fertilization showed synergy with honeycomb structures. |
Abstract
The biophysical field-based evaluation of the endogenous soil and water conservation (SWC) practices in the hilly region of sub-Saharan West Africa is lacking. To address this, the current study aims to evaluate the most commonly used erosion control practices in the hilly region of Boukombé through a rainfed field experiment conducted under sorghum over two growing seasons (2012–2013) on a hillside (22% slope). A split-plot design was used with two factors. The main plot includes SWC: rectangular honeycomb (RHC), circular honeycomb (CHC), and a control as ordinary contour stone rows (SR). The subplot involved four levels of mineral fertilization: recommended dose (RD; 230 kg NPK ha-1 + 50 kg Urea ha-1); microdosing option 1 (72.2% of RD); microdosing option 2 (36.1% of RD); and a control. Measurements included runoff, soil loss, soil moisture, sorghum biomass, and grain yield. The key findings revealed that CHC and RHC performed the best, reducing runoff by 25.05% and 17.65%, respectively, and decreasing soil loss by 52.01% and 38.55% compared with SR. CHC thus produced the highest soil moisture, increasing it by 8.52% to 10.52% over other structures, and induced 52.38% more biomass and 87.42% more grain yield compared to SR. Microdosing fertilization practices showed significant synergy with honeycomb stone arrangements and thus could be used in combination with honeycomb to substantially increase sorghum productivity. Circular honeycomb stone arrangements may be considered a promising SWC option for similar steep semi-arid hillsides, pending further evaluation of labor requirements, adoption constraints, economic analysis, and long-term performance.