@article{fdi:010053889,
  title = {{T}he onset of the rainy season and farmers' sowing strategy for pearl millet cultivation in {S}outhwest {N}iger},
  author = {{M}arteau, {R}. and {S}ultan, {B}enjamin and {M}oron, {V}. and {A}lhassane, {A}. and {B}aron, {C}. and {T}raor{\'e}, {S}. {B}.},
  editor = {},
  language = {{ENG}},
  abstract = {{A} multi-year (2004-2009) field survey of on-farm sowing practices in 10 villages located in south-west {N}iger close to {N}iamey, is analysed to investigate the relationships (i) between rainfall and the sowing date of pearl millet and the risk of sowing failure, (ii) between sowing and meteorological/agro-climatic onset dates, (iii) between sowing/onset dates, and simulated and observed yield/biomass at the end of the season. {E}ven if some villages sow without any synchronous or anterior rainfall, most parcels (73% out of the 1551 available cases) are sown during and just after a 2-day wet spell receiving at least 10 mm. {I}n fact, there is a strong correlation (r = 0.82-0.95 depending on onset definition) between the spatial averages of onset and of sowing dates. {M}ost of the failed sowings (approximate to 122% of total sowings) are related to dry spells lasting at least 7 days after an initial 2-day wet spell receiving less than 10 mm. {S}imulations with the "{S}ysteme d'{A}nalyse {R}egionale des {R}isques {A}gronomiques - version {H}abillee" crop model show that the ideal sowing date, retrospectively computed as the one maximizing simulated yield, is on average about 6 days later than the observed one. {D}espite the large inter-village variance and the relatively weak inter-annual signal in onset dates and seasonal amounts, there is a tendency for weaker yields and especially weaker amounts of biomass for late onset. {B}ut crop simulations show that sowing very early, as for example during or just after the first wet spell when at least 90% of rainfall stations receive simultaneously at least 1 mm in two consecutive days (i.e. meteorological onset), does not necessarily maximize simulated yield because of the high risk of long-lasting post-onset dry spells. {T}he farmers' strategy, that is sowing their field during or just after the first significant wet spell, is combined with the use of photoperiodic varieties to provide the best-suited response to the temporal and spatial variability of onset of the rainy season.},
  keywords = {{S}owing date ; {O}nset date ; {N}iger ; {F}armers' strategies ; {G}rain yield ; {P}earl millet},
  booktitle = {},
  journal = {{A}gricultural and {F}orest {M}eteorology},
  volume = {151},
  numero = {10},
  pages = {1356--1369},
  ISSN = {0168-1923},
  year = {2011},
  DOI = {10.1016/j.agrformet.2011.05.018},
  URL = {https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010053889},
}