ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the effect of crop residue (CR) application as mulch on soil conservation, crop productivity, and on soil chemical and biological properties. The effect of CR is more substantial in the Desert Margins than in the other agro-ecological zones of West Africa. The application of CR constitutes an effective means for the rehabilitation of degraded land and is frequently practiced by farmers, albeit on a limited scale. The contradictory results of yield reductions and increases due to CR indicate that more research needs to be conducted to investigate the mechanisms of different types of CR effects on crop growth in different zones and to monitor more closely the dynamics of organic matter in the different soil types. There is need to increase crop biomass at farm level with the use of mineral fertilizers in order to satisfy the multiple uses of CR.
