Success of three soil restoration techniques on seedling survival and growth of three plant species in the Sahel of Burkina Faso (West Africa)

Survival and growth of 522 planted seedlings were recorded in three soil and water conservation techniques (zai, half-moon, control. Survival was recorded every four months interval from December 2011 onwards (April 2012, August 2012, December 2012 and April 2013). Growth of seedlings was monitored by measuring plant height and basal stem diameter of each seedling once every four months from December 2011 onwards (April 2012, August 2012, December 2012 and April 2013). Soil moisture was measured gravimetrically in October 2012 and 2013 (dry season) at five different depths: 0-10 cm, 10-20 cm, 20-30 cm, 30-40 cm and 40–50 cm for each restoration technique.