Impacts of different mulching patterns in rainfall-harvesting planting on soil water and spring corn growth development in semihumid regions of China
Xiaolong Ren A B C D , Peng Zhang A B C D , Xiaoli Liu A B C , Shahzad Ali A B C , Xiaoli Chen A B C E and Zhikuan Jia A B C E
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Chinese Institute of Water-saving Agriculture, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China.
B Key Laboratory of Crop Physi-ecology and Tillage Science in Northwestern Loess Plateau, Ministry of Agriculture, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China.
C College of Agronomy, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China.
D These authors contributed equally to this work.
E Corresponding authors. Email: cxlrxl@aliyun.com; jiazhk@126.com
Soil Research 55(3) 285-295 https://doi.org/10.1071/SR16127
Submitted: 16 May 2016 Accepted: 18 October 2016 Published: 30 November 2016
Abstract
Rain-harvesting planting can improve crop biomass and enhance precipitation use efficiency in rainfed semiarid areas. In this study, field trials were conducted during summer 2007–2010 to determine the impacts of different mulching patterns in rainfall harvesting planting on spring corn growth and development in a typical semihumid dryland farming area of the Loess Plateau in China, which is characterised by spring droughts. Rain-harvesting ridges and planting furrows were mulched with 8% biodegradable film (RCSB), liquid film (RCSL), or not mulched (RCSN), and bare land drilling without mulching served as the control (CF). We found that the rain-harvesting effects of ridges and the evaporation-inhibiting and moisture-conserving effects of mulching materials during the spring corn growing season significantly increased water storage in the 0–100 cm soil layer (P < 0.05) compared with CF, where mulching was more beneficial than the non-mulching treatments. In the 100–200 cm soil layers, there were no significant effects (P > 0.05) of the treatments on water storage. During 2007–2010, the average plant height increased by 26.6%, 15.4%, and 11.1% under RCSB, RCSL, and RCSN relative to CF respectively, whereas the per plant biomass increased by 26.6%, 15.4%, and 11.1% under these treatments, and the grain yield increased by 32.3%, 17.5%, and 15.0%. Therefore, in the semihumid dryland farming areas of the Loess Plateau, rain-harvesting planting greatly increased the growth, development, and dry matter accumulation by spring corn, thereby enhancing its biomass yield, whereas the plastic-covered ridges and furrows mulched with biodegradable films substantially increased the yield-enhancing effects.
Additional keywords: furrow mulching, Loess Plateau of China, rain-harvesting planting, soil temperature, soil water storage, yield.
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