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Journal of Integrative Agriculture
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No-tillage with total green manure mulching can improve soil moisture and temperature environment, promote maize root structure and photosynthetic capacity to increase maize yield

Yulong Wang1,2, Aizhong Yu1,2#, Pengfei Wang1,2, Yongpan Shang1,2, Feng Wang1,2, Hanqiang Lyu1,2, Xiaoneng Pang1,2, Yue Li1,2, Yalong Liu1,2, Bo Yin1,2, Dongling Zhang1,2, Jianzhe Huo1,2, Keqiang Jiang1,2, Qiang Chai1,2

1 College of Agronomy, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou 730070, China

2 State Key Laboratory of Aridland Crop Science, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou 730070, China

 Highlights 

1No-tillage with total green manure (GM) mulching (NTG) can optimize maize root structure by improving soil water content (SWC) and soil temperature (ST) environment.

2NTG increased maize photosynthetic capacity and grain yield (GY).

3The relationship between SWC, ST, root length (RL), photosynthetic characteristics and GY was expounded.

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摘要  

小麦-玉米轮作是西北绿洲灌区广泛采用的一种种植方式。这种种植方式虽然在一定程度上具有打破连作障碍的优势,但也存在蒸发量大、休耕期土壤退化突出等问题,严重制约了作物产量的提高。麦后复种绿肥还田能有效改善土壤理化性质,调节后茬作物光合特性,促进作物产量。然而,不同绿肥还田方式(GMRM)下作物增产的光合生理机制尚不清楚。因此,本研究通过探讨不同GMRM下土壤水热环境、玉米根系结构、光合特性、荧光特性与产量之间的关系,旨在为阐明GMRM提高玉米产量的光合生理机制提供理论依据。在中国甘肃石羊河流域的一个试验站进行了为期3年的野外试验。本研究设置五个处理:(1)传统翻耕,不复种绿肥CT(2)绿肥地表覆盖免耕NTG;(3)绿肥地上部移除免耕NT;(4)绿肥全量翻压TG;(5)绿肥地上部移除根茬翻压(T)。结果表明,CT相比,NTGTG显著提高了0~110 cm土层土壤含水量(SWC)、玉米苗期V3)至拔节期(V6土壤温度(ST)、冠层覆盖度(CC)、叶片绿度(SG)、根长(RL净光合速率(Pn)、蒸腾速率(Tr)、PSII的实际光化学效率(ՓPSII)、玉米生物量和籽粒产量(GY)。另外,与CT相比,NTGTG显著降低了玉米大喇叭期(V12)至籽粒建成期R2)的ST和多余能量耗散(NPQ)。绿肥还田主要通过提高土壤水分来改善玉米根系结构和冠层盖度。玉米根系结构和冠层盖度的优化提高了玉米相对叶绿素含量SPAD),进而提高了PnPn的增加抑制NPQ的增加,从而促进ՓPSIIՓPSII的增加促进了玉米生物量的增加,最终实现了玉米GY的增加。



Abstract  

Wheat-maize rotation is a widely used planting pattern in oasis irrigated areas in northwest China.  Although this planting pattern has the advantage of breaking the barrier of continuous cropping to some extent, it also has some problems such as large evaporation and prominent soil degradation during fallow period, which seriously restricts the improvement of crop yield.  Planting green manure (GM) after wheat and returning it to field can effectively improve soil physicochemical properties, regulate photosynthetic characteristics of subsequent crops and promote crop yield.  However, the photosynthetic physiological mechanism of crop yield improvement under different green manure return methods (GMRM) is still unclear.  Therefore, by exploring the relationships among soil moisture and temperature environment, maize root structure, photosynthetic characteristics, fluorescence characteristics and yield under different GMRM, this study aims to provide theoretical basis for clarifying the photosynthetic physiological mechanism of GMRM to improve maize yield.  A three-year field experiment was conducted at a research station in the Shiyang River Basin (Gansu, China).  Five treatments were involved in this study: (i) conventional tillage without GM (CT), (ii) no-tillage with total GM mulching (NTG), (iii) no-tillage with removal of aboveground GM (NT), (iv) tillage with total GM incorporation (TG), and (v) tillage with only root incorporation (T).  Results showed that the NTG and TG significantly increased soil water content (SWC) in 0-110 cm soil layer, soil temperature (ST) of maize seedling (V3) to jointing stage (V6), canopy cover (CC), leaf stay-greenness (SG), root length (RL), net photosynthetic rate (Pn), transpiration rate (Tr), actual photochemical efficiency of PSII (ՓPSII), maize biomass and grain yield (GY) compared with CT.  In addition, NTG and TG significantly decreased ST of maize big trumpet stage (V12) to blister stage (R2), and dissipation of excess energy (NPQ) compared with CT.  The GM return to field could improve root structure and canopy coverage of maize mainly by improving soil water content.  The optimization of maize root structure and canopy coverage increased maize chlorophyll content (SPAD) value and promoted Pn.  The increase of Pn inhibits the increase of NPQ, thus promoting ՓPSII.  The increase of ՓPSII promoted the increase of maize biomass, and finally realized the increase of maize GY. 

Keywords:  common vetch        maize       photosynthesis       fluorescence characteristic       grain yield  
Received: 15 October 2024   Online: 20 March 2025  
Fund: 

This work was financially supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2022YFD1900200), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (32160524), the Fuxi Outstanding Talent Cultivation Program of Gansu Agricultural University, China (GAUfx-04J01), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (22JR5RA867).

About author:  Yulong Wang, E-mail: wyl1489270573@163.com; #Correspondence Aizhong Yu, Tel: 0931-7603751, E-mail: yuaizh@gsau.edu.cn

Cite this article: 

Yulong Wang, Aizhong Yu, Pengfei Wang, Yongpan Shang, Feng Wang, Hanqiang Lyu, Xiaoneng Pang, Yue Li, Yalong Liu, Bo Yin, Dongling Zhang, Jianzhe Huo, Keqiang Jiang, Qiang Chai. 2025. No-tillage with total green manure mulching can improve soil moisture and temperature environment, promote maize root structure and photosynthetic capacity to increase maize yield. Journal of Integrative Agriculture, Doi:10.1016/j.jia.2025.03.010

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