Please wait a minute...
Journal of Integrative Agriculture  2024, Vol. 23 Issue (9): 3174-3185    DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2024.01.008
Agro-ecosystem & Environment Advanced Online Publication | Current Issue | Archive | Adv Search |
Plastic mulch increases dryland wheat yield and water-use productivity, while straw mulch increases soil water storage

Hubing Zhao1, 2#, Guanfei Liu1, 2, Yingxia Dou1, 2, Huimin Yang1, 2, Tao Wang1, 2, Zhaohui Wang1, 2,  Sukhdev Malhi3, Adnan Anwar Khan1, 2

1 College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China
2 Key Laboratory of Plant Nutrition and the Agri-environment in Northwest China, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Yangling 712100, China
3 Department of Renewable Resources, University of Alberta, Edmonton T6G 2H1, Canada
Download:  PDF in ScienceDirect  
Export:  BibTeX | EndNote (RIS)      
摘要  
干旱缺水和降水量分布不均制约着旱地小麦生产,地膜和秸秆覆盖是旱地小麦保水增产的有效措施。我们进行了8年定位试验,用无覆盖做对照,研究地膜和秸秆覆盖对旱地小麦产量、土壤储水量、地表温度和水分利用率的影响。结果表明:相比无覆盖对照,地膜覆盖和秸秆覆盖平均增产12.6和10.5%,地膜覆盖增产效果优于秸秆覆盖。相比无覆盖对照,秸秆覆盖在周年、生育期和夏闲期分别显著降低地表土层温度达到0.57、0.60和0.48°C;恰恰相反,地膜覆盖在周年、生育期和夏闲期分别增温达到0.44、0.51 和0.27°C。地表土层温度是决定土壤储水的关键因素,相比地膜覆盖,秸秆覆盖可以提高播前底墒17%。收获期地膜覆盖和秸秆覆盖储水量无差异,所以秸秆覆盖蒸散量比地膜覆盖提高4.5%,因而地膜覆盖水分利用率相比秸秆覆盖提高了6.6%。总的来看,地膜覆盖提高了旱地小麦的产量和水分利用率,秸秆覆盖增加了储水量。


Abstract  
Amplifying drought stress and high precipitation variability impair dryland wheat production.  These problems can potentially be minimized by using plastic mulch (PM) or straw mulch (SM).  Therefore, wheat grain yield, soil water storage, soil temperature and water-use productivity of PM and SM treatments were compared with no mulch (CK) treatment on dryland wheat over a period of eight seasons.  Compared to the CK treatment, PM and SM treatments on average significantly increased grain yield by 12.6 and 10.5%, respectively.  Compared to the CK treatment, SM treatment significantly decreased soil daily temperature by 0.57, 0.60 and 0.48°C for the whole seasons, growing periods and summer fallow periods, respectively.  In contrast, compared to the CK treatment, PM treatment increased soil daily temperature by 0.44, 0.51 and 0.27°C for the whole seasons, growing periods and summer fallow periods, respectively.  Lower soil temperature under SM allowed greater soil water storage than under PM.  Soil water storage pre-seeding was 17% greater under the SM than under the PM treatment.  Soil water storage post-harvest was similar for the PM and SM treatments, but evapotranspiration was 4.5% higher in the SM than in the PM treatment.  Consequently, water-use productivity was 6.6% greater under PM than under the SM treatment.  Therefore, PM treatment increased dryland wheat yield and water-use productivity, while straw mulch increased soil water storage.


Keywords:  plastic mulch        soil water storage        straw mulch        water-use productivity        winter wheat  
Received: 30 August 2023   Accepted: 14 December 2023
Fund: 
This study was financially supported by the National Key R&D Program of China (2021YFD1900703) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31272250).

About author:  #Correspondence Hubing Zhao, E-mail: zhaohubing@hotmail.com

Cite this article: 

Hubing Zhao, Guanfei Liu, Yingxia Dou, Huimin Yang, Tao Wang, Zhaohui Wang, Sukhdev Malhi, Adnan Anwar Khan. 2024. Plastic mulch increases dryland wheat yield and water-use productivity, while straw mulch increases soil water storage. Journal of Integrative Agriculture, 23(9): 3174-3185.

Agam N, Evett S R, Tolk J A, Kustas W P, Colaizzi P D, Alfieri J G, McKee L G, Copeland K S, Howell T A, Chávez J L. 2012. Evaporative loss from irrigated inter-rows in a highly advective semi-arid agricultural area. Advances in Water Resources50, 20–30.

Anikwe M A N, Mbah C N, Ezeaku P I, Onyia V N. 2007. Tillage and plastic mulch effects on soil properties and growth and yield of cocoyam (Colocasia esculenta) on an Ultisol in southeastern Nigeria. Soil and Tillage Research93, 264–272.

Bastiaanssen W G M, Cheema M J M, Immerzeel W W, Miltenburg I J, Pelgrum H. 2012. Surface energy balance and actual evapotranspiration of the transboundary indus basin estimated from satellite measurements and the ET look model. Water Resources Research48, W11512.

Chai Y W, Chai Q, Li R, Li Y W, Yang C G, Cheng H B, Chang L, Chai S X. 2022. Straw strip mulching in a semiarid rainfed agroecosystem achieves winter wheat yields similar to those of full plastic mulching by optimizing the soil hydrothermal regime. The Crop Journal10, 879–892.

Chen S Y, Zhang X Y, Pei D, Sun H Y, Chen S L. 2010. Effects of straw mulching on soil temperature, evaporation and yield of winter wheat: Field experiments on the North China Plain. Annals of Applied Biology150, 261–268.

Chen Y Z, Chai S X, Tian H H, Chai Y W, Li Y W, Chang L, Cheng H B. 2019. Straw strips mulch on furrows improves water use efficiency and yield of potato in a rainfed semiarid area. Agricultural Water Management211, 142–151.

Cheng Z K, Gu X B, Du Y D, Zhou Z H, Li W L, Zheng X B, Cai W J, Chang T. 2024. Spectral purification improves monitoring accuracy of the comprehensive growth evaluation index for film-mulched winter wheat. Journal of Integrative Agriculture23, 1523–1540.

Ding R S, Kang S Z, Zhang Y Q, Hao X M, Tong L, Du T S. 2017. Partitioning evapotranspiration into soil evaporation and transpiration using a modified dual crop coefficient model in irrigated maize field with ground-mulching. Agricultural Water Management127, 85–96.

Dong Z Y, Zhang X D, Li J, Zhang C, Wei T, Yang Z, Cai T, Zhang P, Ding R X, Jia Z K. 2019. Photosynthetic characteristics and grain yield of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) in response to fertilizer, precipitation, and soil water storage before sowing under the ridge and furrow system: A path analysis. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology272, 12–19.

Dou Y X, Zhao H B, Yang H M, Wang T, Liu G F, Wang Z H, Malhi S. 2024. The first factor affecting dryland winter wheat grain yield under mulching measures: Spike number. Journal of Integrative Agriculture23, 836–848.

Evans R G, Sadler E J. 2008. Methods and technologies to improve efficiency of water use. Water Resources Research44, 767–768.

Fan J, Gao Y, Wang Q J, Sukhdev S M, Li Y Y. 2014. Mulching effects on water storage in soil and its depletion by alfalfa in the loess plateau of northwestern China. Agricultural Water Management138, 10–16.

Fernándeza J E, Alconb F, Diaz-Espejoa A, Hernandez-Santanaa V, CuevasaM V. 2020. Water use indicators and economic analysis for on-farm irrigation decision: A case study of a super high density olive tree orchard. Agricultural Water Management237, 106074.

Guo S L, Zhu H N, Dang T H, Wu J S, Liu W Z, Hao M D, Li Y, Syersd J K. 2012. Winter wheat grain yield associated with precipitation distribution under long-term nitrogen fertilization in the semiarid Loess Plateau in China. Geoderma189–190, 442–450.

Van Halsema G E, Vincent L. 2012. Efficiency and productivity terms for water management: A matter of contextual relativism versus general absolutism. Agricultural Water Management108, 9–15.

Han Y, Zhao W W, Zhou A, Pereira P. 2023. Water and wind erosion response to ecological restoration measures in China’s drylands. Geoderma435, 116514.

He G, Wang Z H, Hui X L, Huang T M, Luo L C. 2021. Black film mulching can replace transparent film mulching in crop production. Field Crops Research261, 108026.

He G, Wang Z H, Li F C, Dai J, Li Q, Xue C, Gao H B, Wang S, Malhi S S. 2016. Soil water storage and winter wheat productivity affected by soil surface management and precipitation in dryland of the Loess Plateau, China. Agricultural Water Management171, 1–9.

Jin K, Cornelis W M, Cornelis W M, Schiettecatte W, Lu J J, Yao Y Q, Wu H J, Gabriels D, Neve S D, Cai D X, Jin J Y, Hartmann R. 2007. Effects of different management practices on the soil–water balance and crop yield for improved dryland farming in the Chinese Loess Plateau. Soil and Tillage Research96, 131–144.

Kasirajan S, Ngouajio M. 2012. Polyethylene and biodegradable mulches for agricultural applications: A review. Agronomy for Sustainable Development32, 501–529.

Li C X, Li Y J, Fu G Z, Huang M, Ma C, Wang H Z, Zhang J. 2020. Cultivation and mulching materials strategies to enhance soil water status, net ecosystem and crop water productivity of winter wheat in semi-humid regions. Agricultural Water Management239, 106240.

Li S X, Wang Z H, Li S Q, Gao Y J, Tian X H. 2013. Effect of plastic sheet mulch, wheat straw mulch, and maize growth on water loss by evaporation in dryland areas of China. Agricultural Water Management116, 39–49.

Li X Y, Gong J D, Gao Q Z, Li F R. 2001. Incorporation of ridge and furrow method of rainfall harvesting with mulching for crop production under semiarid conditions. Agricultural Water Management50, 173–183.

Liu E, He W, Yan C. 2014. White revolution’ to ‘white pollution’-agricultural plastic film mulch in China. Environmental Research Letters9, 091001.

Liu Y, Yang S, Li S, Chen X, Chen F. 2010. Growth and development of maize (Zea mays L.) in response to different field water management practices: Resource capture and use efficiency. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology150, 606–613.

Lu X, Li S, Bu Q, Cheng D, Duan W, Sun Z. 2014. Effects of rainfall harvesting and mulching on corn yield and water use in the corn belt of Northeast China. Agronomy Journal106, 2175–2184.

Lu X, Li Z, Sun Z, Bu Q. 2015. Straw mulching reduces maize yield, water, and nitrogen use in northeastern China. Agronomy Journal107, 406–414.

Mengistu A G, Van R L D, Mavimbela S S W. 2018. Shallow groundwater effects on evaporation and soil temperature in two windblown sands (Eutric Cambisol and Chromic Luvisol) in south Africa. Geoderma Regional15, e00190.

Miao Y F, Wang Z H, Li S X. 2015. Relation of nitrate N accumulation in dryland soil with wheat response to N fertilizer. Field Crops Research170, 119–130.

Mo F, Yu K L, Crowther T, Wang J, Liao Y C. 2020. How plastic mulching affects net primary productivity, soil C fluxes and organic carbon balance in dry agroecosystems in China. Journal of Cleaner Production263,121470.

Patni N, Yadava P, Agarwal A, Maroo V. 2014. An overview on the role of wheat gluten as a viable substitute for biodegradable plastics. Reviews in Chemical Engineering30, 421–430.

Piao S, Ciais P, Huang Y, Shen Z, Peng S, Li J. 2010. The impacts of climate change on water resources and agriculture in China. Nature467, 43–51.

Qin W, Hu C, Oenema O. 2015. Soil mulching significantly enhances yields and water and nitrogen use efficiencies of maize and wheat: A meta-analysis. Scientific Reports5, 16210.

Senay G B, Budde M E, Verdin J P. 2011. Enhancing the simplified surface energy balance (SSEB) approach for estimating landscape ET: Validation with the METRIC model. Agricultural Water Management98, 606–618.

Soil Survey Staff. 2014. Keys to Soil Taxonomy. 12th ed. United States Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Washington, D.C, USA. p. 351.

Sun H Y, Shen Y J, Qiang Y, Flerchinger G N, Zhang Y Q, Liu C M, Zhang X Y. 2010. Effect of precipitation change on water balance and WUE of the winter wheat–summer maize rotation in the North China Plain. Agricultural Water Management97, 1139–1145.

Tedone L, Ali S A, Verdini L, De Mastro G. 2018. Nitrogen management strategy for optimizing agronomic and environmental performance of rainfed durum wheat under Mediterranean climate. Journal of Cleaner Production172, 2058–2074.

Wang J, Ghimire R, Fu X, Sainju U M, Liu W Z. 2018. Straw mulching increases precipitation storage rather than water use efficiency and dryland winter wheat yield. Agricultural Water Management206, 95–101.

Wang X L, Li F M, Jia Y, Shi W Q. 2005. Increasing potato yields with additional water and increased soil temperature. Agricultural Water Management78, 181–194.

Wang Y J, Xie Z K, Li F M, Zhang Z S. 2004. The effect of supplemental irrigation on watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) production in gravel and sand mulched fields in the Loess Plateau of Northwest China. Agricultural Water Management69, 29–41.

Wójcik-Gront E. 2018. Variables influencing yield-scaled Global Warming Potential and yield of winter wheat production. Field Crops Research227, 19–29.

Yu L, Gao X, Zhao X. 2020. Global synthesis of the impact of droughts on crops’ water-use efficiency (WUE): Towards both high wue and productivity. Agricultural Systems177, 102723.

Yu Y Y, Turner N C, Gong Y H, Li F M, Fang C, Ge L J, Ye J S. 2018. Benefits and limitations to straw- and plastic-film mulch on maize yield and water use efficiency: A meta-analysis across hydrothermal gradients. European Journal of Agronomy99, 138–147.

Zhang S, Li P, Yang X, Wang Z, Chen X. 2011. Effects of tillage and plastic mulch on soil water, growth and yield of spring-sown maize. Soil and Tillage Research112, 92–97.

Zhang S, Lövdahl L, Grip H, Jansson P E, Tong Y. 2007. Modelling the effects of mulching and fallow cropping on water balance in the Chinese Loess Plateau. Soil and Tillage Research93, 283–298.

Zhang S L, Sadras V, Chen X P, Zhang F S. 2013. Water use efficiency of dryland wheat in the Loess Plateau in response to soil and crop management. Field Crops Research151, 9–18.

Zhang X, Li X H, Luo L C, Ma Q X, Ma Q, Hui X L, Wang S, Liu J S, Wang Z H. 2019. Monitoring wheat nitrogen requirement and top soil nitrate for nitrate residue controlling in drylands. Journal of Cleaner Production241, 118372.

Zhang X, Qin W, Chen S, Shao L, Sun H. 2017. Responses of yield and WUE of winter wheat to water stress during the past three decades - a case study in the North China Plain. Agricultural Water Management179, 47–54.

Zhang X, Wang H, Hou H, Yu X, Lei K. 2020. Did plastic mulching constantly increase crop yield but decrease soil water in a semiarid rain-fed area? Agricultural Water Management241, 106380.

Zhao H B, Liu J F, Chen X W, Wang Z H. 2019. Straw mulch as an alternative to plastic film mulch: Positive evidence from dryland wheat production on the Loess Plateau. Science of the Total Environment676, 782–791.

Zheng Z, Hoogenboom G, Cai H J, Wang Z K. 2020. Winter wheat production on the Guanzhong Plain of Northwest China under projected future climate with SimCLIM. Agricultural Water Management239, 106233.

Zhou J B, Wang C Y, Zhang H, Dong F, Zheng X F, Gale W, Li S X. 2011. Effect of water saving management practices and nitrogen fertilizer rate on crop yield and water use efficiency in a winter wheat–summer maize cropping system. Field Crops Research122, 157–163.

[1] ZHANG Chong, WANG Dan-dan, ZHAO Yong-jian, XIAO Yu-lin, CHEN Huan-xuan, LIU He-pu, FENG Li-yuan, YU Chang-hao, JU Xiao-tang. Significant reduction of ammonia emissions while increasing crop yields using the 4R nutrient stewardship in an intensive cropping system[J]. >Journal of Integrative Agriculture, 2023, 22(6): 1883-1895.
No Suggested Reading articles found!