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Effects of soil‐plastic mulching on water consumption characteristics and grain yield of spring wheat in a semi‐arid area
Author(s) -
Hou Huizhi,
Zhang Xucheng,
Yin Jiade,
Fang Yanjie,
Yu Xianfeng,
Wang Hongli,
Ma Yifan
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
irrigation and drainage
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.421
H-Index - 38
eISSN - 1531-0361
pISSN - 1531-0353
DOI - 10.1002/ird.2458
Subject(s) - mulch , agronomy , water consumption , environmental science , water use efficiency , evapotranspiration , arid , soil water , seeding , yield (engineering) , water use , spring (device) , water content , environmental engineering , soil science , irrigation , biology , materials science , mechanical engineering , ecology , paleontology , metallurgy , engineering , geotechnical engineering
Regulating the water consumption characteristics of crops is an important way to achieve efficient water use and develop water‐saving agriculture in semi‐arid rainfed areas. Using spring wheat cv. Longchun 27 as test material, a field experiment involved two treatments: (i) whole‐field soil plastic mulching and bunch seeding (PM); (ii) uncovered and bunch seeding (CK). The results showed that soil water storage in the 0–300 cm profile for PM was higher than that of CK. Before the jointing stage, the periodic water consumption, water consumption modulus coefficient and water consumption intensity of PM were lower than CK by 10.7–36.2 mm, 19.8–52.4% and 9.1–52.7%; However, from jointing to heading, they were correspondingly higher by 15.8–21.8 mm, 19.5–34.1% and 18.2–32.9% ( P < 0.05). The above‐ground biomass, crop growth rate and water consumption efficiency of PM were significantly higher than that of CK. Based on the significantly increased spike length, grain number per spike and 1000‐grain weight, PM increased grain yield by 8.9–22.8%, and WP by 9.9–25.2% without significant change of evapotranspiration, as compared with CK. Consequently, PM regulated the water consumption characteristics of spring wheat, resulting in significantly increased water productivity and grain yield. © 2020 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.