Premium
Impacts of ridge–furrow rainfall concentration systems and mulches on corn growth and yield in the semiarid region of China
Author(s) -
Ren XiaoLong,
Zhang Peng,
Chen XiaoLi,
Jia ZhiKuan
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
journal of the science of food and agriculture
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.782
H-Index - 142
eISSN - 1097-0010
pISSN - 0022-5142
DOI - 10.1002/jsfa.7585
Subject(s) - sowing , mulch , agronomy , environmental science , topsoil , moisture , water content , yield (engineering) , ridge , water use efficiency , agriculture , dryland farming , precipitation , soil water , irrigation , soil science , materials science , biology , geography , geology , paleontology , ecology , geotechnical engineering , metallurgy , meteorology , composite material
BACKGROUND Plastic‐covered ridge–furrow farming systems for rainfall concentration ( RC ) improve the water availability for crops and increase the water use efficiency ( WUE ), thereby stabilizing high yields. In this study, we optimized the mulching patterns for RC planting to mitigate the risks of drought during crop production in semiarid agricultural areas. We conducted a 4‐year field study to determine the RC effects on corn production of mulching in furrows with 8% biodegradable films ( RC SB ), liquid film ( RC SL ), bare furrow ( RC SN ) and conventional flat ( CF ) farming.RESULTS We found that RC significantly ( P > 0.05) increased the soil moisture in the top 0–100 cm layer and the topsoil temperature (0–20 cm) during the corn‐growing period. Mulching with different materials in planting furrows further improved the rain‐harvesting, moisture‐retaining and yield‐increasing effects of RC planting. Compared with CF , the 4‐year average total dry matter amount per plant for RC SB , RC SL and RC SN treatments increased by 42.1%, 30.8% and 17.2%, respectively. The grain yield increased by 59.7%, 53.4% and 32.6%, respectively.CONCLUSION Plastic‐covered ridge and furrow mulched with biodegradable film and liquid film is recommended for use in the semiarid Loess Plateau of China to alleviate the effects of drought on crop production. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry