Effects of different management practices on the soil–water balance and crop yield for improved dryland farming in the Chinese Loess Plateau

Abstract

Field experiments were carried out to study the effects of different soil management practices on the water balance, precipitation use efficiency (PUE), and crop yield (i.e. winter wheat and peanut) on a loess soil near Luoyang (east edge of the Chinese Loess Plateau, Henan Province, China). Field plots were set up in 1999 including following soil management practices: subsoiling with mulch (SS), no-till with mulch (NT), reduced tillage (RT), two crops per year (i.e. winter wheat and peanut, TC), and a conventional tillage control (CT). The field plots were equipped to monitor all components of the soil-water balance except evapotranspiration, which was computed by solving the water balance equation. The results showed that although soil management had smaller influence on the magnitude of the water balance components than did precipitation variations, small influences of the applied soil management practices on water conservation during the fallow period can greatly affect winter wheat yield. SS increased consistently precipitation storage efficiency (PSE) and PUE over the 5 years compared to CT except during the wettest year. NT also had a noticeable effect on postharvest water storage during the fallow period; however, the influence on yield of NT depended on the amount of precipitation. TC lowered the winter wheat yield mainly due to the unfavorable soil moisture conditions after growing peanut in summer; however, the harvested peanut gained an extra profit for the local farmer. No matter which kind of soil management practices was adapted, PSE never exceeded 41.6%, which was primarily attributed to high evapotranspiration. From data of five consecutive agricultural years between 2000 and 2005, it could be concluded that SS resulted in the highest PSE, PUE and crop yield. TC also showed promising results considering the economic value of the second crop. NT performed slightly less as SS. CT gave intermediate results, whereas RT was the worst alternative. # 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. Abbreviations: CT, conventional tillage; D, drainage; ET, evapotranspiration; I, irrigation; L i , lateral inflow; L o , lateral outflow; NT, no tillage; OC, organic carbon; P, precipitation; P f , precipitation during fallow period; P g , precipitation during growing period; PSE, precipitation storage efficiency; R, runoff; RT, reduced tillage; S, water storage; S i , water storage in the beginning of the crop year; S o , water storage at the time of winter wheat sowing; S e , water storage at the end of the crop year; SS, subsoiling; TC, two-crop rotation; PUE, precipitation use efficiency

Response of deep soil moisture to land use and afforestation in the semi-arid Loess Plateau, China

“…In farmland, tillage activities usually break down the normal structure and loosen the structure of topsoil, decreasing soil bulk density (Jin et al, 2007), which in turn increases the rain-water infiltration capacity and increases soil moisture in shallow layers (Wang et al, 2009a). In this study, as shown in Table 2 and Fig.…”

Effects of mulch, N fertilizer, and plant density on wheat yield, wheat nitrogen uptake, and residual soil nitrate in a dryland area of China

“…However, wheat productivity is seriously curtailed by water shortage and nutrient deficiency as a result of severe water loss (such as evaporation, surface runoff, and downward movement) and soil erosion (Jin et al 2007). Different kinds of mulch have been used to conserve soil water in these areas (Li et al 2004).…”

Effects of green manures during fallow on moisture and nutrients of soil and winter wheat yield on the Loss Plateau of China

“…Maybe the soil erosion from rainfall during summer fallow resulted in the low available K in the treatment C. Due to the continental monsoon climate of this region, more than 60% of the annual precipitation falls during the wheat fallow period (Jin et al, 2007). In this study, the available K of five layers of all the treatments was decreased after wheat harvest compared to them before wheat sowing (data not shown).…”

“…More than 60% of the annual precipitation falls on this area when wheat fields are fallow (usually from July to September) because of the continental monsoon climate (Jin et al 2007). Tang (2004) stated that severe wind and water erosion, unsuitable cultivation systems, and a serious lack of organic fertilizer lead to soil quality degradation, fragile physical structure, and low soil organic matter content in this area.…”