Incorporation of Manure into Ridge and Furrow Planting System Boosts Yields of Maize by Optimizing Soil Moisture and Improving Photosynthesis

Abstract

A sustainable management strategy of soil fertility and cropping system is critical to guaranteeing food security. However, little is known about the effects of soil amendment strategies on crop growth via regulating soil moisture and photosynthesis in a ridge and furrow cropping system. Here, field experiments were carried out in 2017 and 2018 in semi-arid areas of Loess Plateau, northwest China to investigate the effects of integrated use of ridge and furrow planting and manure amendment on grain yields of maize. Four treatments were designed: CK (flat planting with 100% chemical fertilizer), RFC (ridge and furrow planting with 100% chemical fertilizer), RFR (ridge and furrow planting with 100% control-released fertilizer), and RFM (ridge and furrow planting with 50% manure fertilizer + 50% N fertilizer). On average, RFM increased photosynthetic rates (Pn) by 74%, followed by RFR by 47%, and RFC by 26%, compared to CK. Also, stomatal conductance (Cd), transpiration rates (Tr), and intercellular CO2 concentration (Ci) were highest with RFM, followed by RFR and RFC. Averaged across the two years, RFM conserved 10% more soil water storage (SWS) than CK did at harvest, followed by RFR with an increment by 8%. However, RFC consumed more soil water than CK did, with its ETc 8% higher than CK. Consequently, spring maize treated with RFM suffered less drought stress, especially in 2017 when precipitation was insufficient. On average, grain yields and water use efficiency of RFM were increased by 18% and 27%, compared to CK. Structural equation modeling analysis showed that there existed significant positive correlation between SWS in top layers and grain yields, while SWS in deep layers had negative effects on grain yields. In conclusion, the incorporation of manure into ridge and furrow planting system can be an efficient agronomic practice to improve plant photosynthesis, optimize soil moisture, and boost grain yields in semi-arid areas of Loess Plateau, northwest China.

Effects of Ridge Tillage and Organic Manure Treatment on Growth, Leaf Nutrient Concentration and Pearl Millet (Pennisetum glaucum) Stover Yield in Semi-arid Northeast Nigeria

“…These results are in line with the findings of Saraswati et al (2016) which showed that application of organic manures such as farmyard manure and poultry manure increased the availability of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium in the soil owing to slow decomposition of the manures. In a related study, the contents of soil organic matter, total N, and total P were shown to increase by 16, 12 and 10%, respectively, after only two years of incorporating sheep manure (Qin et al, 2019). Thus, combining innovative soil management practices such as manure amendment and ridge tillage can be an efficient management strategy to improve soil chemical properties and enhance the productivity of millet in semi-arid areas of northeast Nigeria.…”

Analysis of the Accuracy of an FDR Sensor in Soil Moisture Measurement under Laboratory and Field Conditions

“…SWC was measured on a dry weight basis. Soil bulk density (g cm -3 ) at the same depth and interval was determined before and after the experiment using stainless steel ring method [22]. SWC (% vol) was calculated by multiplying soil gravimetric water content with soil bulk density (g cm -3 ) from the same layer.…”

“…Under high bulk density of 1.5 g cm -3 , the RMSE remains 1.48% vol, and RPD is 3.7, less than the threshold value. So far, the standard oven-drying method is considered the most accurate method of SWC measurement [22]. Similarly, the weighing lysimetric method is regarded the most reliable approach to estimate crop evapotranspiration [6].…”

Determining Threshold Values for a Crop Water Stress Index-Based Center Pivot Irrigation with Optimum Grain Yield

“…Averaged across the whole growing season, mean CWSI thresholds were 0.45, 0.35, 0.28, and 0.20 for I1, I2, I3, and I4 treatments. In Equation (1), field capacity was used as an indicator for the upper limit of water that can be used by plants, which was determined in the laboratory by measuring the amount of water retained at an applied pressure of -33 kPa, whereas wilting point was determined at an applied pressure of 1500 kPa [42]. In this study, the wilting point in the 0-30, 30-60, 60- After each crop sowing, all experimental plots were irrigated with 30 mm water to guarantee the uniform and rapid germination of seeds (Table 1).…”