Straw mulching for enhanced water use efficiency and economic returns from soybean fields in the Loess Plateau China

Li, Feng; Zhang, Guohong; Chen, Juan; Song, Yali; Geng, Zhiguang; Li, Kefu; Siddique, Kadambot H.M.

doi:10.1038/s41598-022-21141-3

Cited by 10 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 53 publications

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“…Therefore, natural rainfall was the only water source during the crop growing seasons. The evapotranspiration (ET, mm) was calculated using the soil water balance equation (also used by Zhang et al [ 35 ] and Li et al [ 36 ]): ET (mm) = P + ∆SWS where P is the precipitation (mm) during the soybean or maize growing seasons, obtained from a Rain Gauge (adcon) installed in the experimental field, and ∆SWS (mm) is the variation in soil water storage at 0–100 cm soil depth between soybean or maize sowing and harvest.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The soybean and maize water use efficiencies (WUE, kg ha −1 mm −1 ) were calculated as follows [ 36 ]: WUE (kg ha −1 mm −1 ) = GY/ET …”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Data Calculationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Enhancing Soybean and Maize Yields through Improved Nitrogen and Soil Water Use Efficiencies: A 40-Year Study on the Impact of Farmyard Manure Amendment in Northeast China

Liu,

Bai,

Shen

et al. 2024

Plants

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The combined application of manure and chemical fertilizers has been recognized as a critical factor driving significant changes in crop yield and nutrient use efficiency, holding the potential to optimize agricultural management to achieve high yields. In this 40-year study, we investigated the effect of manure amendment on soybean and maize yields, water and nitrogen use efficiencies (WUE and NUE), and water and mineral N storage at 0–100 cm soil depths from 2017 to 2018 to explore the optimization of fertilization management strategies for soybean and maize production in Northeast China. To elucidate the impact of chemical fertilizers and manure, twelve treatments—control (CK); single N fertilizer at a low rate (N1) and that at a high rate (N2); N1, phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) fertilizer (N1PK); manure alone at 13.5 and 27 t ha−1 (M1 and M2); and those combined with N, P, or K fertilizer (M1N1, M1N2, and M1N1PK and M2N1, M2N2, and M2N1PK)—were selected and studied. The results showed that long-term amendment with manure significantly increased crop biomass and yield in the soybean–maize–maize rotation system. Combining with manure increased the WUE, the partial factor productivity of N fertilizer (PFPN), and N physiological efficiency (PEN) in both the soybean and maize seasons; conserved soil water (mainly at 40–60 cm); and increased soil N retention (in the upper 60 cm layer), which reduced the risk of N leaching, with a better effect being observed after the application of 13.5 t ha−1 manure. These results provide insight into the potential of using fertilization management strategies that include amendment with 13.5 t ha−1 manure in combination with N, P, and K fertilizer in the maize season and only chemical fertilizer in the soybean season, as these results indicate that such strategies can achieve high yields and be used to implement agricultural sustainable development in brown soil regions in Northeast China.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The soybean and maize water use efficiencies (WUE, kg ha −1 mm −1 ) were calculated as follows [ 36 ]: WUE (kg ha −1 mm −1 ) = GY/ET …”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Enhancing Soybean and Maize Yields through Improved Nitrogen and Soil Water Use Efficiencies: A 40-Year Study on the Impact of Farmyard Manure Amendment in Northeast China

Liu,

Bai,

Shen

et al. 2024

Plants

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“…Straw covering can effectively reduce soil moisture evaporation and regulate soil temperature [18][19][20]. Microbial decomposition and rainwater leaching covered with straw can improve soil fertility [21] and physicochemical properties [22][23][24], can promote soil water fertilizer interaction, and are widely used in conservation tillage [25,26].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Allelopathic Effects of Corn Straw and Its Water Extracts on Four Weed Species and Foxtail Millet

Dong,

et al. 2024

Plants

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Straw covering is a protective tillage measure in agricultural production, but there is relatively little research on the allelopathic effects of corn straw on weeds and foxtail millet. This experiment studied the allelopathic effects of corn straw on four weeds (Chenopodium album, Setaria viridis, Echinochloa crus-galli and Amaranthus retroflexus) in foxtail millet fields, and also measured the growth indicators of foxtail millet. The study consisted of Petri dish and field experiments. Five treatments were used in the Petri dish experiment: clear water as control (0 g/L, TCK) and four types of corn straw water extracts. They were, respectively, the stock solution (100 g/L, T1), 10 X dilution (10 g/L, T2), 50 X dilution (2 g/L, T3), and 100 X dilution (1 g/L, T4) of corn straw water extracts. Additionally, seven treatments were set up in the field experiment, consisting of three corn straw covering treatments, with covering amounts of 3000 (Z1), 6000 (Z2) and 12,000 kg/ha (Z3), and four control treatments—one treatment with no corn straw cover (CK) and three treatments involving the use of a black film to create the same shading area as the corn straw covered area, with black film coverage areas of 50% (PZ1), 70% (PZ2), and 100% (PZ3), respectively. The results showed that the corn straw water extract reduced the germination rate of the seeds of the four weeds. The T1 treatment resulted in the allelopathic promotion of C. album growth but the inhibition of S. viridis, E. crus-galli, and A. retroflexus growth. Treatments T2, T3, and T4 all induced the allelopathic promotion of the growth of the four weeds. The order of the effects of the corn straw water extracts on the comprehensive allelopathy index of the four weed seeds was as follows: C. album > S. viridis > A. retroflexus > E. crus-galli. With an increase in the corn straw mulching amount, the density and total coverage of the four weeds showed a gradual downward trend, whereas the plant control effect and fresh weight control effect showed a gradual upward trend. All indices showed the best results under 12,000 kg/ha of mulching and returning to the field. Overall, corn straw coverage significantly impacted the net photosynthetic rate and transpiration rate of foxtail millet and increased the yield of foxtail millet. Under coverages of 6000 and 12,000 kg/ha, the growth of foxtail millet is better. Based on our findings, we recommend a corn straw coverage of 12,000 kg/ha for the allelopathic control of weeds in foxtail millet fields.

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“…Since the popularization and application of plastic-film mulching technology, it has been widely used in crop production, and the effect on increasing production and income Water 2024, 16, 88 2 of 16 is remarkable [1,2]. Plastic-film mulching can reduce surface soil-air-water exchange, improve crop water status [3], increase ground temperature [4], promote stable and early maturity of crops [5], prevent farmland soil erosion [6], improve nitrogen transformation and utilization [7], control soil salinity [8], and inhibit weed growth; it can thus help in addressing the problem of the low productivity of farmland in arid areas.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Modeling Spring Maize Grain Filling under Film Mulching and Nitrogen Application in a Cold and Arid Environment

Chen,

Zhang,

et al. 2023

Water

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The grain-filling process is a key stage in ensuring a high yield of maize. Nitrogen is one of the nutrient elements most essential for maize, especially in cold and arid areas. To evaluate the effects of plastic-film mulching and nitrogen application on the maize grain-filling process, the impact of different plastic-film mulching (degradable plastic film, J; common plastic-film mulching, P) and nitrogen fertilizer levels (0 kg·ha−1, N0; 160 kg·ha−1, N1; 320 kg·ha−1, N2; 480 kg·ha−1, N3) on maize grain-filling characteristic parameters and final 100-kernel weight were tested in 2021 and 2022. The results showed that the interaction between film mulching and nitrogen application significantly (p < 0.05) affected the filling characteristic parameters and final 100-kernel weight of maize. The final 100-kernel weight was highest at the N2 nitrogen application level, which was 7.69–38.13% higher under degradable plastic-film mulching and 3.17–38.06% higher under common plastic-film mulching than at other levels. The nitrogen application level significantly (p < 0.05) increased grain-filling duration and rate. The duration time in reaching the maximum grain-filling rate under the N2 nitrogen application level was around 1.1967–5.7835 d under degradable plastic-film mulching and 2.8688–8.1704 d under the common plastic-film mulching, with the maximum and average grain-filling rate increased by 0.0595–0.2063 g·d−1 and 0.0447–0.1423 g·d−1 under degradable film mulching and 0.1418–0.3058 g·d−1 and 0.1082–0.2125 g·d−1 under common film mulching, respectively. The nitrogen application levels of N2 and N3 under two plastic-film mulching methods prolonged the duration of the rapid and slow increase period of grain filling and increased the grain-filling rate and the average rate. The average grain-filling rate at the N2 level increased by 0.0469–0.1759 g·d−1 and 0.0090–0.0454 g·d−1 under degradable film mulching and 0.1113–0.2581 g·d−1 and 0.0203–0.0648 g·d−1 under common film mulching, respectively. Therefore, common plastic film mainly prolonged the duration of the gradual increase period of grain filling and increased the grain-filling rate; meanwhile, the effect of degraded plastic film on the grain-filling rate increase and prolonging of the grain-filling duration was gradually highlighted during the rapid and the slow period of increase. In addition, the 320 kg·ha−1 of nitrogen application level under both common plastic-film mulching and degradable-film mulching was more conducive to prolonging the grain-filling duration of maize, which increased the grain-filling rate and 100-kernel weight, laying a foundation for a high yield of maize.

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Straw mulching for enhanced water use efficiency and economic returns from soybean fields in the Loess Plateau China

Cited by 10 publications

References 53 publications

Enhancing Soybean and Maize Yields through Improved Nitrogen and Soil Water Use Efficiencies: A 40-Year Study on the Impact of Farmyard Manure Amendment in Northeast China

Enhancing Soybean and Maize Yields through Improved Nitrogen and Soil Water Use Efficiencies: A 40-Year Study on the Impact of Farmyard Manure Amendment in Northeast China

Allelopathic Effects of Corn Straw and Its Water Extracts on Four Weed Species and Foxtail Millet

Modeling Spring Maize Grain Filling under Film Mulching and Nitrogen Application in a Cold and Arid Environment

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