Straw Strip Mulching Increases Winter Wheat Yield by Optimizing Water Consumption Characteristics in a Semi-Arid Environment

Abstract

To investigate the feasibility of replacing plastic film with straw in semi-arid areas and establishing coordinated cultivation technology for high winter wheat yield and efficient resource utilization, a two-year field experiment was conducted under six treatments, specifically CK (no-mulching), S1 (59% of the field area straw mulched), S2 (50% of the field area straw mulched), S3 (42% of the field area straw mulched), BM (full-cover transparent plastic mulch), and HM (full-cover black plastic mulch). The effects of mulching measures on soil moisture, water consumption characteristics, yield and water use efficiency (WUE) of winter wheat farmland in rain-fed semiarid regions were studied. The results showed that, compared with CK, straw strip mulching reduced total water consumption by 15.39 mm on average, the soil organic carbon content at the 0–40 cm soil layer increased by 4.68%, yield by 6.90%, WUEr by 11.27%, and WUEb by 16.51%. Compared with CK, the total water consumption and soil organic carbon content in each growth period of plastic film mulching were not significantly different, but the yield, WUEr, and WUEb increased by 16.28%, 15.29%, and 25.50%, respectively. Among the three straw strip mulching treatments, treatment S3 had the highest yield, which was equivalent to that of plastic film mulching. The S3 treatment with 42% of the field area straw mulched is recommended in this stusy as the optimal replacement of plastic film mulching in semi-arid environments.

Mulching as a Sustainable Water and Soil Saving Practice in Agriculture: A Review

“…Increased soil water contents [79] Enhanced soil water storage [202] Boosted soil moisture contents [67,70] Reduced water needs and enhanced water productivity [65] Gravel mulch Boosted soil water content [202] Compost made from municipal waste Increase (85%) in water percolation [203] Oat straw and olive twigs as mulches Reduced water loss from rainfall [204] Transparent plastic mulch Boosted soil water content and canopy air humidity [139] Black plastic mulch (BM) Boosted soil moisture, temperature, and morphological criteria of maize [205] Straw strip mulching Straw strip mulching and plastic film mulching boosted water use efficiency of grain yield (WUEr) or biomass yield (WUEb). [206] Transparent film (W), black film (B), or straw mulching (S) W, B, and S mulch boosted soil water content [207] Mulch involves maintaining soil moisture by covering the soil's surface. This method can be utilized to prolong crop production in regions with insufficient water supplies.…”

Study on the Effect of Straw Mulching on Farmland Soil Water

“…Due to the difference in water content at different soil depths, the straw returning depth will also affect the soil water storage to a certain extent. In this test, the soil water content slightly decreases with increasing soil depth, but the decrease difference is not obvious, which also makes the difference in soil water storage between the parameters of returning depth not obvious [ 18 , 19 ]. In addition, it can be seen from the contour map that there is a certain degree of interaction between straw particle size and straw returning depth, but the interaction is not significant.…”