Influence of plastic film mulch with biochar application on crop yield, evapotranspiration, and water use efficiency in northern China: A meta-analysis

Abstract

Background China is the leading consumer of plastic film worldwide. Plastic film mulched ridge-furrow is one of the most widely adopted agronomic and field management practices in rain-fed agriculture in dry-land areas of China. The efficiency of plastic film mulching as a viable method to decrease evapotranspiration (ET), increase crop yields, and water use efficiency (WUE), has been demonstrated extensively by earlier studies. Methods A comprehensive evaluation of how co-application of plastic-film mulch and biochar in different agro-environments under varying climatic conditions influence ET, crop yield, WUE, and soil microbial activity were assessed. We performed a meta-analysis using the PRISMA guideline to assess the effect of plastic-film mulched ridge-furrow and biochar on ET, yield, and WUE of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), potato (Solanum tuberosum L.), and maize (Zea mays L.) in northern China. Results The use of plastic film increased average yields of wheat (75.7%), potato (20.2%), and maize (12.9%) in Gansu, Ningxia, Shaanxi, and Shanxi provinces, respectively due to the reduction in ET by 12.8% in Gansu, 0.5% in Ningxia, and 4.1% in Shanxi, but increased in Shaanxi by 0.5% compared to no-mulching. These changes may be attributed to the effect of plastic film mulch application which simultaneously increased WUE by 68.5% in Gansu, 23.9% in Ningxia, 16.2% in Shaanxi, and 12.8% in Shanxi, respectively. Compared to flat planting without mulching, in three years, the yield of maize increased with the co-application of plastic film and biochar by 22.86% in the Shanxi and Shaanxi regions. Conclusion Our analysis revealed co-application of plastic film with biochar is integral for improving soil and water conservation in rain-fed agriculture and as an integrated practice to avert drought while simultaneously mitigating runoff and erosion.

Influence of tied-ridge with biochar amendment on runoff, sediment losses, and alfalfa yield in northwestern China

“…Biochar improved the annual cumulative mean of NFY (8%) and AFY (11%) as compared to no-biochar in this study (Please, refer to Table 2 ). These outcomes are in line with Mak-Mensah et al (2021) , who reported combined application of biodegradable film with biochar in the Loess Plateau of China increased yield by 22.86% compared with FP. This was corroborated by Liu et al (2014) who achieved a higher yield of sweet potato (53.77%; p < 0.05), with biochar amendment than with no biochar treatment (control).…”

“…This may be an ideal agronomic practice for smallholder farmers to increase yield in crop production. The practice could also be used as a soil and water conservation strategy in rain-fed agriculture, especially in climate-changing areas to reduce drought impact while decreasing runoff and erosion ( Mak-Mensah et al, 2021 ).…”

Influence of tied-ridge-furrow with inorganic fertilizer on grain yield across semiarid regions of Asia and Africa: A meta-analysis

“…Peer-reviewed papers published in English between 2000 and 2020 that investigated the effects of tied-ridge-furrow with or without mulching or fertilizer on field crops were retrieved from online databases (ISI Web of Science, PubMed, Google Scholar, Scopus (Elsevier), JSTOR, and Science Direct) as previously described in Mak-Mensah et al (2021). More than one database was used to minimize selection bias.…”

“…Meta-analysis, fundamentally the 'analysis of analyses', is a method of quantitatively (a) recognizing overviews from a range of separate and disparate studies, and (b) determining inadequacies in existing research such that new preferences for future research can be proposed (Kuznetsov, Passot & Sulem, 2008). Meta-analysis allows for statistical analysis of effect sizes and objective evaluation of other authors' experimental results (Mak-Mensah et al, 2021). Meta-analysis increases the statistical potential for evaluating theories and comparing treatment differences in various contexts (Luo, Wang & Sun, 2010).…”

Peer Review #1 of "Influence of tied-ridge-furrow with inorganic fertilizer on grain yield across semiarid regions of Asia and Africa: A meta-analysis (v0.1)"

“…Meta-analysis, fundamentally the 'analysis of analyses', is a method of quantitatively (a) recognizing overviews from a range of separate and disparate studies, and (b) determining inadequacies in existing research such that new preferences for future research can be proposed (Kuznetsov et al, 2008). Meta-analysis allows for statistical analysis of effect sizes and objective evaluation of other authors' experimental results (Mak-Mensah et al, 2021). Meta-analysis increases the statistical potential for evaluating theories and comparing treatment differences in various contexts (Luo et al, 2010).…”