No-tillage with straw mulching improved grain yield by reducing soil water evaporation in the fallow period: A 12-year study on the Loess Plateau

Li, Haoyu; Zhang, Yuanhong; Sun, Yuanguang; Zhang, Qi; Liu, Pengzhao; Wang, Xiaoli; Li, Jun; Wang, Rui

doi:10.1016/j.still.2022.105504

Cited by 15 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…However, compared to T, the soil volumetric water content with NT was significantly reduced in the 140-170 cm soil layer at the V12 stage in 2021, and the soil volumetric water content with NT was significantly increased in the 10-30 cm soil layer at the V12 stage in 2022. Compared to T, the soil volumetric water content with NTS was significantly reduced in the 5-10, 10-30, 50-80, 110-140, and 170-200 cm soil layers at V12 in 2021, which was contrary to the previous results [41,42], which may be due to the increase in soil bulk density by short-term no-tillage [43]. In this study, the soil temperature at R2 had a significant negative correlation with grain number per ear, GY, BY (p ≤ 0.01), and HGW (p ≤ 0.05), but did not have a significant correlation with ear number per area and HI.…”

Section: Effects Of Different Tillage Practices On Economic Benefits ...contrasting

confidence: 93%

Tillage Practices Affected Yield and Water Use Efficiency of Maize (Zea mays L., Longdan No.8) by Regulating Soil Moisture and Temperature in Semi-Arid Environment

Peng,

Yang,

et al. 2023

Water

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Tillage practices can regulate soil environmental factors and, thus, affect crop yield. Farmers’ acceptance of this is not high because of a lack of awareness, and, in the dryland farming region of the Longdong Loess Plateau in China, the lack of acceptance is due to the established use of the no-till operation. It is urgent to explore suitable tillage practices for maize (Zea mays L., Longdan No.8) planting in this area. The impact of tillage practices on the soil water content, soil temperature, field water consumption structure, yield, and water use efficiency (WUE) of maize was determined. Six tillage practices were implemented in 2021 and their effects were determined in 2021 and 2022, including conventional tillage with no straw (T), conventional tillage with straw incorporated (TS), subsoiling tillage with no straw (SST), subsoiling tillage with straw incorporated (SSTS), no-tillage with no straw (NT) and no-tillage with straw mulching (NTS). Over two years, compared to T, the soil volumetric water content (SWv) with SSTS was significantly increased in the 5–10 cm soil layer at the V12 (big flare stage of maize) stage in 2022. SSTS significantly reduced soil temperature (ST) in the 20 and 25 cm soil depths at the V12 stage, and in every soil layer of the R2 (grain-filling stage of maize) stage. SSTS significantly reduced soil evaporation during the growing season (Ec), and significantly increased crop transpiration (Tc) when compared to T. Compared with T, SST and SSTS significantly increased biomass yield (BY), by 29.7–32.1 and 41.2–53.5%, respectively, increased grain number per ear by 6.3–16.5 and 10.4–38.8%, respectively, improved grain yield (GY) by 4.9–6.9 and 6.2–13.7%, respectively; SSTS significantly increased WUE by 5.5–15.4%. The correlation between soil volumetric water content at the V12 stage and grain yield was highly significant; the ST at the R2 stage had a significant positive correlation with grain number per ear, GY, and BY. Therefore, subsoiling tillage with straw incorporated increased the soil moisture content and reduced the soil temperature, optimized the water consumption structure, and improved the effective utilization of soil water, resulting in the accumulation of a higher biomass yield, and increased the number of ears, obtaining a higher yield, and improved water use efficiency. Therefore, subsoiling tillage with straw incorporated is a suitable tillage practice in the dry farming area of Longdong Loess Plateau, China.

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Section: Effects Of Different Tillage Practices On Economic Benefits ...contrasting

confidence: 93%

Tillage Practices Affected Yield and Water Use Efficiency of Maize (Zea mays L., Longdan No.8) by Regulating Soil Moisture and Temperature in Semi-Arid Environment

Peng,

Yang,

et al. 2023

Water

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“…On the one hand, the grain-filling stage is the peak period of corn growth activity, and vigorous root exudates increase the activity of soil carbon degrading enzymes [42]. On the other hand, the grain-filling stage of spring maize usually coincides with the rainfall on the Loess Plateau, so the increase in soil water improves the turnover of nutrients in the soil, which is impacted by the utilization of nutrients by microorganisms, and thus increases soil enzyme activity [10].…”

Section: Response Of Soil Carbon-degrading Enzymes To Combined Applic...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…To increase the effectiveness of exogenous carbon decomposition, diversified methods of return have gradually emerged [8,9]. For instance, the incorporation of a mixture of soybean and corn straw into the soil, returning composted straw to the field, deep-burying of ground-up straw, and so on [8,10]. In agroforestry systems, mixed litter in soil ecosystems largely determines the dynamic pattern of soil carbon and nitrogen, and different proportions of mixtures may lead to differences in the selection and supply of soil carbon and nitrogen.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Impact of Combining Robinia pseudoacacia Leaves and Corn Straw on Soil Carbon Content and Corn Yield in Loess Plateau

Liu,

Zhang

et al. 2024

Agronomy

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In the agroforestry system, the organic matter in the farmland and natural ecosystem enters the farmland soil in a mixed form to improve soil fertility and carbon pool quality. However, it is unclear how soil microbial carbon-degrading enzyme activity responds to carbon dynamics in this process. Therefore, we took farmland in the Loess Plateau as the research object, combining the application of corn straw and Robinia pseudoacacia leaves in a mass ratio of 4:0, 3:1, 2:2, 1:3, and 0:4 for returning to the field. We measured corn grain yield, carbon emission, organic carbon pool component content, and carbon-degrading enzyme activity of the farmland. The results showed that combining corn straw and Robinia pseudoacacia leaves had a significant impact on soil organic carbon components (readily oxidizable organic carbon and recalcitrant organic carbon), carbon-degrading enzymes (polyphenol oxidase, peroxidase, and cellobiohydrolase), and cumulative carbon emissions. The trend of different indicators in different treatments during the corn growth period was similar. We found that soil carbon emissions were closely related to ROC and soil oxidase activity, while soil carbon content was closely related to soil hydrolase activity. Compared to not returning straw to the field, the corn straw and Robinia pseudoacacia leaves returned to the field in a mass ratio of 1:3(Y1C3) can increase corn grain yield by 32.04%. The Y1C3 treatment has the highest soil carbon content and the lowest crop carbon emission efficiency. Soil water content plays a crucial role in the process of carbon pool transformation driven by soil carbon-degrading enzymes. In conclusion, soil carbon dynamics are closely related to the activity of soil carbon-degrading enzymes. Combining the application of corn straw and Robinia pseudoacacia leaves may be a more suitable farming measure for fragile habitats in the Loess Plateau than other solutions.

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“…The gravimetric method was applied to determine the SWC of all treatment samples. 52 The samples were collected using a hand soil drill (with a 54-mm diameter bit) at each experiment plot. After obtaining the wet weight, the samples were placed in a drying oven at 105 °C for 24 h and then reweighed to calculate the SWC.…”

Section: Soil Watermentioning

confidence: 99%

Adaptive nitrogen inputs sustain water‐nitrogen use and improve maize productivity with varied precipitation conditions on a semi‐arid agroecosystem

Liu

Fang

et al. 2023

J Sci Food Agric

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BACKGROUND: Maize productivity in semi-arid regions is increasingly at risk because of the sparse and uneven precipitation, and it is also restricted by excessive or insufficient fertilization management strategies. A 4-year (2016-2019) field experiment was therefore conducted to show the effects of fertilizer with five nitrogen levels (0, 75-90, 150-180, 270, and 360 kg ha −1 , represented as N 0 , N 75-90 , N 150-180 , N 270 , N 360 , respectively) under two variable precipitation patterns (rainy at pre-anthesis in 2016 and 2018 versus dry at pre-anthesis in 2017 and 2019) on soil water storage (SWS), water use efficiency (WUE), nitrogen use efficiency (NUE), and maize yield in the Loess Plateau.RESULTS: Nitrogen inputs increased the amount of above-ground dry matter and the WUE for dry matter (WUEd). Dry years at pre-anthesis significantly reduced dry matter accumulation and kernel number per plant. However, soil water storage before sowing (SWSs) decreased from 440 mm in 2016 to 384 mm in 2019, and the increase in fertilization resulted in the water imbalance. Both the maximum grain yield and WUE for grain yield were found in N 270 under rainy years at pre-anthesis, whereas in N 150-180 under dry years at pre-anthesis. The average nitrogen recovery efficiency (NRE), nitrogen agronomy efficiency (NAE) and nitrogen partial factor productivity (NPFP) decreased with increases in N application, compared with N 360 , the NRE,NAE and NPFP of N 150-180 increased by 63.5%, 189.2% and 135.5%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Reducing basal N fertilizers could enhance maize yield and maintain moderate water and nitrogen productivity in years with less rainfall.

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No-tillage with straw mulching improved grain yield by reducing soil water evaporation in the fallow period: A 12-year study on the Loess Plateau

Cited by 15 publications

References 42 publications

Tillage Practices Affected Yield and Water Use Efficiency of Maize (Zea mays L., Longdan No.8) by Regulating Soil Moisture and Temperature in Semi-Arid Environment

Tillage Practices Affected Yield and Water Use Efficiency of Maize (Zea mays L., Longdan No.8) by Regulating Soil Moisture and Temperature in Semi-Arid Environment

The Impact of Combining Robinia pseudoacacia Leaves and Corn Straw on Soil Carbon Content and Corn Yield in Loess Plateau

Adaptive nitrogen inputs sustain water‐nitrogen use and improve maize productivity with varied precipitation conditions on a semi‐arid agroecosystem

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