Abstract

In arid regions, higher irrigation quota for conventional farming causes substantial conflict between water supply and demand for crop production. Innovations in cropping systems are needed to alleviate this issue. A field experiment was conducted in northwestern China to assess whether straw and plastic managements in wheat/maize intercropping could alleviate these issues. Integrating no tillage with two-year plastic and straw mulching (NTMI2) improved grain yields by 13.8–17.1%, compared to conventional tillage without straw residue and annual new plastic mulching (CTI). The NTMI2 treatment reduced soil evaporation by 9.0–17.3% and the proportion of evaporation to evapotranspiration (E/ET) by 8.6–17.5%, compared to CTI. The NTMI2 treatment weakened wheat competition of soil moisture from maize strip during wheat growth period, and enhanced wheat compensation of soil moisture for maize growth after wheat harvest, compared with CTI. Thus, soil water movement potential of NTMI2 was lowest during wheat growth period, but it was highest during maize-independent growth stage after wheat harvest. The NTMI2 treatment increased evapotranspiration before maize silking, decreased from maize silking to early-filling stage, and increased after the early-filling stage of maize, this effectively coordinated water demand contradiction of intercrops at early and late stages. The NTMI2 treatment improved WUE by 12.4–17.2%, compared with CTI. The improved crop yields and WUE was attributed to the coordinated water competition and compensation, and the decreased soil evaporation and E/ET.

Details

Title
Innovation in alternate mulch with straw and plastic management bolsters yield and water use efficiency in wheat-maize intercropping in arid conditions
Author
Yin, Wen 1 ; Fan Zhilong 2 ; Hu Falong 2 ; Yu Aizhong 2 ; Zhao, Cai 2 ; Chai Qiang 2 ; Coulter, Jeffrey A 3   VIAFID ORCID Logo 

 Major in Crop Cultivation and Farming System of Gansu Provincial Key Laboratory of Aridland Crop Science, Lanzhou, China; Gansu Agricultural University, Major in Crop Cultivation and Farming System of College of Agronomy, Lanzhou, China (GRID:grid.411734.4) (ISNI:0000 0004 1798 5176) 
 Major in Crop Cultivation and Farming System of Gansu Provincial Key Laboratory of Aridland Crop Science, Lanzhou, China (GRID:grid.411734.4); Gansu Agricultural University, Major in Crop Cultivation and Farming System of College of Agronomy, Lanzhou, China (GRID:grid.411734.4) (ISNI:0000 0004 1798 5176) 
 University of Minnesota, Department of Agronomy & Plant Genetics, St. Paul, United States (GRID:grid.17635.36) (ISNI:0000000419368657) 
Publication year
2019
Publication date
2019
Publisher
Nature Publishing Group
e-ISSN
20452322
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
2213907374
Copyright
© The Author(s) 2019. This work is published under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (the “License”). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.