Early plastic mulching increases stand establishment and lint yield of cotton in saline fields

Abstract

Row covering with polyethylene film (plastic mulching) is a common practice for improving emergence, plant growth and yield of cotton in China. This is usually applied after sowing (conventional mulching, CM), but pre-sowing evaporation in spring would cause accumulation of salts and moisture loss in the surface layer of saline soils. Two experiments were conducted in Yellow River delta from 2004 to 2005 and during 2006, respectively to determine if row covering with plastic film 30 d before sowing (early mulching, EM) supports better productivity of cotton than CM in saline fields. In the first experiment, we studied the effects of EM versus CM and no-mulching (NM), on soil microclimate, seedling physiology, cotton yield and earliness. The second experiment was conducted in seven sites to compare cotton yield between the two mulching systems. Results from the first experiment showed that both EM and CM could effectively improve stand establishment, plant growth, earliness and lint yield of cotton relative to NM control. However, compared with CM, EM increased stand establishment rate by 11.4% and plant biomass by 9.9% and lint yield by 7.1%. EM, relative to CM and NM, increased the photosynthesis (Pn) rate 6.8% and decreased malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration 7.4% and Na + level 8%. These improvements were due mainly to delayed accumulation of salts, elevation of soil temperature and reduction of moisture loss with EM. The revenue from EM was higher than that from CM and NM, suggesting the increased yield by EM was enough compensate for additional costs. The multi-site experiment in 2006 showed that the yield advantage of EM over CM was not significant in two sites with lower salinity (ECe = ∼6 dS/m), but substantial (from 9 to 14%) in five sites with higher salinity (ECe = 10–12 dS/m). The overall results suggest that EM is a promising cotton production technique in the saline Yellow River Delta and other cotton-growing areas with similar ecologies.