Abstract
In order to know, if Straw checkerboard barriers (SCB) technology could support the soil capabilities to grow plants and recovery ecological services via alleviate drought stress or amendment of soil attributes, an experiment was carried out in 2018. Checkerboards were setup in a 1 × 1 m pattern with rice residues. Seeds of sainfoin (Onobrychis sativa), rye (Secale montanum) and tall wheatgrass (Agropyron sp) were sown at different microenvironments of checkerboards include in borders and centers of the straw barrier and bare soil as the control. Growth analysis showed that rye plants in the border of the barriers showed on average 22, 100 and 60% higher plant height, shoot fresh weight, and shoot dry weigh than the bare soil respectively. Higher amounts of chlorophylls and carotenoids were also recorded for rye plants and the border of the SCB led to significant increase in these pigments. Rye plants maintained the highest RWC and lowest electrolyte leakage value among the crops. Higher RWC (18%) and lower electrolyte leakage (13%) was recorded in the border of the barriers as compare to the bare soil. Sainfoin and rye recorded higher malondialdehyde content while plants grown in the borders recorded lower amounts of malondialdehyde against plants in the bare soil. Soil water storage dynamics showed that during the growing season the barriers retained higher soil moisture. In the case of NPK, higher soil total nitrogen, available phosphorus and potassium, and soil organic matter content were observed in SCB. Principal component analysis (PCA) of morphophysiological characteristics of cover crops indicated that rye had higher shoot fresh weight, shoot dry weight, chlorophyll a and carotenoids compare to sainfoin. For soil characteristics the PC1 represents the changes between the border of barriers, center of barriers and bare soil. Redundancy Analysis (RDA) showed that in first axe available phosphorus and soil organic matter are the most important variables that cause the greatest impact on the changes related to the morphophysiological characteristics of rye plants. Finally SCB could be deemed as an effective management strategy in semi-arid areas, as an important method for conserving natural resources and sustaining productivity and rye had better ability to survive and benefit in such dry conditions.
Published Version
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