Effect of mulching with maize straw on water infiltration and soil loss at different initial soil moistures in a rainfall simulation

Hongwen LI,Jin HE,Qingjie WANG,Shaochun MA,Wanzhi CHEN,Yifu ZHANG,Ying CHEN

doi:10.15302/j-fase-2016104

Abstract

Mulching and soil water content (SWC) have a significant impact on soil erosion, and this study investigated the effect of straw mulching on water infiltration and soil loss under different initial SWC treatments in a rainfall simulation experiment conducted in northern China. Increasing initial SWC can decrease soil infiltration and increase soil loss. During an 80mm rainfall event (80 mm$h -1 for 60 min), 8% ,1 2% and 16% initial SWC treatments decreased cumulative infiltration by 8.7%, 42.5% and 58.1%, and increased total sediment yield by 44, 146 and 315 g, respectively, compared to 4% initial SWC. However, in all the straw mulching treatments, there was no significant difference in stable infiltration rate between the different initial SWC treat- ments. For all initial SWC treatments, straw mulching of 30% or more significantly enhanced water infiltration by over 31% and reduced soil loss by over 49%, compared to the unmulched treatment. Taking into consideration the performance of no-till planters, a maize straw mulching rate of 30% to 60% (1400-3100 kg$hm -2 ) is recom- mended for the conservation of water and soil in northern China.

Highlights

Long-term application of traditional management practices in agricultural production have resulted in aggravatedReceived May 4, 2016; accepted June 7, 2016Studies around the world have highlighted the importance of crop straw mulching, because it increases soil porosity[5], enhances water infiltration[6,7], and reduces runoff and soil erosion[8]
With 8% and 12% initial soil water content (SWC) treatments, the influence of straw mulching rates (SMR) on infiltration was similar to that obtained with the 4% initial SWC
The results indicated that > 30% SMR significantly (P < 0.05) increased the cumulative infiltration, and under the same straw mulching treatment, the cumulative infiltration decreased with the increasing in initial SWC

Summary

Introduction

Studies around the world have highlighted the importance of crop straw mulching, because it increases soil porosity[5], enhances water infiltration[6,7], and reduces runoff and soil erosion[8]. Cameron et al indicated that residue retention can significantly increase rainfed crop productivity[10]. On the arid North China Plain, straw mulching has been shown to increase water use efficiency in its double cropping system[11]. In subtropical regions, mulching has been effective, especially on sloping land[12,13,14]. Straw mulching has been shown to protect farmlands[15], by improving soil physical properties[16], increasing soil fertility[17] and controlling evaporation[18]

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion