Abstract
For the synergistic improvement of soil fertility and rice yields in a cold region, we investigated the effects of plastic mulching with different straw incorporation rates on the rice yield and nitrogen use efficiency in a rice growing area of a cold region. The field experiment was conducted using the Jijing 88 rice cultivar, and set up four straw incorporated treatment: 20% (S1), 40% (S2), 60% (S3) and 100% (S4) under two conditions: mulching (M) and without mulching (NM). The results showed that under the same straw incorporation rates: (1) Plastic mulching increased the total soil nitrogen and organic matter contents while improving the grain yield; the yield increases were 2.8–14.9% in 2016 and 1.4–12.3% in 2017. (2) The mulched treatment improved the net photosynthetic rate, the maximum tiller number, the crop growth rate of the later growth stages, and the shoot dry weight. (3) The recovery efficiency, agronomic efficiency, and partial factor productivity of the nitrogen applications were all higher under the mulched treatment than under the non-mulched treatment. In a comparison of the different straw incorporation treatments, above three indicators consistently increased before they decreased, and significantly higher levels were reached under the 40% straw incorporation treatment with mulching than under the other treatments.
Highlights
Rice is one of the major grain crops, serving as a staple food for more than 50% of the global population
(3) The recovery efficiency, agronomic efficiency, and partial factor productivity of the nitrogen applications were all higher under the mulched treatment than under the non-mulched treatment
The massive application of chemical fertilizers has long been an important practice for ensuring high and stable rice yields, the amount of nitrogen fertilizer is no longer a limiting factor in rice yield. These applications have resulted in problems, such as a decline in paddy soil fertility, a stagnation in rice yields, the lowering of the fertilizer use efficiency, and the constantly increasing pollution of agricultural resources, which have become increasingly prominent
Summary
Rice is one of the major grain crops, serving as a staple food for more than 50% of the global population It has always been the primary task of rice breeders and farmers to improve rice yields. The massive application of chemical fertilizers has long been an important practice for ensuring high and stable rice yields, the amount of nitrogen fertilizer is no longer a limiting factor in rice yield. These applications have resulted in problems, such as a decline in paddy soil fertility, a stagnation in rice yields, the lowering of the fertilizer use efficiency, and the constantly increasing pollution of agricultural resources, which have become increasingly prominent.
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