Effects of Ridge Tillage and Straw Mulching on Cultivation the Fresh Faba Beans

Bo Li,Jian Liu,Yafeng Wei,Xinyu Chen,Fei Xiong,Xiaoxu Shi

doi:10.3390/agronomy11061054

Abstract

Ridge tillage is an effective agronomic practice and a miniature precision agriculture; however, its effects on the growth of faba beans (Vicia faba L.) are poorly understood. This study aimed to determine the effect of ridge tillage and straw mulching on the root growth, nutrient accumulation and yield of faba beans. Field experiments were conducted during 2016 and 2017 cropping seasons and comprised four treatments: ridge tillage without any mulching (RT), flat tillage without any mulch (FT), flat tillage with rice straw mulched on the ridge tillage (FTRSM) and ridge tillage with rice straw mulched on the ridge tillage (RTRSM). The RT and RTRSM increased soil temperature and decreased soil humidity and improved soil total nitrogen, total phosphorus, available potassium and organic matter. RT and RTRSM increased the root length density, root surface area, root diameter and root activity of faba beans at flowering and harvest periods. The RT and RTRSM also increased the nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium absorption and the yield of faba beans. These results indicated that ridge tillage and straw mulching affect faba bean growth by improving soil moisture conditions and providing good air permeability and effective soil nutrition supply. This study provides a theoretical basis for the high yield cultivation improvement of faba beans.

Highlights

Faba beans have been cultivated for 800–1000 years and are an important winter crop in warm temperate and subtropical areas and an essential source of protein rich food in developing countries consumed as a vegetable [1], green or dried, fresh or canned [2,3]
The RT and RTRSM increased the nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium absorption and the yield of faba beans. These results indicated that ridge tillage and straw mulching affect faba bean growth by improving soil moisture conditions and providing good air permeability and effective soil nutrition supply
The soil total nitrogen, phosphorus, soluble potassium and organic matter contents under RTRSM were higher than those under RT. This tendency was consistent with the difference between FTRSM and FT (Table 1). These results indicated that ridge tillage and straw mulching improve the contents of nutrient and organic matter in soil

Summary

Introduction

Faba beans have been cultivated for 800–1000 years and are an important winter crop in warm temperate and subtropical areas and an essential source of protein rich food in developing countries consumed as a vegetable [1], green or dried, fresh or canned [2,3]. Fresh faba beans have become one of the indispensable bean vegetable varieties in the market of southeast coast and Yangtze River basin in China and have unique roles of improving the multiple cropping index, enriching multiple compound and efficient planting types and increasing farmers’ income and agricultural efficiency. As a friendly former crop of rice, corn, potato and rapeseed, these beans play an important role in rotation or intercropping, especially in fertilizing the soil, protecting farmland ecological environment, reducing weight and agricultural non-point source pollution, increasing efficiency and improving the quality of agricultural products. Faba beans often have a low yield and seedling rate, rotting roots and weak seedlings

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