Abstract
Abstract: The objective of this work was to determine the temporal and spatial variations of soil respiration (Rs) in a greenhouse, as well as the factors causing them, in a soil covered with different mulching types and cultivated with cucumber (Cucumis sativus). Four mulching treatments were applied to a soil cultivated with cucumber: CK, conventional practice without mulch; FM, plastic film mulch; CM, combined mulch of plastic film with wheat straw; and SM, wheat straw mulch. Rs was measured by a soil respiration chamber connected to a portable infrared gas analyzer, and the differences of Rs between mulchings were evaluated. Rs was significantly lower in the control than in the treatments with mulch. In addition, Rs was higher in the position on the soil near plants (5.4 μmol CO2 m-2 s-1) than in the positions between plants (4.7 μmol CO2 m-2 s-1) and rows (3.9 μmol CO2 m-2 s-1). Soil water content and temperature had an interacted effect on Rs. Cucumber root biomass and root vigor should also be incorporated as predictor variables for Rs in the succession crops, mainly for accurately estimating carbon cycling in agroecosystems in a greenhouse.
Highlights
Climate change is mainly caused by increased concentrations of CO2 in the atmosphere, and soil respiration is the major source of soil carbon dioxide (CO2), which is released to the atmosphere, and it has a vital importance in the global carbon budget (Dossou‐Yovo et al, 2016)
These researches were conducted in field conditions and very little information was available regarding the Rs in mulching agroecosystems in greenhouse in China
Mulching was recommended as a component within an integrated crop management
Summary
Climate change is mainly caused by increased concentrations of CO2 in the atmosphere, and soil respiration is the major source of soil carbon dioxide (CO2), which is released to the atmosphere, and it has a vital importance in the global carbon budget (Dossou‐Yovo et al, 2016). In order to reduce and mitigate the potential negative effects of climate change on ecosystems and human well‐being, agronomic measures are needed to reduce CO2 emission worldwide (Qiu et al, 2013). In this respect, estimating the magnitude of soil respiration, and its controlling factors under an integrated crop management programme (ICM), is critical for evaluating the role of ecosystems. In recent years, mulching effects on Rs have been studied mainly in open‐field conditions; little information is available regarding the organic carbon stocks in mulching agroecosystems in a greenhouse
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