Mulching Practices Research Articles

Soil Mulching Practices Increased Grain‐Filling Capacity of Rainfed Maize (Zea mays L.) by Improving Soil Hydrothermal Condition and Leaf Photosynthetic Potential

ABSTRACTGrain‐filling rate and duration largely affect the grain‐filling capacity, which determines the grain yield of maize (Zea mays L.). Nevertheless, there is little about the mechanism of how various soil mulching practices affect the leaf photosynthetic potential and subsequent grain‐filling capacity of maize. Field experiments were undertaken on rainfed summer maize in northwest China under flat cultivation without mulch (FNM), flat cultivation with straw mulch (FSM), flat cultivation with transparent film mulch (FTF), flat cultivation with black film mulch (FBF), ridge‐furrow cultivation with transparent film mulch (RTF) and ridge‐furrow cultivation with black film mulch (RBF) in 2021 and 2022. This study explored the impact of various soil mulching patterns on soil hydrothermal condition, leaf growth, photosynthetic potential, aboveground dry matter growth and grain‐filling process of rainfed maize. The dynamics of leaf area index (LAI) and grain‐filling were fitted with growth equations, and the relationships of grain‐filling rate, leaf area duration and LAI withering rate were quantified. The results showed that, compared with FNM, other five soil mulching practices improved soil hydrothermal condition, the maximum LAI and leaf expansion rate but reduced leaf withering rate, thereby increasing radiation interception rate (RI) at the grain‐filling stage. The soil mulching practices also increased leaf SPAD value, net photosynthetic rate, photosynthetic nitrogen use efficiency and the aboveground dry matter. Compared with FNM, other five practices extended the effective grain‐filling period and the active period of grain‐filling, increased the maximum and mean grain‐filling rates, improved the 100‐kernel weight and the average kernel per ear (KPE), thereby increasing grain yields by 9.2%, 33.7%, 38.0%, 46.3% and 58.6%, respectively. The functional relationships of grain‐filling rate and accumulated leaf area duration (y = a/(1 + b*exp(−kx))), and the functional relationships of grain‐filling rate and LAI withering rate (y = (a + cx + ex2)/(1 + bx + dx2)) were first proposed. In conclusion, various soil mulching practices improved the soil hydrothermal condition, green leaves growth process and RI, which improved the leaf photosynthetic potential and the grain‐filling capacity, thereby increasing the 100‐kernel weight, KPE and grain yield. This study can help us quantitatively describe and better understand the maize grain‐filling process under various mulching practices.

Poverty and resilience impacts of conservation agriculture adoption against climatic-shocks in Eastern Ethiopia

The aims of this study are to analysis adoption and impacts of conservation agriculture on poverty and resilience to drought in Eastern Ethiopia. Multi-stage sampling method was employed and four districts were randomly selected from Eastern Hararghe Zone. Using cross-sectional survey data collected in 2023 from 430 households, multinomial endogenous switching regression was applied in impact evaluation. The result shows farm experience, education, climatic-shocks experience, access to climate information, access to extension, number of oxen, farm size, labor force, livestock and distance to market are determinants of conservation agriculture (CA) adoption in terms of inter-cropping, crop rotation and crop residue retention or mulch practices in its single and combination of practices. Poverty was evaluated based on cost-of-basic-need and resilience to drought is in its index. Accordingly, the food poverty line and total consumption expenditure or total poverty line was found to be 6582.7ETB and 8620.70ETB per Adult/Equivalent per year in the study area. Results of average treatment effect on treated shows adoption is significantly reduced poverty and increased resilience to drought condition in the area. The study also shows importance role of extension service in adoption of CA practices. There is a need to encourage extension facilities and awareness to promote better adoption of CA particularly, in its combination. The combination of practices increased consumption expenditure of adopters by 73.3 percent compared to non-adopters, given its significant impact on households’ poverty and resilience to drought in moisture stress area of eastern Ethiopia. So, it is crucial to more advances farmers and experts’ information on climate shocks and conservation agricultural practices adoption. The policymakers ought to develop and encourage farmers’ asset building plan including livestock, adult education, market linkage facilities, extension and weather related information delivery service to enhance adoption of conservation agricultural practices to combat the current and future drought.

Enhancing soybean yield stability and soil health through long-term mulching strategies: Insights from a 13-year study

Sustainable agriculture systems incorporate important stabilizing mechanisms, such as mulching, for increasing yield and improving soil health. However, the synergistic effects of different long-term mulching practices on soybean yield stability and soil health remain unexplored. In this study, we conducted a 13-year long-term investigation to evaluate the impacts of various mulching methods—no mulching (CK), straw mulching (SM), plastic mulching (PM), and ridged and plastic mulching (RM)—over a 13-year period on soil nutrients, and soybean yield, stability, and sustainability. Our findings revealed that SM, PM, and RM treatments significantly increased the average yields by 28.02 %, 20.49 %, and 51.56 %, respectively. Moreover, SM and RM treatments significantly enhanced yield stability (SM +107.90 %, RM +98.82 %) and sustainability (SM +47.85 %, RM +37.14 %). Additionally, compared to CK, the SM treatment significantly increased the average soil organic carbon (SOC) and total nitrogen (STN) content by 16.78 % and 16.23 %, respectively. Meanwhile, mulching practices also improved soil reactive carbon and nitrogen pools. Compared to CK, plastic mulch reduced microbial biomass carbon (MBC) content (PM −8.85 %, RM −0.73 %) and soil ammonium nitrogen (AN) content (PM −8.19 %, RM −1.20 %), while increasing microbial biomass nitrogen (MBN) content (PM +8.73 %, RM +9.47 %). The SM treatment increased MBC, AN, and MBN contents by 0.24 %, 7.23 %, and 8.94 %, respectively. Additionally, SM and RM treatments significantly increased β-1,4-glucosidase (BG) activity (SM +98.74 %, RM +128.25 %) and decreased and β-1,4- n -acetamido-glucosidase (NAG) + 1-leucine aminopeptidase (LAP) (NAG + LAP) activity (SM −28.74 %, RM −25.33 %) compared to CK. Furthermore, SM, PM, and RM treatments significantly increased the Chao1 index by 35.30 %, 68.08 %, and 52.23 %, respectively, compared to CK. Finally, results of the Mantel test and random forest model indicated that the increases in yield and stability were due to improved soil temperature (ST), active carbon and nitrogen pools, enzyme activity, and diazotrophic bacterial diversity. In summary, our findings suggest that ridged and plastic mulching enhances soil nutrient effectiveness by maintaining soil moisture and regulating diazotrophic bacterial community structure, thereby increasing soybean yields. Conversely, straw mulching continuously supplies nutrients to the soil, enhancing soil quality and diazotrophic bacterial community structure, thus improving yield stability. Over all, our findings provides new insights into global long-term agricultural sustainability.

IoT- enabled crop waste mulching machine for sustainable farming: perspective of circular economy

Abstract A large amount of crop waste is generated after crop harvesting. A substantial quantity of waste on the farm is burnt to clear the field, contributing to environmental harm and global warming. The study aims to develop a technological solution for crop waste management (CWM) by designing and developing an IoT-enabled crop waste mulching machine. This initiative addresses the environmental and health issues caused by burning crop waste on farms. The research involves designing and developing an IoT-enabled mulching machine that can be attached to the back side of a tractor. The machine consists of power-transmitting elements, supports, and mechanisms to distribute mulching material evenly onto the plant bed. It incorporates advanced IoT load cell sensors, soil moisture sensors, and proximity sensors to optimize the mulching process based on soil moisture content and to prevent machinery blockages. The IoT-enabled mulching machine effectively manages crop waste by utilizing it in mulch, thus preventing the harmful practice of burning waste. This machine ensures a more efficient, safer, and environmentally friendly approach to mulching, offering significant improvements over traditional manual mulching methods.
The novelty of this research lies in integrating IoT technologies within mulching machine. The mulching machine uses sensors to automate and optimize the mulching process, representing a significant technological advancement over conventional methods. The study offers practical benefits by reducing labour requirements, minimizing the risk of injuries, and ensuring a more uniform mulch application. This technology facilitates more sustainable farming practices, aligning with global sustainability goals. The study can potentially revolutionize the agricultural equipment manufacturing industry (AEMI) by shifting the focus toward environmental sustainability. It promotes replacing plastic film mulching machines with more eco-friendly crop waste mulching solutions. This technology has the potential to reduce air pollution, carbon emissions, and mitigate climate. It also enhances soil health through better mulching practices.

Effect of different canopy management and mulching practices on yield parameters and fiber quality parameters of Bt cotton under drip fertigation

Effect of different canopy management and mulching practices on yield parameters and fiber quality parameters of Bt cotton under drip fertigation

Effect of different canopy management and mulching practices on growth and yield parameters of Bt cotton under drip fertigation

Effect of different canopy management and mulching practices on growth and yield parameters of Bt cotton under drip fertigation

Performance of nutrient management and different mulching practices on growth and yield of maize under central Uttar Pradesh

Performance of nutrient management and different mulching practices on growth and yield of maize under central Uttar Pradesh

Long‐term effects of management practices on soil water, yield and water use of dryland wheat: A global meta‐analysis

AbstractSoil water conservation in dryland agriculture mainly depends on precipitation. We chose 35 long‐term experiments and analysed the data by using meta‐analysis to check how fallow management methods affect soil water storage of dryland winter wheat planting (SWS), precipitation storage efficiency (PSE), crop yield and water use efficiency (WUE). No‐tillage (NT), compared to conventional tillage (CT) in the fallow period, increased PSE, SWS, grain yield and WUE by 32.9%, 27.1%, 30.5% and 22.6%, respectively. Reduced tillage (RT) and subsoil tillage (ST) increased PSE by 15.2% and 11.7%, SWS by 17.4% and 15.0% and grain yield by 15.5 and 13.8%, respectively, but these had a non‐significant effect on WUE. The conservation tillage methods interacted significantly with the residue management and fallow mulching practices. Compared to CT, the conservation tillage methods with fallow mulching increased PSE, SWS, grain yield and WUE, but the growing of cover crops (designated as biological mulching) decreased PSE, SWS and grain yield by 17.3%, 13.0% and 32.0%, and had a non‐significant impact on WUE. Under the condition of straw mulching, NT increased PSE, SWS, grain yield and WUE by 43.7%, 38.1%, 40.6% and 42.9%, respectively, compared to CT. NT and RT increased the PSE, SWS and WUE, under normal mean annual precipitation (MAP), however, ST increased these observations under wet MAP, compared to CT. The effects of tillage methods varied with soil texture, and they were highly interrelated with water conservation, wheat yield and water use. We conclude that compared to conventional tillage, the conservation tillage methods increased soil water conservation during the fallow period, which increased wheat yield and water use. Moreover, NT with or without residue retention increased the fallow water conservation and wheat yield. Crop residues should be retained while applying RT and ST to grow winter wheat in dryland regions.

Mulching Practices Improve Soil Moisture and Enzyme Activity in Drylands, Increasing Potato Yield

Mulch is an important measure for improving agricultural productivity in many semiarid regions of the world. However, the impacts of various mulching materials on soil hydrothermal characteristics, enzyme activity, and potato yield in fields have not been comprehensively explored. Thus, a two-growing-season field experiment (2020–2021) with four treatments (SSM, straw strip mulching; PMP, plastic film mulching with large ridge; PMF, double ridge-furrow with full film mulching; and CK, no mulching with conventional planting as the control) was conducted to analyze soil hydrothermal and soil enzyme activities and potato yield on the semiarid Loess Plateau of Northwest China. The results indicated that mulching practices had a positive effect on the soil moisture, with SSM, PMP, and PMF increasing by 7.3%, 9.2%, and 9.2%, respectively, compared to CK. Plastic film mulching significantly increased the soil temperature by 1.3 °C, and straw mulching reduced the soil temperature by 0.7 °C in the 0–30 cm soil layers of the whole growth period. On average, SSM, PMP, and PMF increased soil urease activity in 0–40 cm soil layers by 14.2%, 2.8%, and 2.7%, respectively, and enhanced soil sucrase activity by 19.2%, 8.6%, and 5.7%, respectively, compared with CK. Plastic film mulching increased soil catalase activity by 9.6%, while SSM decreased by 10.1%. Mulching treatments significantly increased tuber yield and water use efficiency based on dry tuber yield (WUE), and SSM, PMP, and PMF increased tuber yield by 18.6%, 31.9%, and 29.7%, enhanced WUE by 50%, 50%, and 57.0% over CK. The correlation analysis revealed that soil moisture was the main factor influencing tuber yield (r = 0.95**). Mulching could improve the soil hydrothermal environment, regulate soil enzyme activities, and promote yield increase. As a sustainable protective mulching measure, straw strip mulching is conducive to improving the ecological environment of farmland and the sustainable development of regional organic agriculture.

Ridge-furrow film mulch with nitrogen fertilization improves grain yield of dryland maize by promoting root growth, plant nitrogen uptake and remobilization

Soil mulch has been widely applied to enhance crop yields in (semi-)arid and semi-humid regions on the globe. However, how different mulch practices influence root growth, plant nitrogen (N) uptake, remobilization and allocation remains unclear, especially under different N fertilization rates. A two-season (June–October in 2021 and 2022) field experiment was performed on dryland summer maize in a semi-humid but drought-prone region of northwest China. There were six mulch practices: flat cultivation without mulch (Flat), flat cultivation with straw mulch (Flat-Straw), flat cultivation with black film mulch (Flat-Film), flat cultivation with transparent film mulch (Flat-Trans), ridge-furrow cultivation with black film mulch on the ridge (Ridge-Film), ridge-furrow cultivation with transparent film mulch on the ridge (Ridge-Trans), and two N fertilization rates: 0 kg N ha−1 (N0) and 180 kg N ha−1 (N1). The results showed that film mulch significantly (p<0.05) improved root morphological parameters compared to Flat. Plant N uptake significantly (p<0.05) increased due to improved root growth under film and straw mulch, with grain N uptake increasing by 78.2% under Ridge-Film, 66.2% under Ridge-Trans and 39.6% under Flat-Film compared to Flat. The significant (p<0.01) increases in pre-anthesis N remobilization and post-anthesis N uptake under film and straw mulch compared to Flat achieved synergistic increases in grain yields. The contributions of total N remobilization to grain N dramatically increased by 31.2%, 27.5%, 17.0% and 11.2% under Ridge-Film, Ridge-Trans, Flat-Film and Flat-Trans compared to Flat, respectively. Meanwhile, film-mulched practices significantly (p<0.01) reduced soil nitrate-N residual due to improved plant N uptake, by 21.7% under Flat-Film, 16.9% under Flat-Trans, and 33.6% under Ridge-Film compared to Flat. The contributions of various mulch practices to grain yield ranked as Ridge-Film > Flat-Film > Ridge-Trans > Flat-Trans > Flat-Straw. The Ridge-Film with N fertilization significantly (p<0.05) increased N use efficiency, N agronomic efficiency, N recovery efficiency, N harvest index and grain yield by 10.8%, 124.9%, 147.1%, 19.8% and 120.0% compared to FlatN0, respectively. The structural equation modeling indicated that the differences in post-silking N uptake and pre-silking N remobilization caused by different mulch practices and nitrogen rates could directly explain at least 48.0% and 52.0% of grain yield differences. The ridge-furrow cultivation with film mulch, especially black film mulch, along with 180 kg N ha−1 is favorable for improving grain yield and N use efficiency of dryland summer maize in the semi-humid but drought-prone region of northwest China.

Impact of mulching and nutrient management under pulses based cropping systems on vertisols of southern transitional zone of Karnataka

A field experiment was conducted to study the effect of mulching and nutrient management under different pulse based cropping system during 2018-19 at Indian Institute Pulses Research, Regional Research Station, Dharwad, Karnataka, India. The field experiment was conducted in deep black soil using split-split plot design with three replications. The treatments comprised of four cropping systems i.e., maize-chickpea, soybean-chickpea, groundnut-chickpea and mungbean-sorghum and two levels of fertilisation (farmers practise and recommended rate of fertilisers) with mulching and without mulching. The pooled yield of different crops under cropping system was significantly higher with mulching and recommended rate of fertilizer application. Among the different cropping systems, maize-chickpea was recorded significantly higher chickpea equivalent yield (3867 kg/ha) compared to other cropping system. Application of recommended rate of fertilizers resulted in higher chickpea equivalent yield of 2794 kg/ha over farmers’ practice. Among the mulching practices, mulching with crop residues recorded significantly higher chickpea equivalent yield of 4257 kg/ha over no mulching (3754 kg/ha). Higher yields of component crops are reported in recommended rate of fertilisers with mulching. Hence, for realising higher system productivity and net returns, it is better to grow maize during kharif season followed by chickpea in rabi season with recommended rate of fertilisers and crop residue mulching for in-situ moisture conservation.

Review on physiological and ecological characteristics and agronomic regulatory pathways of intercropping to delay root-canopy senescence of crops

Intercropping has been widely used in arid and semi-arid regions because of its high yield, and stable productivity, and efficient utilization of resources. However, in recent years, the high yield of traditional intercropping is mainly attributed to the large amount of purchased resources such as water and fertilizer, plastic film, and mechanical power. It leads to the decline of cultivated land quality and the phenomenon of premature root-canopy senescence of intercrops is become increasing serious. So, the application of traditional intercropping faces major challenges in crop production. In this paper, the manifestations, occurrence mechanisms, and agronomic regulatory pathways of crop senescence were analyzed in detail. The physiological and ecological characteristics of intercropping to delay root-canopy senescence of crops are reviewed in this paper. The main agronomic regulatory pathways of intercropping to delay root-canopy senescence of crops are based on above- and blow-ground interactions, include collocation of crop varieties, spatial arrangement, water and fertilizer management, and tillage and mulch practices. Future research fields of intercropping to delay root-canopy senescence should focus on the aspects of selecting and breeding special varieties, application of molecular biology techniques, and developing or applying models to predict and evaluate root-canopy senescence process of intercrops. Comprehensive analysis and evaluation of different research results could provide a basis for enhancing intercropping delay root-canopy senescence through adopting innovative technologies for regulating physio-ecological characteristics of intercrops. This would provide support for the development and adoption of high-yield, efficient, and sustainable intercropping systems in arid and semi-arid areas with more people and less land, and abundant light and heat resources.

Enhancing crop yield and conserving soil moisture through mulching practices in dryland agriculture

Dryland agriculture requires the efficient utilization of water resources and the implementation of water-conserving technologies. Mulching is a water conservation practice used in arid land areas to preserve soil moisture, control temperature, and minimize soil evaporation rates. Organic mulching minimizes soil deterioration, enhances organic matter, and boosts the soil’s ability to retain water. Mulching can help keep moisture in the root zone, allowing plants to receive water for extended periods. Mulching with composted yard waste led to higher soil nutrient levels, including phosphorus (P), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), and organic matter when compared to uncovered soil. Under plastic mulch, soluble nutrients such as nitrate (NO3−), ammonium (NH4+), calcium (Ca2+), magnesium (Mg2+), potassium (K+), and fulvic acid are released as organic matter decomposes, enhancing the soil’s nutrient availability. Mulching has several advantages for dryland agriculture, such as reducing soil water loss, soil erosion, weed growth, water droplet kinetic energy, and competition for nutrients and water with nearby fields. This review article aimed to demonstrate the effectiveness of ground mulching in water conservation. This is particularly important in arid regions where agricultural sustainability is at risk due to drought, heat stress, and the inefficient use of limited water resources during the cropping season. Ground mulching is essential for minimizing surface evaporation and hence decreasing water loss. This review research thoroughly examines the advantages of organic and synthetic mulches in crop production, as well as their use in the preservation of soil and water resources.

Effects of Different Mulching Practices on Soil Environment and Fruit Quality in Peach Orchards

Effects of Different Mulching Practices on Soil Environment and Fruit Quality in Peach Orchards

Enhancing Small Millet Farming Resilience through Conservation Agriculture in Rainfed Regions

The Centre of Excellence in Millets, located in Athiyandal, Tamil Nadu, conducted an extensive study from kharif 2020 to 2022, focusing on the impact of conservation agriculture practices on small millet crops in rainfed areas. The experiment, designed in a split-plot layout, included three main plot treatments: No tillage, Minimal tillage, and Mulching, with six sub-plot treatments comprising various millet varieties. Results indicated that a single ploughing significantly reduced weed populations, while mulching played a crucial role in curbing weed growth and conserving water. This led to substantial increases in grain yield and straw yield, ranging from 24.3% to 36.1% over the control, alongside an improvement in relative water use efficiency (RWUE) from 5.16 to 7.03 kg/ha/mm. Among the various millets cultivated with the mulching treatment (S3) emerged as the most favorable option in terms of grain yield. Finger millet, Kodomillet, and Foxtail millet exhibited the highest yields under this treatment, with 3010 kg/ha, 2234 kg/ha, and 2003 kg/ha, respectively. Additionally, Little millet, Barnyard millet, and Proso millet also demonstrated improved yields under Mulching, recording 1015 kg/ha, 1004 kg/ha, and 910 kg/ha, respectively. These results conclude that small millet cultivation in rainfed areas with mulching practices effectively enhances grain production, reduces weed growth, and ensures optimal water conservation, thereby providing sustainable alternatives to herbicide usage.

Influence of Different Planting Dates and Mulches on Growth, Yield and Economics of Potato

The present research work was conducted at Pili kothi farm, Department of Agronomy, Tilak Dhari Post Graduate College, Jaunpur, Uttar Pradesh during winter season of 2018 and 2019. The experiment was laid out in Factorial Randomized Block Design. The treatments comprised of different planting dates viz. 20 days early planting on 17th October, 10 days early planting on 27th October, Optimum planting time on 7th November, 10 days late planting on 17th November and 20 days late planting on 27th November and different mulching practices viz. Organic mulch (Paddy straw at 5 t/ha), Plastic mulch (Black colour) and Control (Without mulch) of potato. There were 15 treatments and each were replicated to four folds. These treatments were randomly arranged in each replication and divided into sixty plots. The results revealed that the significantly maximum number of haulms/hill at 45 DAP (4.50, 4.70 and 4.60), plant height (52.30, 54.00 and 53.10 cm), dry weight/ (27.90, 28.20 and 28.00) plant at 60 DAP, weight of tubers/plant (496.40, 504.10 and 500.30), weight of tubers/plant (&gt;75 g) (207.70, 209.00 and 208.30) and tuber yield (369.30, 370.70 and 370.00 q/ha) were recorded under 20 Days Early Planting On 17th October among different planting dates during first, second year and mean data also. Whereas among the mulching practices significant variation were recorded among the all parameter. However maximum number of haulms/hill (3.60, 3.70 and 3.70) at 45 DAP, plant height (50.20, 52.0 and 51.10 cm), dry weight/plant (25.5, 25.9 and 25.7) at 60 DAP, weight of tubers/plant (454.80, 460.70 and 457.70), weight of tubers/plant (&gt;75 g) (191.90, 193.30 and 192.60) and tuber yield (333.80, 334.90 and 334.30 q/ha) under the organic mulch (paddy straw at 5 t/ha) respectively, during first, second year as well as in mean data also.

Productivity, water use efficiency and soil properties of sugarcane as influenced by trash mulching and irrigation regimes under different planting systems in sandy loam soils

IntroductionIn the era of climate change, sugarcane used to face a problem associated with water shortage due to erratic rainfall patterns and lowered water tables. Improved water use efficiency using innovative crop management strategy is needed for sustainable sugarcane production. Trash mulching with different irrigation regimes can effectively modify the plant's hydrothermal micro-environment for increasing cane yield and water productivity.MethodsKeeping this in the background, a field experiment was conducted at Sugarcane Research Institute, RPCAU, Pusa, India, from 2016–17 to 2018–19 to investigate the effects of trash mulching and irrigation regimes on sugarcane productivity, water use efficiency (WUE) and soil properties in different planting systems. The field experiment comprised 12 treatments including four planting methods viz. conventional flat planting (CF; 75 cm row spacing) with trash mulching (6 t ha−1), CF planting (75 cm row spacing) without trash mulching (6 t ha−1), paired row trench (PT) planting (30: 120 cm row spacing) with trash mulching (6 t ha−1), PT planting (30: 120 cm row spacing) without trash mulching (6 t ha−1) and three irrigation schedules consisted of irrigation water (IW); cumulative pan evaporation (CPE) ratio of 0.60, 0.80, and 1.00 was laid out in strip plot design with three replications.Results and discussionThe cane yield (103.5 t ha−1) was found significantly higher in PT planting with trash mulching over the CF planting method with or without mulching. Concerning irrigation regimes using the IW/CPE ratio, it was found that the IW/CPE of 0.6 resulted in 16.9, 13.3% higher water-use efficiency, and 37.1, 40.7% higher water productivity over those under IW/CPE of 0.8, and 1.00, respectively. Furthermore, soil parameters like soil microbial biomass carbon (SMBC) and dehydrogenase activity were increased by 12.5, and 17.5 % due to trash mulching with trench planting as compared to those under conventional flat planting without mulching. The results suggest that planting sugarcane in paired rows and irrigation scheduling at 1.00 IW/CPE with the adoption of trash mulching practices is effective for increasing profitability by way of higher sugarcane productivity and water productivity and also in sustaining soil health.

Improved soil moisture, nutrients, and economic benefits using plastic mulchs in balsa-based agroforestry systems.

The manufacture of wind turbine blades generally uses balsa wood as the base materials, and it is crucial to explore new regions for cultivating balsa trees to achieve carbon neutrality in the future. Xishuangbanna may be China's only area with a tropical climate suitable for the large-scale planting of balsa trees. The present study investigated the key soil elements influencing the growth of balsa plantations and the effects of different cultivation practices on soil environments and economic benefits in Xishuangbanna, China. We found that the height of balsa stems after growing 4years reached 5.8m; the increment of diameter at breast height (DBH) reached 27.7cm and volume of balsa stems reached 196.0 m3ha-1 in Xishuangbanna of China. It is of the utmost importance to improve the contents of soil exchangeable magnesium (Mg) and available phosphorus (P) for the growth of balsa trees, and exchangeable aluminium (Al) inhibited the growth of balsa trees. The practice of plastic film mulching not only improved soil moisture in the 40‒100-cm soil layer in the dry season and in the 0-60-cm soil layer in the rainy season but also enhanced soil nitrate nitrogen when compared with no plastic-mulching practice in balsa plantations. The comprehensive economic benefits of balsa/coriander/ginger/taro plantations were significantly improved by implementing plastic film mulching, as compared to balsa plantations. We conclude that balsa tree can be cultivated in Xishuangbanna, China, and its successful cultivation provides opportunities for China's wind power development.

A Modified Version of RothC to Model the Direct and Indirect Effects of Rice Straw Mulching on Soil Carbon Dynamics, Calibrated in Two Valencian Citrus Orchards

The mulching of agricultural soils has been identified as a viable solution to sequester carbon into the soil, increase soil health, and fight desertification. This is why it is a promising solution for carbon farming in Mediterranean areas. Models are used to project the effects of agricultural practices on soil organic carbon in the future for various soil and climatic conditions, and to help policy makers and farmers assess the best way to implement carbon farming strategies. Here, we modified the widely used RothC model to include mulching practices and their direct and indirect effects on soil organic matter input, soil temperature changes, and soil hydraulic balance. We then calibrated and tested our modified RothC (RothC_MM) using the dataset collected in two field mulching experiments, and we used the tested RothC_MM to estimate the expected soil carbon sequestration due to mulching by the year 2050 for the Valencian Community (Spain). Our results show that RothC_MM improved the fit with the experimental data with respect to basic RothC; RothC_MM was able to model the effects of mulch on soil temperature and soil water content and to predict soil organic carbon (SOC) and CO2 observations taken in the field.

Response of spring maize to irrigation scheduling and mulching in Punjab

Aim: This study was planned and conducted to find the optimum IW:CPE level of irrigation scheduling along with mulching for spring maize in Punjab. Methodology: An experiment was conducted in spring, 2022 on agriculture farm of Lovely Professional University, Punjab comprising of four levels of irrigation scheduling viz., I1 (Surface irrigation at critical growth stages), I2 (Surface irrigation at 1.0 IW:CPE), I3 (Surface irrigation at 0.8 IW:CPE), I4 (Surface irrigation at 0.6 IW:CPE) assigned to main plots and two mulching treatments viz., M1 (No Mulch), M2 (With Mulch) allotted to the sub plots, which were replicated 4 times in split plot design. Results: Application of irrigation at IW:CPE ratio of 1.0 and 0.8 in spring maize were equally good as they recorded higher growth and yield parameters. Among the mulching practices, M2 resulted in better growth and yield parameters over no mulching. Highest green cob yield, grain yield and stover yield were also attained under irrigation applied at 1.0 IW:CPE combined with mulching, but it remained statistically at par with irrigation at 0.8 IW:CPE with mulching. Highest water use efficiency was seen under 0.8 IW:CPE. Interpretation: Optimum level of irrigation along with mulching for spring maize was assessed based on the results obtained for growth, yield as well as water use efficiency. It was recorded that irrigation at 0.8 IW:CPE with mulching was found best for higher grain yield of maize hybrid. Key words: Grain yield, Hybrid maize, Irrigation scheduling, Mulching, Water use efficiency