Abstract
Core Ideas Transparent film mulching increased the soil water storage more than black film mulching. The mulching treatment only markedly increased the soil temperature in the maize seeding growth stage. Higher plant density decreased the root surface area, root volume, root length, and root diameter. Plastic mulch in combination with high plant density is a common agronomic technique in rainfed maize ( Zea mays L.) production. However, the effects of combining colored film mulching and plant density on soil temperature, soil water storage, the maize roots, and yield have not been thoroughly elucidated to date. Thus, a field experiment to explore the effects of colored film mulching and plant density on soil temperature and water, maize roots, and yield was conducted on main plots with three types of mulching (non‐mulching, transparent film mulching, and black plastic film mulching), which were divided into three subplots with three plant densities (60,000, 75,000, and 90,000 plants ha −1 ). The results were as follows: The mulching increased the soil water storage during the entire period of maize growth, and transparent film mulching increased soil water storage more than black film mulching. The mulching only markedly increased soil temperature in the maize seeding and jointing stages compared with the non‐mulching treatment, but the plant density augmented the soil temperature after the seeding stage. Compared with the non‐mulching treatment, the mulching treatments significantly increased root length, root length density, and root diameter by 17.0, 21.4, and 11.6%, respectively, during the heading stage and by 65.2, 70, and 11.6%, respectively, during the mature stage. As plant density increased, root surface area, root volume, root length, and root diameter decreased. The best combination, which attained higher yield and profit than other treatments, was the combination of a plant density of 90,000 plants ha −1 and black film mulching.
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Claims 13
Claim · model-written summary
Mulching significantly increased root length of maize by 17.0 at the heading stage compared with non-mulching.
- Organ / stage
- heading stagee1
- Treatment
- mulching treatmentse1
- Outcome
- root lengthe1
- Direction
- increasede1
- Value
- 17.0e1
- Comparator
- non‐mulching treatmente1
Zea maysOrganisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“rainfed maize ( Zea mays L.) production”
e1“Compared with the non‐mulching treatment, the mulching treatments significantly increased root length, root length density, and root diameter by 17.0, 21.4, and 11.6%, respectively, during the heading stage”
Claim · model-written summary
Mulching significantly increased root length density of maize by 21.4 at the heading stage compared with non-mulching.
- Organ / stage
- heading stagee1
- Treatment
- mulching treatmentse1
- Outcome
- root length densitye1
- Direction
- increasede1
- Value
- 21.4e1
- Comparator
- non‐mulching treatmente1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“rainfed maize ( Zea mays L.) production”
e1“Compared with the non‐mulching treatment, the mulching treatments significantly increased root length, root length density, and root diameter by 17.0, 21.4, and 11.6%, respectively, during the heading stage”
Claim · model-written summary
Mulching significantly increased root diameter of maize by 11.6 at the heading stage compared with non-mulching.
- Organ / stage
- heading stagee1
- Treatment
- mulching treatmentse1
- Outcome
- root diametere1
- Direction
- increasede1
- Value
- 11.6e1
- Comparator
- non‐mulching treatmente1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“rainfed maize ( Zea mays L.) production”
e1“Compared with the non‐mulching treatment, the mulching treatments significantly increased root length, root length density, and root diameter by 17.0, 21.4, and 11.6%, respectively, during the heading stage”
Claim · model-written summary
Mulching significantly increased root length of maize by 65.2 at the mature stage compared with non-mulching.
- Organ / stage
- mature stagee2
- Treatment
- mulching treatmentse1
- Outcome
- root lengthe1
- Direction
- increasede1
- Value
- 65.2e2
- Comparator
- non‐mulching treatmente1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“rainfed maize ( Zea mays L.) production”
e1“Compared with the non‐mulching treatment, the mulching treatments significantly increased root length, root length density, and root diameter by 17.0, 21.4, and 11.6%, respectively, during the heading stage”
e2“and by 65.2, 70, and 11.6%, respectively, during the mature stage”
Claim · model-written summary
Mulching significantly increased root length density of maize by 70 at the mature stage compared with non-mulching.
- Organ / stage
- mature stagee2
- Treatment
- mulching treatmentse1
- Outcome
- root length densitye1
- Direction
- increasede1
- Value
- 70e2
- Comparator
- non‐mulching treatmente1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“rainfed maize ( Zea mays L.) production”
e1“Compared with the non‐mulching treatment, the mulching treatments significantly increased root length, root length density, and root diameter by 17.0, 21.4, and 11.6%, respectively, during the heading stage”
e2“and by 65.2, 70, and 11.6%, respectively, during the mature stage”
Claim · model-written summary
Mulching significantly increased root diameter of maize by 11.6 at the mature stage compared with non-mulching.
- Organ / stage
- mature stagee2
- Treatment
- mulching treatmentse1
- Outcome
- root diametere1
- Direction
- increasede1
- Value
- 11.6e2
- Comparator
- non‐mulching treatmente1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“rainfed maize ( Zea mays L.) production”
e1“Compared with the non‐mulching treatment, the mulching treatments significantly increased root length, root length density, and root diameter by 17.0, 21.4, and 11.6%, respectively, during the heading stage”
e2“and by 65.2, 70, and 11.6%, respectively, during the mature stage”
Claim · model-written summary
The mulching increased soil water storage during the entire period of maize growth.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“rainfed maize ( Zea mays L.) production”
e3“The mulching increased the soil water storage during the entire period of maize growth”
Claim · model-written summary
Transparent film mulching increased soil water storage more than black film mulching.
- Treatment
- Transparent film mulchinge4
- Outcome
- soil water storagee4
- Direction
- increasede4
- Comparator
- black film mulchinge4
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“rainfed maize ( Zea mays L.) production”
e4“Transparent film mulching increased the soil water storage more than black film mulching”
Claim · model-written summary
Mulching markedly increased soil temperature in the maize seeding and jointing stages compared with non-mulching.
- Organ / stage
- seeding and jointing stagese5
- Treatment
- mulchinge5
- Outcome
- soil temperaturee5
- Direction
- increasede5
- Comparator
- non‐mulching treatmente5
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“rainfed maize ( Zea mays L.) production”
e5“The mulching only markedly increased soil temperature in the maize seeding and jointing stages compared with the non‐mulching treatment”
Claim · model-written summary
Higher plant density augmented soil temperature after the seeding stage of maize.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“rainfed maize ( Zea mays L.) production”
e6“the plant density augmented the soil temperature after the seeding stage”
Claim · model-written summary
Higher plant density decreased root surface area and root volume of maize.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“rainfed maize ( Zea mays L.) production”
e7“As plant density increased, root surface area, root volume, root length, and root diameter decreased”
Claim · model-written summary
Higher plant density decreased root length and root diameter of maize.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“rainfed maize ( Zea mays L.) production”
e7“As plant density increased, root surface area, root volume, root length, and root diameter decreased”
Claim · model-written summary
The combination of 90,000 plants per hectare and black film mulching gave higher yield and profit than other treatments.
- Treatment
- combination of a plant density of 90,000 plants ha −1 and black film mulchinge1
- Outcome
- yield and profite1
- Direction
- highere1
- Comparator
- other treatmentse1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“rainfed maize ( Zea mays L.) production”
e1“The best combination, which attained higher yield and profit than other treatments, was the combination of a plant density of 90,000 plants ha −1 and black film mulching”
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